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This elderly dancing gent is who we need to see right now

Roland Parijs

SwingDanceOpa | YouTube | Fair Use

Cerith Gardiner - published on 04/08/22

There's nothing better than a swing in the step to make everything feel that little brighter.

After the media frenzy following the Will Smith slap, it’s wonderful to see a video posted on social media that uplifts the spirit.

An utterly joyful short video captures a rather suave senior, Roland Parijs, dancing away to the tunes of street musician Borja Catanesi in the Hague, Netherlands.

“When walking in the center, craving for some music, I heard ‘Riders on the Storm.’ I walked towards the sound, and there stood a fantastic guitarist playing and dancing. Quickly I put down by bag and started to dance with him. At the end I told him that he made my day. He smiled and said he made a video of me dancing and gave me his card. It was Borya Catanesi, what a wonderful artist!” Parijs shared on his YouTube post.

It was lovely to see the dapper gent — complete with his shiny shoes, cane, and hat — start to dance to Catanesi’s music. But what was so surprising was seeing Parijs’ flexibility and rhythm that were more impressive than those of most people a quarter of his age.

So take a minute or two to see someone spontaneously enjoying life, and then get your dancing shoes on! (Or maybe just pop on a favorite tune and sing your heart out and embrace all that is wonderful in life.)

Tags:
ElderlyMusic
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