Post by Mark on Aug 27, 2012 22:30:12 GMT -5
8. Disney Channel Rocks!
This isn't even considered a dance party anymore since they took out all the interactive elements of it. I'm including it on this list anyway because it is The Worst. DHS is my least favorite park by far, but for some reason I find myself there all the time. I swear to God that this show runs continuously because IT IS ALWAYS THERE every single time I go near the hat. Hearing this show makes visiting DHS an even more miserable experience, if you can believe it. If you are ever stuck watching this horror of a dance party, look around for a Brazilian tour group. They dance their asses off. I could watch them all day. If there are no tour groups, get on Grindr and play "match the headless torso to the dancer".
7. Woody's Happy Harvest Roundup
I think the picture speaks for itself.
6. Club 626
This has everything there is to hate about WDW dance parties. It's loud and intrusive, they play the most obnoxious music, and, of course, there's Stitch. Is there ANYTHING good about this dance party? You bet there is! While everyone else is dancing (or, in most cases, standing awkwardly while Goofy grinds up against their groin), you can people-watch! Laugh it up as not one person, including the DJ, can get the Thriller dance right. Make fun of those assholes who don't know how to Charlie Brown during the Cha Cha Slide. Pay extra close attention to the rare couple who start dancing un-Disney-like. N.B.: Since alcohol isn't served in the Magic Kingdom, none of these guests are drunk.
5. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Dance Parties (Cosmic Ray's Jingle Dance and Play/Woody's Hootin Holiday)
There's not much to do at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I get it. However, if you choose to spend even a second of your time at one of these dance parties, I think you should seriously consider your life decisions. Woody's party is exactly the same as the Happy Harvest Roundup. I almost want to say Cosmic Ray's party is worse because they violate Sonny Eclipse's stage, but the only reason it ranks so high on my list is that you can take a picture with Santa Goofy here without having to wait in a long line. Everything else about it sucks.
4. Anandapur/Harambe Dance Parties
Now we're getting to the decent dance parties at WDW. These ones were introduced this summer in order to make people hang around Animal Kingdom a little longer. These parties take place on the main thoroughfares of their respective lands, so I guess you could make the argument that they're intrusive, but they're incredibly small and not even that loud. If you have a choice between the two, Anandapur's Bhangra DJ Dance Party is clearly superior to Harambe's. The only sad thing about these dance parties is that literally no one dances. Not even drunk people. The poor CM dancers must feel soooo awkward.
3. Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party
A lot of people hate this party. I, too, hated it when it first came out. When I finally accepted it for what it was, I gradually began to embrace it. The show itself is incredibly corny, and once you're in on the joke, it becomes so much fun! Now, I love it. I even dance along to the music as I'm getting ready for work. I highly recommend giving this dance party a shot. Warning if you're easily embarrassed: the dances that they do look incredibly stupid, but don't worry. Everyone else around you is doing the same stupid dance.
2. EPCOT New Year's Eve Dance Parties*
*With the exception of the fucking stupid dance party at World Showcase entrance plaza. AVOID THIS ONE AT ALL COSTS. It sucks.
EPCOT is the place to be on New Year's Eve. And once you're in EPCOT, you can be a sucker and stake out your fireworks spot at 12 noon, or you can go to the awesome dance parties around World Showcase! There are three dance parties worth mentioning. My personal favorite is the Latin music band/DJ that take over the America Gardens Theatre. I love the music that they play and I LOVE!!! that they are catering to the Hispanic demographic. Why? BECAUSE WE FUCKING DANCE. Unlike virtually every other Disney World dance party, this one is full of people dancing, and dancing WELL! If your friends don't want to dance, walk up to any Hispanic person there and I guarantee you they will dance with you. Another good thing is that these attendants seem to hold their liquor a lot better than the guests at the other dance parties... The Italy pavilion has a super cool (by Disney standards) laser party and the China pavilion has a pyrotechnics dance. They're both awesome, although I prefer Italy because of the off-duty CMs.
If you have kids with you, for the love of God don't bring them to either of these parties. Considering it's 1) EPCOT and 2) New Year's Eve, 99% of the guests here are wasted and, like any rave, a significant percent are using other mind-altering substances. Neither of these parties are good places to watch the NYE Illuminations from, so you might want to leave an hour before midnight to find another spot (although, like I said earlier, people are scouting all the good spots out more than ten hours in advance, so you might not get great viewing anyway).
And, finally, my favorite Walt Disney World dance party is...
1. Frontierland Hoedown
I love this show so fucking much. Whenever I watch it, I get all giddy inside. This dance party gets it right. It doesn't feel forced. It plays (more or less) thematically appropriate music. It doesn't force overused characters down our throats but instead brings out amazing underrepresented characters like the Country Bears and Clarabelle Cow! And most of all, people actually enjoy it! Be sure to make time to see it on your next trip.
Honorable mention: The hot mess that was Truckosaurus (vimeo.com/22536787)
This isn't even considered a dance party anymore since they took out all the interactive elements of it. I'm including it on this list anyway because it is The Worst. DHS is my least favorite park by far, but for some reason I find myself there all the time. I swear to God that this show runs continuously because IT IS ALWAYS THERE every single time I go near the hat. Hearing this show makes visiting DHS an even more miserable experience, if you can believe it. If you are ever stuck watching this horror of a dance party, look around for a Brazilian tour group. They dance their asses off. I could watch them all day. If there are no tour groups, get on Grindr and play "match the headless torso to the dancer".
7. Woody's Happy Harvest Roundup
I think the picture speaks for itself.
6. Club 626
This has everything there is to hate about WDW dance parties. It's loud and intrusive, they play the most obnoxious music, and, of course, there's Stitch. Is there ANYTHING good about this dance party? You bet there is! While everyone else is dancing (or, in most cases, standing awkwardly while Goofy grinds up against their groin), you can people-watch! Laugh it up as not one person, including the DJ, can get the Thriller dance right. Make fun of those assholes who don't know how to Charlie Brown during the Cha Cha Slide. Pay extra close attention to the rare couple who start dancing un-Disney-like. N.B.: Since alcohol isn't served in the Magic Kingdom, none of these guests are drunk.
5. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Dance Parties (Cosmic Ray's Jingle Dance and Play/Woody's Hootin Holiday)
There's not much to do at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I get it. However, if you choose to spend even a second of your time at one of these dance parties, I think you should seriously consider your life decisions. Woody's party is exactly the same as the Happy Harvest Roundup. I almost want to say Cosmic Ray's party is worse because they violate Sonny Eclipse's stage, but the only reason it ranks so high on my list is that you can take a picture with Santa Goofy here without having to wait in a long line. Everything else about it sucks.
4. Anandapur/Harambe Dance Parties
Now we're getting to the decent dance parties at WDW. These ones were introduced this summer in order to make people hang around Animal Kingdom a little longer. These parties take place on the main thoroughfares of their respective lands, so I guess you could make the argument that they're intrusive, but they're incredibly small and not even that loud. If you have a choice between the two, Anandapur's Bhangra DJ Dance Party is clearly superior to Harambe's. The only sad thing about these dance parties is that literally no one dances. Not even drunk people. The poor CM dancers must feel soooo awkward.
3. Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party
A lot of people hate this party. I, too, hated it when it first came out. When I finally accepted it for what it was, I gradually began to embrace it. The show itself is incredibly corny, and once you're in on the joke, it becomes so much fun! Now, I love it. I even dance along to the music as I'm getting ready for work. I highly recommend giving this dance party a shot. Warning if you're easily embarrassed: the dances that they do look incredibly stupid, but don't worry. Everyone else around you is doing the same stupid dance.
2. EPCOT New Year's Eve Dance Parties*
*With the exception of the fucking stupid dance party at World Showcase entrance plaza. AVOID THIS ONE AT ALL COSTS. It sucks.
EPCOT is the place to be on New Year's Eve. And once you're in EPCOT, you can be a sucker and stake out your fireworks spot at 12 noon, or you can go to the awesome dance parties around World Showcase! There are three dance parties worth mentioning. My personal favorite is the Latin music band/DJ that take over the America Gardens Theatre. I love the music that they play and I LOVE!!! that they are catering to the Hispanic demographic. Why? BECAUSE WE FUCKING DANCE. Unlike virtually every other Disney World dance party, this one is full of people dancing, and dancing WELL! If your friends don't want to dance, walk up to any Hispanic person there and I guarantee you they will dance with you. Another good thing is that these attendants seem to hold their liquor a lot better than the guests at the other dance parties... The Italy pavilion has a super cool (by Disney standards) laser party and the China pavilion has a pyrotechnics dance. They're both awesome, although I prefer Italy because of the off-duty CMs.
If you have kids with you, for the love of God don't bring them to either of these parties. Considering it's 1) EPCOT and 2) New Year's Eve, 99% of the guests here are wasted and, like any rave, a significant percent are using other mind-altering substances. Neither of these parties are good places to watch the NYE Illuminations from, so you might want to leave an hour before midnight to find another spot (although, like I said earlier, people are scouting all the good spots out more than ten hours in advance, so you might not get great viewing anyway).And, finally, my favorite Walt Disney World dance party is...
1. Frontierland Hoedown
I love this show so fucking much. Whenever I watch it, I get all giddy inside. This dance party gets it right. It doesn't feel forced. It plays (more or less) thematically appropriate music. It doesn't force overused characters down our throats but instead brings out amazing underrepresented characters like the Country Bears and Clarabelle Cow! And most of all, people actually enjoy it! Be sure to make time to see it on your next trip.
Honorable mention: The hot mess that was Truckosaurus (vimeo.com/22536787)
