Horses dance and  #shebelieves 

Have you ever seen a horse dance?  If you are a fan of dressage in the US or Europe or El Charreada in Mexico, you have.  You know that horses can move to music – or be moved to music by their riders.

But have you ever seen a horse dance for a TikTok challenge to a new song released by a great band?  Probably not. But one horse and rider gave it a shot this weekend working it to “She Believes,”  the new release by Parlor Social.

Dessy Di Lauro and Ric’key Pageot are the core of Parlor Social and they are a power couple in music.   Their sound is described as post-hip-hop-neo-ragtime but a lot of people just call it lots of fun because it has carried Parlor Social from speakeasies to the Hollywood Bowl and many places in between.

Dessy is an alumna of Canada’s number one cultural export, Cirque du Soleil, and Ric’key Pageot plays on the road for Madonna and has backed up Cher and many others with piano and accordion.  So it was no surprise when they released a fast tempo, snap- your -fingers -and- dance ragtime number enumerating the powers of women – from mother to freedom fighter to wife to business executive and more. Dessy and Ric’key are continually innovating and it is natural that a world-class singer/songwriter like Dessy – who sang while swinging 60 feet in the air for Cirque du Soleil – and her fellow songwriters, would extol the courage and strengths of her gender.

TheTikTok challenge they created with the song “She Believes” is the  #shebelieveschallenge, inspiring their fans to join the fun and spread the word by creating a 30-second video that shows off their dance moves while highlighting a  woman’s or girl’s future success roles. Every video submitted with the hashtag #shebelieveschallenge will generate a donation to GirlsInc.org, a national organization whose programs inspire girls to be strong smart, and bold. 

This brings us back to the horse.  He is a gelding ( not a “strong, smart, and bold “ female mare, but in the horse world, it doesn’t much matter ) named Perigrino.  He lives on a ranch in Mexico in a paddock with a momma duck and her 12 new ducklings and is owned by a woman who sings and dances. And since Perigrino is a former Escaramuza horse ( horse trained for women’s trick riding events in a Mexican rodeo, which requires fancy footwork ) it seemed natural for him and his owner to take the challenge.

The challenge was on a hot, dusty  Sunday afternoon at the ranch.  The music was downloaded and sent to a loudspeaker next to the riding ring.  The video camera was mounted and leveled on a fluid head tripod; the fancy saddle was brought out, polished, and put on;  and the horse was warmed up by circling around barrels.  The music and dancing began while the camera recorded.

All in all, 9 videos were shot, including one of the ducklings dancing into a bowl of water ( I couldn’t resist). It will take me a few days to edit 9 long vids down to one 30 second TikTok submission, somehow squeeze in the ducklings, and synch the sound so I can’t post it here for you.  It will go on my YouTube Channel at some point, but first, it goes to TikTok to meet the #shebelieveschallenge. In the meantime, there is a photo above of the horse and rider.

While I am editing this week, you should subscribe to ParlorSocial on TikTok, check out the challenge rules video, follow the #shebelieveschallenge hashtag, download the music on one of the platforms, get out your phone or video camera and shoot thirty seconds of dance moves to “She Believes.”