Phil Wright #TheParentJam to Michael Jackson's "Rockin Robin" (featuring parents dancing with their kids, and two women dancing in wheelchairs)

Phil Wright, Aug 28, 2017

#TheParentJam

...Come Visit me at IDA Hollywood in LA, Every Monday 6pm! Open Hiphop. All souls are Welcome!

[...]

Dancers Isaiah Russel / Mom Chelsie Hill / Friend Natalia Vazquez / Mom Gabriel / Mom Jace / Mom & Dad / Family and More... Film & Edit : Rickie "Typo" Crouch
-snip- The time stamp for the clip in this video of the two women dancing in wheelchairs is 2:14-3:15) -snip- Statistics as of January 23, 2022 at 9:24 AM ET total views - 1,671,003 total likes - 11K total dislikes -This feature's results isn't working. total comments - 360

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of Phil Wright Choreography dancers dancing to Michael Jackson's 1972 Rhythm & Blues record "Rockin Robin". This Phil Wright choreography #parentjam video features clips of various parents dancing with their child and also features two women dancing in wheelchairs.

Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are included in this post. I particularlly included some of the comments in that discussion thread about the two women dancing in wheelchairs. Several of those comments are from two other people who use wheelchairs- and one of those commenters had negative reactions to the way that a number of commenters "gushed over"* the women who danced in their wheelchairs.

*These are my words for how that commenter described others' reactions to the women dancing in wheelchairs.  

The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Michael Jackson for his music. Thanks to Phil Wright for his dance sessions and his choreography. Thanks also to the dancers, the videographer, and all those who are quoted in this post.

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpr-fYjohio&ab_channel=PhilWright

These comments are given in relative chronological order, except for replies. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.  

2017

1. Alexia Denson
"Love ittttt!!!!!😍😍😍😍"

**
2. Madison
"These are the best, always put a smile on my face 😄"

**
3. Richard Campbell
"So much fun! I loved that families dancing together! And I'm recognizing some of them in other videos which is fun. Future president, I look forward to seeing you dance in the White House! Love the dancing by the dancers who are using wheelchairs. You rock it! :)"

**
4. kenedy taylor
"I love watching these! they make me happy"

**
5. claudette dalton
"2 cool the ladies in the wheelchairs whoo hoo love this its awesome xox"

**
6. Erika Johnson
"I love how Phil is such an inclusive choreographer. He truly utilizes his dances to the best of their abilities. Great job!

**
7. LaT How
"I just the second group if they arent twins. YAAAAAAASSSSSS, third group. Fantastic.  That baby in the Los angeles shirt didnt come to play.   The dad and daughter whoop whoop. Phil you're always on time with these vid. They always brighten my day. Everyone is having so much fun. Thanks for sharing."

**
8. Richard Campbell
"So much fun! I loved that families dancing together! And I'm recognizing some of them in other videos which is fun. Future president, I look forward to seeing you dance in the White House! Love the dancing by the dancers who are using wheelchairs. You rock it! :)"

**
9. DeWanda Lindsey
"I love these videos. They are why I subscribed. But please stop zooming in and out. My vertigo doesn't like it and makes me want to vomit. Or give us dizzy? ditsy? people a heads up.

I wish you were in Texas! I want to dance too.😊

Keep up the awesome work and amazing videos. 👍"

**
10. know thy self
"I love that the beautiful ladies in the wheelchairs are out there getting busy, making me feel lazy 😶"

**
Reply
11. Kewl Beans
"maybe you're just lazy. it's so ridiculous that people see somebody in a wheelchair doing anything and lose their minds over it. :/"

**
Reply
12. Dr. Eeky is in, 2018
"@Kewl Beans   You are so right! Pretty sure it's no big deal for them....I mean, sh-t* happens right? Not like there's not a gazillion people out there in wheelchairs. ☺🙄😑

Most of them probably don't want peoples pity.

But I bet that most of them don't mind when people throw a positive comment their way. They probably don't mind if someone out there gets inspired by them or by what they're doing. They probably don't even realize that something they are doing COULD be the motivation for someone else (that has recently found themselves in this situation) to except what has happened to them and to get on with their own lives.

Yep, I can see how all this would become totally annoying.  😒😧"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.

**
13. Letty Pecina, 2019
"Love those beautiful ladies in the wheelchairs.You go girls!😱😍💃💃💃💃💃"

**
Reply
14. Letty Pecina, 2019
"@Anthony Harris  Yeah no heart.🤔

 **
Reply
15. Me Here, 2021
"@Kewl Beans  agreed! That said, they're pretty good :)

The over the top praise stuff though is pretty insulting & demeaning, I've even been clapped & told "well done, you're so brave, I'm so proud of you" by a stranger on a bus, cause I managed to wheel up a wheelchair ramp onto the bus & into the dedicated wheelchair spot. This man then decided he was going to insist on talking to me the whole trip & told me how he would cill himself if he ever needed a wheelchair & how life couldn't be worth living in a wheelchair. I have no time for losers like that! People need to see the person NOT the wheelchair! Most of those heaping unjustified praise on people in wheelchairs are in fact the ones that make life incredibly difficult for those in wheelchairs, refusing to allow us to live a normal life, refusing to even make venues accessible, cause they don't believe we're capable of attending them without carers!

Anyway, I'm just looking for a version of this song that's good for birds to watch, cause I've rescued a couple of abused lorikeets & seen lots of parrots seem to like this song, so hoping mine will too, if accompanied by the right visuals. I don't think this one's quite right for them, so I'll be continuing my search now (unless anyone has any tips on this?)"

**
16. Segun Delu
"Momma in the beginning came THROUGH!!!!"

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Reply
17. Martin Marley, 2018
"Momma got some moves"

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Reply
18. Rosemary James, 2018
"She killed it go mama"

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Reply
19. Fire 🔥🔥, 2020
"I felt that happy vibe in Texas! ✨🙌🏼"

****

2018
20. MikeyBigWheel
"the second pair were good. mom and daughter. mom's a cutie too !"

**
21. Coffee Lover
"They're all fun to watch ..specially the first mama ,she got the moves !!!"

**

22. Martin Marley
"If i lived in hollywood i would be there every monday 😁"

**

23. Melissa Williams
"This is the best... always will put u in a great mood"

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24. Fred Flintstone
"I love it!   Handicap? What handicap??"

**
Reply
25. Kewl Beans
"oh shut up lol. this is why i can't buy groceries by myself because people like you are amazed by literally anything anyone using a wheelchair does."

**
26. BrightLights Big City
"Momma in the beginning really rocked the whole nest and knocked it out of the tree. And her son is flipping Amazing 😉"

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2019

27. Ericka Walker
"The kid in the first one is Shaka off of  Family Reunion on Netflix"

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28. Lisa Medina
"love the wheelchair duo!! <3 <3"

**
29. Chariss Sadler
"OMG who are the two lady's in the wheelchairs there not only good at dancing in a wheelchair there AMAZING at dancing in a wheelchair❤️I LOVE THEM❤️❤️They can even dance better then me and I'm not in a wheelchair"

**
Reply
30. deliriumtrigger1024
"Chariss Sadler its Edna Serrano and  Chelsea Hill. They’re part of a dance group called the Rollettes"

 **
31. Verily Bored
"Am I going crazy or is that first mom from the movie honey 2??"

**
32. Sabrina F
"How dare someone not like this they're having fun and a great time!!! That's what dancing is about! And this is the FIRST time I ever saw people dancing in their chairs with the biggest smiles on their face."

**
33. Shana R. Stanley
"Watching your videos gives me joy.  BUT, HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE GIRLS IN THEIR CHAIRS.  I AM ENCOURAGED TODAY ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!! Thank You"

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34. themori3
"Beautiful ladies in the chairs killed it. I felt their joy. Awesome.😍"

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35. Pamela Johnson
"Ladies in wheelchairs get it girls hey now 🎉"

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36. Mean3GLotusOkar
"That little boy did that SHOOT DANCE dance yoooooo he killed it"

**
37. Sara Chumpitaz de rosas
"Me encanto como bailan y por q incluyeron a personas discapacitadas que son igual a todas"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English: "I loved how they dance and why they included disabled people who are the same as all."

**
38. Tyler Cole
"The first mom is the girl from honey 2"
-snip-
From https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1657283/
2011 movie; summary: "Recently released from juvenile detention, talented dancer Maria Ramirez finds an outlet for her passion with a new dance crew".
 
**
39. EDGAR DA SILVA SANTOS
"Once I've discovered your videos, I can't stop watching now!

How these people dance so much !!!

They are all to be congratulated !!

These two wheelchair girls are giving a show, showing that it takes willpower and determination to achieve their goals.

I live in Brazil and I leave you all my hug."

**
40. Anthony Harris
"Bruh....I got nuthin'but respect for ya. Kudos.😔"

**
41. Lisa Medina
"love the wheelchair duo!! <3 <3"

**
42. Sara Chumpitaz de rosas
"Me encanto como bailan y por q incluyeron a personas discapacitadas que son igual a todas"
-snip-
Google translate from Spanish to English: “I loved how they dance and why they included disabled people who are the same as all”

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2020

43. Sirena The FAN
"YES!!! To the Amazing ladies in the wheelchairs getting their dance grooves on!!! Keep on dancing!!!"

**
44. Rudolph Sadaraka
"The one thing that sticks out for me is no matter what your skill set when it comes to dancing is the joy in everyone's eyes and being happy an feeling good about them selfs ,Well done to the Dance Teacher."

**
45. Stormy Bear
"you have some very talented young people in your videos.  That "I'm your future president" kid has my vote. I really love the "roller babes" in chairs.  they were crushing it nicely!"

**
46. juan manuel granados davila
"Excellent work !, children, parents, grandparents, babies with their mothers or fathers, people with disabilities, etc. A great example to follow."

**
47. Nan Jensen Abilityworx
"I lOVE YOUR VIDEOS - they are the happiest thing on the internet at the moment. Whenever I need to smile, laugh, cry or relax, I put one on. Keep on doing your thing Phil Wright!! Will definitely look for your studio next time I am in LA. Am also interested in disability inclusion and it is great to see your inclusion of wheelchair dancers."

**
48. Nicole Gordon
"Go ahead you guys. I see you Future President”! Yes dear ladies in wheelchairs. Little man was just waiting for the improv part. Lol!"

**
49. Claudia Cristina
"Esso é lindo demais! ♥♥♥Michael você sempre contagiando o mundo todo com suas músicas! ♥♥♥
-snip-
Google translate from Portuguese to English: "This is too beautiful! ♥♥♥Michael you always infecting the whole world with your songs! ♥♥♥"

**
50. Stormy Bear
"you have some very talented young people in your videos.  That "I'm your future president" kid has my vote. I really love the "roller babes" in chairs.  they were crushing it nicely!"

**
 51. juan manuel granados davila
"Excellent work !, children, parents, grandparents, babies with their mothers or fathers, people with disabilities, etc. A great example to follow."

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52. MrLow86
"mad props to the ladies  in the wheel chairs"

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53. Sabrina N
"I like the t shirt on the first young man...great dancer, too!"

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54. Greg Blackley
"Can I add, It's so good seeing such a positive, happy bunch really enjoying themselves in Dance - credos to you Phil."

**
55. Shilpa Nagasamudra
"Love watching videos like this.....love how the parents are dancing with the kids. Love it, love it, love it"

****

2021

56. ItsEverything
"Take notes tiktokers"

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57. kimbers 123
"Awesome having the chairs. I have limited mobility and this is encouraging"

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58. jean Moi
"Super , j'adore  je suis para  merci

!!!"
-snip-
French to English: "Super. I really love it. Thanks!!!"
-snip-
Google translate from French to English didn't translate the word "para". This is my guess about the English translation of that sentence. 

**
59. Miss Adams
"Watching with Joy 🤩 in 2021. Nice job folks💃🏻🥰👍🏻👍🏻"

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60. LovingAtlanta
"👍😍🤩Oooh oooh oooh my heart melted when I saw the ladies in the wheelchairs rockin it!!!!💝"

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61. Cosmic Indigo
"The goodness in this world shall prevail.... Just beautiful from start to finish ❤️🎶"

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62. Carmen Plemmons
"I am an elementary Physical Education teacher who just came across your #ParentJam.  I love it!!!!!   Now that Break Dancing is an Olympic sport, I think these dances are a way to introduce my students to a new dance skill set.  So many of the TikTok's have vulgar language or vulgar dance moves.  This was very refreshing to see.  I LOVE< LOVE>LOVE how it was child and parent involvement.  I would love to speak with you to pick your mind about how to develop this kind of energy and passion at my school.  I might be 55 years old and a PE teacher for 33 years but I can still " Bring it."
-snip-
Here's information about Break Dancing being included in the Olympics: 
From https://www.smh.com.au/sport/breakdancing-is-now-an-olympic-sport-what-does-it-take-to-win-a-medal-20201208-p56lqp.html#:~:text=But%20breakdancing%20is%20now%20not,at%20the%202024%20Paris%20Games. Breakdancing is now an Olympic event. What will it take to win a medal?

Paris has staked its claim for a fresh, new sport at the 2024 Olympics: breakdancing. Why? We break it down.

By Sarah Keoghan, July 16, 2021
…"breakdancing is now not only a famous hip-hop dance style, it is a sport. And not just any sport, it's an Olympic sport – following a bold decision by the International Olympic Committee to have BBoys and BGirls compete at the 2024 Paris Games."...

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How Police Are Portrayed In Animated Pre-School Videos

Edited by Azizi Powell

Animated videos of pre-school songs about helpful traffic policemen are quite different from the ways far too many real life police officers act.

I started to title this post "Whatever Happened To Officer Friendly?". But I found out that there was already a post with that title: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronda-lee/what-ever-happened-to-officer-friendly-ferguson_b_5692375.html What Ever Happened to 'Officer Friendly' Ferguson? by Ronda Lee.
08/19/2014 11:44 pm EDT Updated: 08/19/2014 11:59 pm EDT

Here's an excerpt from that post:
"...My personal encounters with the police have not been pleasant, especially when "driving while black." It usually takes me using the "attorney card" before I am free to go. I recall visits in grammar school from "Officer Friendly." He would give us tips on how to be safe when walking to and from school. Officer Friendly told us that in an emergency, we should seek out a police officer, because their job was to serve and protect. What ever happened to Officer Friendly?”...

Emmett Till, Sean Bell, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, Ezell Ford.... When will it stop?! As a black woman I am fearful of giving birth to a son.... As an attorney, I know that justice is not blind; it is biased. For the same crime, a black person is 30-percent more likely* to end up in prison than a white person. Even when it comes to discipline in schools, black students are given harsher punishment than white students.** It does not matter if people of color are well-dressed or wearing hoodies. There is a societal acceptance of the belief that underneath the suit or hoodie, we are prone to bad behavior."...

*http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/08/30/770501/study-black-defendants-are-at-least-30-more-likely-to-be-imprisoned-than-white-defendants-for-the-same-crime/

**http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2012/03/13/11351/the-top-10-most-startling-facts-about-people-of-color-and-criminal-justice-in-the-united-states/
-snip-
Here's information about "Officer Friendly":
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_Friendly
"Officer Friendly is a model program to acquaint children and young adults with law enforcement officials as a part of a community relations campaign. The program was especially popular in the United States from the 1960s to the 1980s, but it continues in some police departments.[1]. Officer Friendly is generally not a specific character, and is in the public domain...

Methods
The Officer Friendly programs most famously involved police officers visiting pre-school and kindergarten classrooms. In many parts of the United States, Officer Friendly coloring books are distributed to children.

Officer Friendly in the media
There have been many parodies of the nearly ubiquitous program. In many cases, the term "Officer Friendly" is used sarcastically to refer to an abusive police officer."...
-snip-
The pre-school videos that I watched portray the "Officer Friendly" type of police officers.

Example #1: I'm a Policeman Dressed in Blue (song)



Prizm4Music, Uploaded on Nov 20, 2011

From the Disney storybook The Little Fat Policeman, this is "I'm a Policeman", sung by Larry Groce. For those who remember, enjoy!
-snip-
Lyrics: [transcribed from the sound file]
I'm a Policeman dressed in blue
Here are some things I like to do
Direct the traffic in your town
Help to keep you safe and sound

It's my job and I like it fine
No one has a better job than mine

I'm a Policeman dressed in blue
I want to be a friend to you
You can see me everyday
I will wave my hand and say

It's my job and I like it fine
No one has a better job than mine
-snip-
"The Little Fat Policeman" was written by Edith Thacher Hurd & Margaret Wise Brown and illustrateed by Alice & Martin Provensen This book was first published in 1950 and was later published in 1976 as a Disney Golden Book & record. The cover drawing of the book that is shown with this sound file is of a little rolly polly White traffic policeman who is pointing sternly at a chicken (who may have crossed the street when the light was red instead of green.) As is the case with the other examples of pre-chool songs in this category, none of the police officers are wearing guns. This may be because at least some of these videos were produced outside of the United States, and police officers don't wear or carry guns in those nations.

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Example #2: I'm a Policeman | Classic Nursery Rhymes | Kid Songs



JINGUKID, Published on Dec 10, 2012
Jingukid | Facebook
-snip-
This is another version of the "I'm a Policeman Dressed in Blue" song. This video was produced in India. That fact may accound for the cultural dissonance [for me, a citizen of the United States] of the high pitched female sounding voice purported to come from a policeman. Until I learned where this video was produced [by googling the Jungukid name] I wondered in it was supposed to be a a sarcastic spoof on police officers.

Given the recent news reports about a policeman shooting and killing the Black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, and the subsequent scenes from that city of militarized police officers, as well as other recent and past reports of Black men elsewhere in the United States being shot and choked, and beaten by police officers, I also thought that it was ironic that a Black boy was the only other person who was shown in this animated video. In one scene of that video, that Black boy helpfully gives the policeman a bottle of water (presumably because the policeman is hot from standing outside in the sun directing traffic.)

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Example #3: I'm a policeman



paula houlkerPublished on Nov 6, 2012
-snip-
Lyrics: [from the sound file]
I’m a policeman
I’m a policeman
Be a policeman
Just like me.

Look with your eyes [3x]
Just like me.

Listen with your ears [3x]
Just me like me

Sniff with your nose [3x]
Just me like me

Chorus
-snip-
Again, the focus of this video is the police officer directing traffic. But unlike the Jungokid's video, in this video the policeman's voice is deep and somewhat gruff.

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There are a number of other animated versions of the "I'm A Policeman Dressed In Blue" song on YouTube. There are also other videos of pre-school songs about police officers and videos of pre-school and kindergarden classrooms and individual children singing "I'm A Policeman Dressed In Blue". But I wonder how Black children who have witnessed incidents of police violence or directly experienced that violence would react to teachers requiring them to learn and sing those songs that describe police officers in terms that are so very different from their real experiences.

And it's not only Black people who have experienced police misconduct. The daily kos diary http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/08/28/1325341/-Living-While-Black-Police-attack-men-for-sitting-not-resisting-not-walking-pockets and comments to that diary indicates that people of any race who are mentally ill, autistic, or deaf have been victims of police brutality. Commenters to that video also suggested action steps that could be taken to address police misconduct- including suing the police department, increasing voter turnout to help change systemic problems, and petitioning the United States Justice Department to intervene in a specific case.

Reading about these cases that are highlighted in that diary is disturbing and disheartening, particularly if you grew up believing that police officers were "Officer Friendlies".
-snip-
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/08/policeman-dont-beat-me-and-examples-of.html for a pancocojams post on children's rhymes that mention police officers. Unlke the children's songs that are feeatured in this post, those rhymes focus on the control and punishment role of police officers. And some of those rhymes allude to police misconduct, for instance the 1939 version of "Police don't beat me" that has as a second line "i have a wife and family".

And the beat still goes on [Sigh].

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This post is presented for cultural and sociological purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners. And thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

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