Several weeks ago we took the girls to Baby Loves Disco. What is BLD? Yeah, I had no idea either.
My introduction to it was via the local moms' list serve, somebody trying to sell their tickets, inquiring about tickets, or something. And I was all like Baby Loves Disco? What's that? Some sort of lame "mommy and me" let's-speak-in-a-sing-song-voice in florescent lighting type class? No thanks. (Yes, I deprive my children of mommy and me class experiences - our whole life is a mommy and me class experience.)
Then I somehow stumbled upon what Baby Loves Disco actually is: a dance party for moms, dads and babes at your local night club.
I know, woohoo!
The DC area's location is The Rock and Roll Hotel. And I had been to The Rock and Roll Hotel (thank you my own personal going-out guru, Kimberly Ann), and this is not a place you take babies...right?
Wrong.
The people of BLD come in, hose the whole place down in hand sanitizer, bring in changing tables and bubble machines, load the bar with juice boxes and Goldfish and the pool tables with organic snackage and turn lounges into nursing rooms and stages into play areas. Can the parents order a beer? Indeed. Can the kids get their face painted, I mean, like DC face painted? Of course. Is there a dude making sweet balloon flower bracelets, swords and anything else a kid could want? For sure. And all the while the dance floor has mamas and papas cuttin' it up with their baby sweets.
And I like that idea.
I got a taste of this once in Iowa City when I made a point to take Olaiya to the Ped Mall for Friday Night Music to hear a salsa-merengue band play. She was enthralled by the live band and we got to dance together to real music in a cool setting. This scene struck me with similar potential.
I did, however, seriously underestimate the aptness of the event name - it really is Baby Loves Disco. Not Baby Loves Hip Hop, not Baby Loves Techno, not Baby Loves Angry-but-fun-to-dance-to-rock. It's all disco. So that took the mama back a bit. I understand the Missy Elliott isn't exactly age appropriate for diaper-age 7 set. But couldn't we at least have some Will Smith? He's family friendly, right? A girl needs her catchy hooks and a hot beat. It was cool, however, to get to hear the original tunes where Missy and Will got all their sweet melodies. And to get a preschooler perspective on a previously makes-me-leave-the-dance-floor song: Spelling with actions = fun.
I vastly overestimated people's willingness to dress according to theme. November is Pajama Party Month at BLD. Not my favorite attire to bust a move in, but hey, we're here to party. So, we were pretty much the only people rockin' the pjs. The organizers were proud of us. We got our picture taken.
So I wish there was some more rockin' tunes. I wish we had had some friends with us (both for us and the girls - this definitely falls in the everything's-more-fun-with-friends category). I wish I had let my good sport-of-a-husband wear jeans. But bottom line, I'm grooving on what these Baby Loves Disco people are thinking.
My introduction to it was via the local moms' list serve, somebody trying to sell their tickets, inquiring about tickets, or something. And I was all like Baby Loves Disco? What's that? Some sort of lame "mommy and me" let's-speak-in-a-sing-song-voice in florescent lighting type class? No thanks. (Yes, I deprive my children of mommy and me class experiences - our whole life is a mommy and me class experience.)
Then I somehow stumbled upon what Baby Loves Disco actually is: a dance party for moms, dads and babes at your local night club.
I know, woohoo!
The DC area's location is The Rock and Roll Hotel. And I had been to The Rock and Roll Hotel (thank you my own personal going-out guru, Kimberly Ann), and this is not a place you take babies...right?
Wrong.
The people of BLD come in, hose the whole place down in hand sanitizer, bring in changing tables and bubble machines, load the bar with juice boxes and Goldfish and the pool tables with organic snackage and turn lounges into nursing rooms and stages into play areas. Can the parents order a beer? Indeed. Can the kids get their face painted, I mean, like DC face painted? Of course. Is there a dude making sweet balloon flower bracelets, swords and anything else a kid could want? For sure. And all the while the dance floor has mamas and papas cuttin' it up with their baby sweets.
And I like that idea.
I got a taste of this once in Iowa City when I made a point to take Olaiya to the Ped Mall for Friday Night Music to hear a salsa-merengue band play. She was enthralled by the live band and we got to dance together to real music in a cool setting. This scene struck me with similar potential.
I did, however, seriously underestimate the aptness of the event name - it really is Baby Loves Disco. Not Baby Loves Hip Hop, not Baby Loves Techno, not Baby Loves Angry-but-fun-to-dance-to-rock. It's all disco. So that took the mama back a bit. I understand the Missy Elliott isn't exactly age appropriate for diaper-age 7 set. But couldn't we at least have some Will Smith? He's family friendly, right? A girl needs her catchy hooks and a hot beat. It was cool, however, to get to hear the original tunes where Missy and Will got all their sweet melodies. And to get a preschooler perspective on a previously makes-me-leave-the-dance-floor song: Spelling with actions = fun.
I vastly overestimated people's willingness to dress according to theme. November is Pajama Party Month at BLD. Not my favorite attire to bust a move in, but hey, we're here to party. So, we were pretty much the only people rockin' the pjs. The organizers were proud of us. We got our picture taken.
So I wish there was some more rockin' tunes. I wish we had had some friends with us (both for us and the girls - this definitely falls in the everything's-more-fun-with-friends category). I wish I had let my good sport-of-a-husband wear jeans. But bottom line, I'm grooving on what these Baby Loves Disco people are thinking.
There's the Naomi face.
Mom, can we hear that YMCH song again?
7 comments:
This post makes me so glad that we'll see you soon. We miss you're up-close-and-personal faces!
Karen
That is completely awesome! They need to franchise that and roll it out nationwide!
sounds like something that needs to expand to our area! certainly have enough bars for potential location right?
I can't believe I heard about this via blogville! Give Kurt a big "You're AWESOME!" from Anna for wearing the PJ's.
that looks like so much fun! i can totally see you guys decked out in pjs dancing away to disco... :) see you soon! -liz
BLD sounds completely awesome. Plus, it's really close to BLT, which are also awesome.
Anyway, this reminds me of a cable access show in Chicago:
http://www.roctober.com/chicagogo/
Look ma! All-ages dance party!
- Shar
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