Words by Sarah Coster
Have you ever seen a dinosaur doing the chicken dance? Well on the 8th of January, many of us did, as we threw an AJ Country Hoe Down like never before. With a band called The Smashing Bumpkins singing their hearts out and leading us through dances, every person in the Main Arena left the show tired but buzzing with joy.
The Smashing Bumpkins are a bush dance band that travelled to AJ from Brisbane. They guided Scouts, Venturers and Leaders in many bush dances and encouraged every person, regardless of age, to partake in and enjoy the experience.
Many events can get a crowd excited but there’s nothing quite like a Hoe Down to bring so much joy before the band has even stepped foot on stage. With our Entertainment Team dressed to impress in their nicest flannel, cowboy boots and fancy hats, they brought nothing but energy, enthusiasm and a bubbly feeling to the whole night.
By the end of the evening every person was sweaty and tired, but I had never seen more smiles on kids’ faces. Several youth were heard saying, as they headed back to their campsites to settle in for the night, “it just kept getting better and better.”
Ben King, front man of the Smashing Bumpkins, was filled with passion as he sang and encouraged every person to join in on the dances, regardless of how silly some of us felt. Not for a second did we feel out of place in a sea of people who danced as equally uncoordinated as us.
Dances such as the Heel and Toe, Peel the Banana and Nutbush were sound classics with some more interesting ones to throw us off our game and make us sweat. I know you’ve all heard of the Hokey Pokey, but did you ever do a Karate Kick when they said to “put your left foot in”? Yeah, I didn’t think so. I’m guessing they never got you to do power poses either.
Another classic with a fun spin was a good old fashioned Chicken Dance which changed into the Emu Dance, Crocodile Dance, and the Monkey Dance.
Adding in surprises such as running through tunnels, air guitars, a light up violin, opera and Mongolian Throat Singing, every person was encouraged out of their comfort zones in the best possible way. To do something strange and fun, in a space filled with people doing equally strange and wonderful things was truly unique.
During a small ten-minute break when we were encouraged to sit down and drink some water, a Scout, Phoebe from FC042, said “We won’t have voices tomorrow,” due to how much everyone was singing along with the band.
Though our Entertainment Team was there to get the crowd enthused and has done an amazing job of it every night, we know that even they need a break, to enjoy a night of dancing and tomfoolery with friends. Bev from the Entertainment team said “It’s nice to be out here instead of backstage for a change.”
We need to say many thanks to The Smashing Bumpkins, as they truly did smash our expectations out of the park and bring forth a fantastic memory for every person.
