Saturday Morning Central

I wanted to write something about A Charlie Brown Christmas this year besides a review, something a little more academic. I thought long and hard about something deep and meaningful I could pull from the animated classic, and finally I settled on the awesome dance scene.

I’m sure everyone has imitated at least one of the dances from A Charlie Brown Christmas once in their lives, but I doubt few have mastered them all. Here is your chance.

The Zombie

Who: Shermy
What: A dance reminiscent of a zombie on a treadmill
Requirements: The ability to keep one’s arms aloft for long periods of time.

What Shermy lacked in popularity among the Peanuts clan, he more than made up for in his display of creative dance. He walks in place with arms outstretched and an ever-so-subtle head-bob.

Remember to keep your eyes open while performing The Zombie, because otherwise this dance could easily be confused with The Sleepwalker.

The Flower Child

Who: 3 and 4 (The Twins)
What: An interesting combination of hippie jubilation and traditional Irish Step Dance
Requirements: Strong calves and an even stronger tolerance of dizziness

The twins in A Charlie Brown Christmas are named 3 and 4*, respectively. Along with their odd names they possess an odd style of dance. It looks like the torso of a hippie with the legs and feet of Michael Flatley from Riverdance. That aside, it is an easy enough accomplishment.

One must simply sway from side to side while kicking up the feet in a mesmerizing and headache inducing pattern.

* Source

The Thriller

Who: Frieda
What: A close-but-no-cigar attempt at the classic Michael Jackson move
Requirements: Noodle limbs, large grin, and a purple dress

Frieda is like the many party-goers we often see trying to pull off the iconic move from Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Her enthusiasm is her saving grace. The dance also brings to mind someone pouring water onto a fire from an invisible bucket.

The Marionette

Who: 5
What: A Marionette attempting the Charleston
Requirements: Flexible ankles, and being double jointed is a plus

5 is the big brother of 3 and 4. He also has the distinction of performing what a lot of people refer to as “The Charlie Brown”, a dance that is included in the wedding reception staple The Cha-Cha Slide.

The Armpit

Who: Violet
What: A jerky , sad looking dance involving armpits
Requirements: Bangs

Violet’s dance in A Charlie Brown Christmas looks sad, almost like a unenthusiastic hip-hip-hooray. It also looks like she is checking to make sure she put on her deodorant that morning. Either way, the dance should be easy to pull off if you are too intimidated by the more challenging numbers in this guide. Besides, not everyone’s a natural like Shermy.

The Victory Dance

Who: Linus
What: Yesssss!
Requirements: A Blankie, unbridle enthusiasm, and speed

Linus is usually considered to be the intellectual one of the group, but he lets lose in this scene like he just found out he was getting something awesome for Christmas. I first discovered this dance when I was snooping through my mother’s closet and found the unwrapped box of the Mighty Max Skull Mountain playset.

The Rain Dance

Who: Sally
What: Traditional Native American rain dance
Requirements: Elbow/Knee coordination

Sally’s dance almost looks like a variation on Linus’ Victory Dance. I think, however, she is fascinated with rain dances, and wants to see if they will also work to bring snow (and snow days).

In a nutshell, those are the dances of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Now you can attend your Christmas parties armed with the know-how to burn up the dance floor, Peanuts style. You get bonus points if you wear a Peanuts t-shirt while you do it, just don’t forget to send the embarrassing pictures so I can post them in a follow up article.