I've been a long time devotee of such dance party classics as the Electric Slide, Cotton Eye Joe, and yes, even the Macarena, but I'm ashamed to admit that only recently have I discovered the proper way to do the conga. In case you're not familiar with the general idea, here's a video (you may not want to watch the whole thing, and that's OKAY):
Now what's so interesting and unique about the conga (aside from having a bunch of strangers touch you) is that the leader is in BACK of the line. Each conga line member is actually responsible for moving the person in the front.
This makes me think of "managing up" theory, which states that individuals should strive to direct and improve the actions of their supervisors/leaders and organizations. So for example, as a club member, you may want to email your leader and ask whether there's anything you can be doing to further the purpose of the group (as opposed to waiting for direction). Or you could prepare a presentation on a new idea you came up with.
To me this is a very powerful notion. It means that everyone is responsible for everyone, and it means that everyone leads. Plus it's pretty hard to step on someone's toes from the back (I love this metaphor!).
Huh interesting. It took me a while to see how the person behind was leading the person in front, but now I see it and get it. It's kinda like one of those magic eye games where you have to look at it from a different angle. Nice find!
Posted by: Tom Krieglstein | April 24, 2008 at 12:30 PM