I thought I was pretty well-versed in the world of dance, having taken multiple classes and been a ballet dancer once upon a time. I watch the dancing shows, read up about dance, watch all kinds of videos about different styles and genres online. I also enjoy dancing and have spent many nights dancing into the morning. I thought I had it all figured out until I saw this.
This is a whole new frontier, well, for me at least. I knew a dog was man’s best friend, but this sets the scene up for a whole new kind of friendship. A dog is apparently man’s best dancing partner, too!
The famous Cruft’s Dog Show in the UK is a competition that highlights unique dog events, competitions, and other dog-centric performances and content. This is the top of the top, cream of the crop, the world’s greatest dog show. It doesn’t get better than this. People and their pooches travel from around the world to come together to compete, and one of the most loved categories is the Freestyle Heelwork to Music.
This beloved category involves the handler and his dog performing two-thirds of a 4-minute routine freestyling, the remaining third is left for heelwork. There are eight official heelwork positions, and the concept behind this type of dance is to showcase the partnership between handler and dog. There is a focus on obedience, agility, and creativity. It’s actually quite technical, and the moves required are by far impressive!
For this particular routine, it’s a cowboy and his loyal border collie who take the floor. They’re partnered up for a foot-stompin’, country favorite by Big ‘N Rich, and it’s called “Fake ID.” If you haven’t heard this mega-hit, it’s one heck of a good time that begs you to dance! It’s the perfect song for this duo to get the whole audience rockin’. The dog is so well-trained and is spot on with all the moves, like when he zigs and zags through and around the handler’s legs, or jumps up and rolls over with just one look! They are so in sync, you have to see it to believe it. I will openly admit that I haven’t seen anything this and I thoroughly enjoyed the routine!