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Why Dancing Matt Makes Me Cry
Resa Nelson posted November 30, 2012

A good friend emailed a YouTube link to me with the intent of brightening my day.  Watching it, I smiled at first but then found myself in tears by the end of the video. 

A couple of years ago I saw my first Dancing Matt video and giggled.  He began his journey by making short videos of himself doing a goofy dance by iconic global sites and then posting them online. 

Obviously, the guy loves to travel and his enthusiasm is contagious even though his dancing amounted to awkward shuffling.  Nevertheless, I became a fan.  Occasionally I’d see him on the news or YouTube.  The more I saw of Dancing Matt, the more I liked him.

Recently on a morning news show, Dancing Matt described how his videos have changed.  He used to dance alone.  Now he invites locals to join him in his silly dance.  But one day someone suggested he learn one of their dances.  He took a leap of faith and tried it.

Little did I know that I’d see the result the next day when my friend emailed the link of Matt’s newest video to me. 

The sight of Dancing Matt preparing to do his thing in different countries delighted me at first.  He leads a crowd on a plaza in Seville flanked by colorful and ornate buildings, where he mimics a female flamenco dancer's arm positions. In a formal black suit, he faces his partner in a Vienna ballroom, lit by crystal chandeliers. In a Damascus dance studio he shadows a ballet dancer.  In the desert of Saudi Arabia he wears traditional garb and dances with Arab men on oriental carpets.  The dancing escalates in clips from dozens of countries.  “I know you!” I said with the joy of encountering an old friend.

I don’t know Dancing Matt.  Never met him or had any kind of contact with him.  I simply know a little about his story. 

When I saw Matt in Rwanda I flashed back to the not-so-long-ago genocide.  Since that time of slaughter, hearing “Rwanda” made me see images of slashing machetes.  When I saw the smiling Rwandans in Matt’s video move with carefree ease and grace I choked up and blinked back tears.  “Rwanda” now puts images of dancers in my head instead of machetes.

Bali makes me think of serenity.  Seeing Matt mirror dance steps from Indonesia women put a lump in my throat because I felt overwhelmed by a deep sense of peace.  North Korea makes me think of the fear and hardship experienced by foreign journalists thrown in prison.  Watching Matt learn moves from North Koreans left me weeping because Matt looks so safe and sound in their presence.

Feeling like a complete mess when the video ended, I asked myself why.  How could such a wonderful and happy video make me cry?  It didn’t make any sense.

Then it hit me.  I no longer see Matt as a goofy guy making silly dance videos.  Matt has transformed into a man who connects with all kinds of people across the world.  Instead of dancing alone, he invites others to join him.  He embraces what people in other countries teach him.  He’s willing to fail or to look like a fool in order to learn and change and grow. 

And sometimes Matt looks good dancing!

I cried because Matt reminds me of the heroes in the novels I write, who are the best people I can imagine.  My Dragonslayer series is about Astrid, a female blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers.  When her adventures send her to other countries she learns to be open to foreigners.  She even learns local dances from villagers and laughs at her lack of dancing skills.  Astrid is like Matt!

When I cried at Dancing Matt’s video, they were happy tears.  I’m glad to know people like Matt exist.  They give me hope.

The Dragonslayer series recommended for Adults and Teens (14 and up) Kindle $4.99 Trade paperbacks $12.95-$14.95
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Also from Resa Nelson, a mystery/thriller about a modern-day society based on ancient Egypt: