LONDON, ONT. -- Mario Barbara has been uploading dancing videos to his Facebook page for about a week now. He says it’s all about sharing positivity and joy with others during this pandemic, dancing-dad style.
“I just like making people laugh,” he says, “so I thought if I do up some dances I’ll start getting people to have a good time during their day in quarantine.”
It all started when he and his girlfriend began sharing videos back and forth. They got a kick out of it, and decided to post it on Facebook for their friends and families to see.
One video includes Mario wearing a clock around his neck as he 'breaks it down’ with his daughter, another shows him wearing full hockey equipment dancing to, Stompin’ Tom Connors' 'The Hockey Song.'
The videos took off and now the whole family looks forward to seeing him bust a move with an accessory or two.
“The latest one with his clock killed me,” Mario's daughter Alanna Barbara says, “I was on the floor laughing. And the fact that he added my sister was even better. And then she throws the $20 up at the end.”
Mario’s son, Matt Barbara, and granddaughter Brooke, also joined in on the fun and performed an air-guitar routine to the song, 'Old Town Road,’ by Lil Nas X.
The Barbara family is known for their entertainment factor which started with Mario’s late father, John Barbara.
“[My] Dad was a disc jockey back in the day,” Mario says, “but he wasn’t just a disc jockey, he was an entertainer. Like he did weddings and all kinds of stuff and he wore different hats. So I just try and follow in his footsteps and make sure everybody has a great day every day.’
“This is typical dad,’ Alanna says. “He totally takes after my grandfather…this is something my grandfather would do.”
Not only has the family jumped on the bandwagon, but so have Linda and Charlie Tonna, who have been friends with the Barbara family for over 52 years.
“When we saw Mario’s challenge on Facebook,” Linda says. “We thought you know what, why the heck not. So we planned a date night Saturday and we love dancing so we thought why not give it a shot.”
Charlie added that he and his wife will be doing dance night every Saturday until the quarantine ends.
Mario hasn’t yet coined a name for his dance move challenge, but he hopes that even more people will follow suit.
“I got a lot of people answering them, I got a lot of people laughing at them, and I got a lot of people say they want me to keep the videos going, because it’s making their days and makes them laugh a lot. You got to enjoy every day you are alive because who knows how long you are here.”
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