upworthy

dancing

Television

A surprisingly impressive dancing dog duo brought the house down on 'America's Got Talent'

Sure, border collies are smart, but this is something else.

America's Got Talent/YouTube

Roni Sagi and her dog, Rhythm, love to dance together.

What dog owner wouldn’t want to jam out to Queen with their pup while the world watches? Of course, our version probably wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as what Roni Sagi and her black and white border collie, aptly named Rhythm, did for America's Got Talent in August 2024.

First off, audiences knew they’d instantly be in for a treat when Sagi and Rhythm recreated the band’s famous pose for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But it only got better from there in a routine that featured a mash-up of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Don’t Stop Me Now.”

 queen bohemian rhapsody  Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" never disappoints.  Giphy  

The dance duo wowed judges and audiences alike with synchronized steps, turns, flips, and even a cool bridge pose trick (seriously, this was a dog owner’s dream come to life). Simon Cowell jokingly asked “How do we know that the dog is a real dog?” because Rhythm was just that good.

Sagi would later end up sharing that Rhythm earned his name from an early age, already tapping his little feet on her bed at only 6 weeks old. By that point, Sagi had already had experience training therapy dogs, which undoubtedly gave her a good foundation for working with her little “tornado storm.”

  - YouTube  youtu.be  

Perhaps it shouldn't come as that much of a surprise that Rhythm is so gifted. After all, border collies are notorious for being able to pick up skills quickly, and there have been several border collies that have broken world records—including records for intelligence, balance, and skateboarding (yes, really).

But Sagi seems to credit their chemistry less on Rhythm’s species traits, and more on his individual personality. “It’s so much fun to have a partner that wants [to perform] as much as you,” she said. “He wants to do it all, and he wants to do it now, and he wants to do it as good as he can.”

 border collie, dog, clapping dog Border collie clapping Giphy  

Down in the comments, online viewers shared their praises—and awe—for Rhythm’s performance.

“This was the most amazing dog act I've seen!” one person wrote.

“That precious dog Rhythm is SO talented and smart!!! I don’t understand how he knows what to do when his back is to her?!! This dog is truly dancing and just extremely talented!!!” added another.

Another said, “This dog is the most energetic and enthusiastic I've ever seen.”

Of course, Rhythm wasn't getting all the love. One person wrote, “I don't usually like dog acts, but this was impressive. Roni is very creative with what she does and obviously a great dancer herself and trainer.”

Another AGT performance by the duo also got rave reviews:

@agt

what can't @Ronisagi & Rhythm do!? watch #AGT on @NBC and streaming on @Peacock.

"Unbelievable…those steps omg."

"It's how the dog is ACTUALLY running around HAPPY!"

"That doggie deserves a million treats. Fantastic!"

"Yet I have to say to my dog sit 87 times before he actually sits, probably also from being tired of standing not because I said it."

Even when they're just rehearsing and dancing together at home, watching Rhythm and his human move together so harmoniously is truly incredible to watch:

Maybe we can’t get all dogs to perform quite on this level, but it does show us just how amazing man’s best friend really is.

You can follow Roni Sagi and Rhythm on Instagram.

From Your Site Articles
america's got talent
Art

A 92-yr-old former ballet dancer with dementia wrote a poem that seems to defy her disease

Wow, this is powerful.

Photo credit: Canva

"I am still a dancer made of song."

Humans have been writing poetry for thousands of years, communicating feelings and ideas in beautiful, powerful ways that prose just can't quite reach. Poetry can be hard to define, but you know it when you see it—or rather, when you feel it.

Emily Dickinson once wrote, “If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.” A poem hits you somewhere—your brain, your heart, your gut. And one poem that packs an incredibly moving punch has come from an unlikely source—an elderly woman with dementia.

elderly woman, dementia, caregiver, poetry, former dancerA woman with dementia wrote a poem with one of her children and it's bringing people to tears.Photo credit: Canva

Poet Joseph Fasano shared a message from a fan who shared that they had brought his book, "The Magic Words: Simple Poetry Prompts That Unlock the Creativity in Everyone," to their mother, a 92-year-old former ballet dancer living with dementia. The mother was excited to write a poem, and they slowly worked through a prompt from the book together aloud.

This poem was the result:

"Let the days be warm

Let the fall be long.

Let every child inside me find her shoes

and dance wildly, softly, toward the world.

I have a story I have never told

Once, when I was small,

I looked up at the sky and saw the wind

and knew I was a dancer made of song.

I am still a dancer made of song."

Wow. What a testament to the power of poetry to reach beyond our usual modes of communication, which dementia so cruelly disrupts. In a few simple lines, we're able to see this woman as she might see herself, as the human living under the veils of age and disease: "I am still a dancer made of song."

Poetry prompts can help people express themselves

The person who shared the poem thanked Fasano for "helping people find their voices," which is exactly what his book of poetry prompts was meant to do.

The Magic Words book by Joseph Fasano, poetry prompts"The Magic Words" is a book of poetry prompts from Joseph Fasano.Amazon


In the book's introduction, Fasano shares that he'd been invited to speak to a class of second graders in New Jersey in 2022 to share "the craft and magic of poetry." As part of his efforts, he came up with a poetry prompt that could "help guide their imaginations" and "unlock the images, thoughts and feelings inside them, without asking them to worry about how to structure a poem." He called the results "astonishing." When he shared one of the students' poems on social media, it and the prompt took off like wildfire, as people who never thought of themselves as poets felt empowered to share their imaginations within that framework.

From 7-year-olds to 92-year-olds, anyone can benefit from the self-expression that poetry facilitates, but many people feel hesitant or intimidated by the idea of writing a poem. Fasano writes, "Poetry is what happens when we let ourselves be," and this idea seems so clear than in the former dancer's poem above. Dementia can create roadblocks, but poetry provides a different avenue of communication.

Caregivers try many different ways to communicate with people living with dementia.Photo credit: Canva

The arts can be a powerful tool for people with dementia

Using poetry to help dementia patients communicate and express themselves isn't just wishful thinking. Studies have demonstrated that cultural arts interventions, including poetry specifically, can be beneficial for people with dementia. In fact, the Alzheimer's Poetry Project (APP) aims to use poetry as a means of improving the quality of life of people living with dementia by facilitating creative expression. "We do not set boundaries in our beliefs in what possible for people with memory impairment to create," the APP website states. "By saying to people with dementia, we value you and your creativity; we are saying we value all members of our community."

Fasano has shared that a team of doctors has begun using his poetry prompts to "give people with dementia a voice again."

Poet Gary Glazner, who founded APP, shared a story with WXPR radio about how he came up with the idea while studying poetry at Sonoma State University:

“I applied for a grant and got a grant to work at an adult care program. The moment I love to share with people is there was a guy in the group, head down, not participating and I said the Longfellow poem. ‘I shot an arrow into the air’ and his eyes popped open and he said, ‘It fell to earth I know not where.’ And suddenly he was with us and participating. It was just this powerful moment to see how poetry could be of use to elders but specifically with people with dementia."

Whether we read it, write it, speak it or hear it, poetry has the power to reach people of all ages in all kinds of mysterious ways.

You can follow Joseph Fasano on Twitter and Instagram, and find his books on Amazon.

This article originally appeared last year.


From Your Site Articles
poetry
Joy

Barilla has Spotify playlists perfectly timed to cook each of their pasta shapes al dente

This is so clever.

Screenshot via Spotify, Photo credit: Canva

Cue up some Mixtape Spaghetti and get your al dente on.

A pasta brand having a Spotify account is unexpected to begin with, but a pasta brand creating Spotify playlists specifically to help people cook their noodles perfectly al dente is exactly the kind of unexpected the world needs more of.

Barilla, the famous Italian pasta brand, is cleverly using Spotify as a kitchen timer for its various styles of pasta. Say you're planning on cooking up some penne pasta tonight. All you have to do is boil some water, pour the pasta in, turn on Barilla's "Pleasant Melancholy Penne" playlist, and dance around your kitchen (or make your sauce or whatever) until the music stops. Then you know it's time to drain and serve.

The playlists are pasta shape specific. For instance, Mixtape Spaghetti is exactly 9 minutes long for perfectly cooked spaghetti noodles while Boom Bap Fusilli is 11 minutes because those little corkscrews take a bit longer to cook. Look at those playlist names. Timeless Emotion Fusilli? Moody Day Linguine? Someone in Barilla's marketing department has been having some fun.

barilla, pasta, spotify, al denta pasta, cooking pastaWho would think Barilla would have nearly 500,000 listeners on Spotify? Screenshots via Spotify

What kinds of songs are on these playlists, you ask? It's a mixed bag. There's some Italian music, of course. But they've also got some Harry Styles, Dua Lipa, The Beatles, The Smiths and others as well. (Interestingly, a lot of the playlists have songs marked with an "E" for Explicit Content, so listen with discernment if you've got small kiddos who might embarrass you by singing out profanities in the grocery store.)

barilla, pasta, spotify, al denta pasta, cooking pastaBarilla's playlists are timed to cook each variety of pasta.Screenshots via Spotify


People have been utterly tickled to find out that Barilla is using Spotify in this way.

"This is an amazing random fun fact."

"Very cool! What a great marketing idea."

"This might be one of the best pieces of info I’ve ever received re cooking."

"That’s actually genius, cooking and vibing all in one."

"This is *chefs kiss* perfect! Thank you!!!"


How Its Made Food GIFGiphy

What does al dente mean?

In Italian, al dente literally translates as "to the tooth," which doesn't help much with understanding what it means, except that the pasta should have a slight bit of resistance when you bite into it. Essentially, the ideal texture of cooked pasta should be soft but also slightly firm. Soft but firm but still soft—you know it when you bit into it. There's no gumminess and no chalkiness to al dente pasta. It's the perfect consistency for soaking up sauce without being mushy.

Most of the time, that means cooking pasta slightly less than the cook time indicated on the box. But Barilla pasta is known for being "always al dente"—at least that's how they've advertised their pasta for decades.

- YouTubeyoutu.be


What are the Italian rules for cooking pasta?

Wait, there are rules? Apparently so. Here are 5 rules of pasta cooking according to Eataly's Italian code of conduct:

1. Pair the right shape with the right pasta sauce.

"Fine delicate strands work best with light, smooth sauces while twisted shapes and wider ribbons can support chunkier sauces."

2. Never break pasta before cooking.

"It may be tempting to break long pasta shapes in half in order to fit them in the pot, but be warned: this is considered sacrilege in the Italian kitchen!"

spaghetti, pasta, barilla, al denteDo NOT break spaghetti anywhere near an Italian.Photo credit: Canva

3. The only utensil you need is a fork.

"Italians never cut their pasta so leave the knives for your secondo, per favore."

4. Master the twirling technique.

"If you're having difficulty, try this: ground the fork on the bottom of the plate and gently twirl to capture a forkful of pasta, making sure there aren't too many loose ends."

5. Avoid cheese with seafood pastas.

"In most cases, Italians never put grated cheese on pasta dishes that contain seafood. Instead, use a little bit of sautéed breadcrumbs with olive oil to garnish the dish."

There you go. All you need to make yourself a delicious bowl of Timeless Emotion Fusilli or Moody Day Linguine. Thanks, Barilla! (You can find their playlists here.)

fun
Community

Woman on crutches performs epic 'Dirty Dancing' routine that leaves everyone in awe

"I love defying expectations, disabled people can do cool things."

Photo Via Canva/Wikipedia

Disabled dancer Sophia Adzoa-Moore (@sophh.a.m) performs epic dance on crutches to 'Dirty Dancing' song.

Watching people dance is totally magical and mesmerizing. With rhythm and charisma, an amazing dance performance can make you feel alive. And disabled dancer Sophia Adzoa-Moore (@sophh.a.m) is one of those dancers capturing audiences.

She brought her stunning talent in a recent performance during a dance class to the song "Yes" by Merry Clayton. It's a high-energy song that was featured in the iconic movie Dirty DancingDirty Dancing, and Sophia absolutely crushed her unique choreography with her crutches.

"Dancing in heels on crutches? it’s been a while!!!! i love defying expectations, disabled people can do cool things," she captioned the post. "Big day bc i rarely have my curly hair out bc i’ve never been able to style it well and so it doesn’t look great, AND i don’t have a long top on but i still had so much fun. it’s also the fullest class i’ve ever done, so space was limited, but again!!! coped!!! 🎷🫶🏽🩼👠🥰"

@sophh.a.m

dancing in heels on crutches? it’s been a while!!!! i love defying expectations, disabled people can do cool things. big day bc i rarely have my curly hair out bc i’ve never been able to style it well and so it doesn’t look great, AND i don’t have a long top on but i still had so much fun. it’s also the fullest class i’ve ever done, so space was limited, but again!!! coped!!! 🎷🫶🏽🩼👠🥰 🧠: laura hills 👠: @LaDuca Shoes 🏤: @Pineapple Dance #disabilitytiktok #fyp #viral #chronicillness #disableddancer #disabledperformer #diversity #mobilityaid #coolcrutches #laducashoes #disability #pineappledancestudios #jazz #musicaltheatre

In the video, Sophia takes hold of the moves, showing off her impressive strength and ingenuity as she dances in a packed dance class, hitting her marks and doing impressive spins and backbends. "Things that make me anxious: my natural hair, dancing in just a sports bra, wearing heels with crutches...big day for soph!!!" she shared in the video's caption. "The mechanics of getting the crutches out of the way for a backbend is A LOT!"

And viewers are totally mesmerized by her moves. "the way you modify the movement but still capture the same essence and energy of the original choreography is just incredible! (and your curly hair looks great)," one wrote. Another commented, "I mean this with all the respect, you dance like nothing is wrong & nothing hurts! The effort it must take to look effortless!! 🔥🔥🔥 To have to modify to keep the same pace as everyone. You are a marvel!! Just the best dancer!!" And another added, "Oh you DEVOURED this."

@sophh.a.m

musicals 🤝🏽 good disability rep? youve got me seated. love u @Wicked Movie 🫶🏽 can’t stop singing the it’s just liiiIIIiIiiiIfeee bit DC: christopher scott dreaming of being in a movie like this frrrrr #fyp #disabilitytiktok #viral #chronicillness #disableddancer #crutches #wickedmovie #wickeddance #dancingthroughlife

In an interview with Cool Crutches, Sophia shared, "I originally stopped being able to walk due to pain in my left hip when I was 13, and ended up on crutches. I had multiple hip operations which didn’t work long term. I was then diagnosed with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome at around 15 and continued having hip operations culminating in a PAO in 2020. With no long term relief, I ended up having a hip replacement at 21 (in a pandemic – was not fun!)."

She was recently diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), but is not letting it stop her. "It's doesn't change anything. There is no cure... I am OK with my life. Yes I'm in a bit of pain and life is very different to how one might have imagined it when I was five, and I'm OK with that," she told the BBC.

When it comes to dancing with crutches, she has figured out how to make choreography her own.

"Because I used to dance without crutches, my brain is learning choreography just like non-disabled dancers. It takes a minute for me to learn the choreography and then translate it into what my body needs to do now and sometimes that needs an extra minute," she shared with the BBC.

@sophh.a.m

decided to remake one of my old solos from when i was like 15 but now on crutches. that soph would be so shocked to see what i do now 😂 might do some more of these bc it’s so nice to look back on these old dancing videos 🤍 thought this would bring on body grief big time, but actually other than reminiscing on some moves i used to be able to do rlly well, i loved taking on the challenge and making a dance that i loved suit me now! 🩼: @coolcrutches amethyst sky #disabilitytiktok #fyp #viral #chronicillness #disableddancer #disabledperformer #musicaltheatre #crutches #invisibledisability #mobilityaid #coolcrutches #jazz #competitiondance #modern

Despite her diagnosis, her dance career is flourishing. In July 2024, she graduated from the musical theatre college, Performance Preparation Academy in Guildford, Surrey. And she has landed major dance performance opportunities in London, and continues to audition.

"Dancing still, as it has always done, brings me so much joy and the added bonus of the crutches really is just what makes me, me now," she shared.

From Your Site Articles
dance
Trending Stories