The Electric Slide burst onto the dance scene in the late 1970s and since then, folks have been regularly moving to group choreographed dances. Dances like The Hustle, Macarena, The Cha Cha Slide, Cupid Shuffle and The Wobble can get even the most shy, non-rhythmic person out on the dance floor, moving and having a good time.
Frank Smith III knows this infectious feeling all too well. Since his time in the 1990s in the U.S. Navy, he has enjoyed dancing and singing. To show his love and appreciation for the City of Indianapolis, he decided to create a song and line dance for his longtime place of residence.
“I moved here in 1999 from Virginia straight out of the Navy. When I got here it wasn’t the best time in my life, but I knew one thing would always make me happy – dancing. My first taste of the entertainment here was dancing at a night club downtown called World Mardi Gras,” said Smith, as he reminisced about his early days in Indy.
Since arriving to the Midwest, Smith has used his time doing various things such as DJing, participating in Karaoke, working as a security guard and caring for his family. Though his life has drastically changed since 1999, the Norfolk, Va. native decided to go back to his entertainment roots and create a line dance.
“I was at work one night and had a random thought. ‘What if I made up a dance and wrote a song to go with it? I live in Indianapolis, but that’s too long of a word, but they call it Naptown.’ I just said ‘The Naptown Breakdown! That might be kind of cool,’” said Smith.
He let his mind wander and came up with catchy lyrics. “It’s The Naptown Breakdown, so put your drink down, get on the floor ‘cause you’re rolling with Frank now…” He said coming up with the lyrics was fairly easy, but he wanted the dance to be easy too.
“I’ll be 43 this year. This stuff these guys do, this crunk dancing? No, I’m not Chris Brown. I’m not skinny like that,” he joked. “All I did was put together some old dances as one dance.”
The Naptown Breakdown line dancers will “Step left while ya’ swingin’ from left to right, spread it out like butta’ no need to fight. Now you take it up high, till ya’ touch the sky. Stop sign, two hands, now adjust ya’ tie. Step right like Janet, be in control, right hand on ya’ heart holding onto your soul, left hand sticking out, big bad and bold, keep movin’ that body so ya’ won’t get cold.”
Since the song is dedicated to the Circle City, he mentions various landmarks that can only be found in Indy. “Madame C.J. Walker with her bad a** self, put it down right here and she reaped the wealth. We got a noodle that’s slippery, a kitchen full of jazz, a double radio, all three’s a blast. Karaoke, throwing darts, just to have a good time, or bowl a few games, Latitude 39. A place downtown you can howl at the moon, and on the Westside, 8 Seconds Saloon. We got a lot goin’ on any day of the week, from County Line Road to 96th Street. A place for a job or to start a romance, and now it’s got a brand new dance.”
“Now if you ain’t from around here, welcome to town, I appreciate you comin’ out here, breakin’ it down. You don’t need no training just follow the crowd, and take it back to where you came from doin’ it proud. We got the Colts, the Pacers, the Fever, the racers, museum for the kids, over 20 skyscrapers. Velodrome for the skaters on the city’s Westside, a parade downtown for the Indiana pride…”
Smith loves Indianapolis because it’s always something new and challenges all to take a good look at the City of Indianapolis and all it has to offer. He also wants “The Naptown Breakdown” to serve as something fun and positive in the midst of all the violence happening around town.
To learn the dance and listen the song, visit YouTube.com and search “The Naptown Breakdown.”
“I’m trying get everybody doing this…even the mayor. This dance is all about Indianapolis,” said Smith.
For more information, call (317) 250-4993 or visit CoverMeDJ.com.
