| Fathers have a bad rep when it comes to strutting their stuff on the dance floor. But some of the world’s most wonderful waltzers and boogie boys have sired their fair share of offspring. So, take your partners by the hand and join us in a celebratory jig in honour of the world’s greatest dancing Dads. |
| 1. Michael Jackson |
Where do we start? When it comes to dancing there is no doubt this man is in a class of his own. From the Jackson 5 through to ‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’, Jackson has wowed audiences time after time. His pop video format of being the front man to a team of dancers has been copied by everyone. But a father? Wacko Jacko? Well, you’d have to live on another planet (as he seems to) in order to have missed out on the fact that he’s now Daddy to Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and, of course, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson II – called 'Blanket' to avoid confusion!
Verdict: Bad! (as in good)… |
| 2. Fred Astaire |
| Nimble-footed cinema icon Frederick Austerlitz, to give him his real name, brought the art form of dance to the big screen with such impact that he’s considered by many as the most influential dancer in history. In his heyday – the 1930s and 40s – Astaire fathered two children, Fred Junior and Ava by Phyllis Potter. But it’s more as a grandfather that the actor/dancer should be remembered here. Never one to miss a chance to put on a show, Astaire broke his wrist while riding his grandson’s skateboard – he was 78 at the time! Verdict: Tip Top! |
| 3. James Brown |
| The world lost one of showbiz’s greatest movers and shakers last year when James Brown passed away on Christmas Day. Brown would move and shake as part of a feverish stage act that earned him the nickname ‘the hardest working man in showbusiness’. He began singing for nickels and dimes in the 1950s and went on to become a legend thanks to a distinctive voice and passionate stage presence. Never one to sit back and take it easy he fathered eight children. Verdict: Oooowww! Argggh! Yeah! |
| 4. John Travolta |
| Disco dancing was a great escape for many locked in the industrial grief and fashion hell that was the 1970s – and Travolta was ‘The Daddy’ when it came to dance. With footloose films such as ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘Grease’, Travolta had fans dancing in the cinema aisles – and he helped flares walk out of the department stores. After taking a prolonged rest from the big screen he returned as a ‘Pulp Fiction’ assassin thanks to Quentin Tarantino and is now an established airline pilot – which explains why his second child, a son, is called Jett. Verdict: High flying |
| 5. Will Ferrell |
| Watching a slightly chunky 39-year-old man squeeze into a skin-tight outfit and dance around an ice rink probably isn’t everyone’s idea of fun, but if that man’s Will Ferrell then you know it’ll be an amusing spectacle. As Chazz Michael Michaels in ‘Blades of Glory’, Ferrell shows his grace and poise as a champion figure skater who dances with a rival male to bypass a ban for fighting. Ever the professional, the Old School star was happy to suffer for his craft in Lycra costumes and a painful ‘dance belt’. Oh how his kids will cringe in years to come. Verdict: Lycra’s back |
| 6. Mikhail Barishnykov |
The world’s greatest living male ballet dancer, Barishnykov became a household name when in 1974 – while touring Canada with the Kirov Ballet – he performed a magical pirouette away from the eyes of his KGB minders and into political asylum. He became the principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and was awarded US citizen status in 1986. Dispelling not only myths about Dancing Dads but also some stereotypes about male ballet dancers, he has three children by his wife – the former ballerina Lisa Rinehart.
Verdict: Runaway success |
| 7. Steve Ballmer |
| Who’s he? Well, he won’t like us for saying it but if you Google ‘Ballmer the Dancing Monkeyboy’ all will become clear. For Ballmer – CEO of Microsoft and among the world’s top 50 richest men – dancing like a dork is all in a day’s work. What’s worse is that Ballmer’s infamous monkey-moves-to-music routine was performed on a conference stage, filmed and uploaded on to the Net. Ballmer loves his job and loves Microsoft – so much so that he’s threatened to “kill Google” and won’t allow his kids to use the rival search engine! Verdict: Funky gibbon |
| 8. Christopher Dean |
| Back in the day when Snooker, Darts and Brian Jack’s ‘Superstars’ squat-thrust technique were attracting TV audiences in their millions – one sporting achievement more than any other sent the nation into raptures. At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, ice-dancing pair Christopher Dean and Jayne Torville performed to Ravel’s Bolero with such precision that the judges gave them nine straight perfect scores for their artistic impression! They won gold and became national heroes to the 24 million Brits watching on TV that night. Dean, who gave up his job as a policeman to dance full-time, now lives in Colarado, USA. Verdict: Ice Cool. |
| 9. Darren Gough |
England’s cricket selectors were as shocked as anyone when Gough waltzed on to the BBC’s third series of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’; the Yorkshireman had just asked them not to be considered for the winter tour to Pakistan, apparently so that he could spend more time with his wife and two sons. ‘Dazzler’ Darren quick-stepped his way all the way to the final, winning the series with partner Lilia Kopylova before going on to take the Champion of Champions crown with a perfect score of 40 from the judges.
Verdict: Bowled us over |
| 10. Mark ‘Bez’ Berry |
| The Happy Mondays’ maracas-wielding ‘Bez’ led the 90s Madchester dance movement from the very front. He didn’t sing, he didn’t play a instrument of any note but boy could he ‘step on’ stage and dance the night away – a spectacle which owed much to an ample supply of ‘energy boosting’ pills. The Mondays’ mystery man came into his own when he was crowned 2005 Celebrity Big Brother king. On leaving the house he claimed the thing he’d missed most was his two sons. Ahhh. Verdict: Mad for it |
