When it comes to dating, many people want what's seemingly only attainable on TV and in movies. We want a partner who has all the well-scripted lines, impeccably good looks, and zeal for romance as characters like Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) from La La Land.
Unfortunately, dating IRL tends to be a lot less like a well-choreographed musical. It can be messy, filled with drama, and uncoordinated. But, one show is trying to prove that love can be as simple as a slap, a flap, and a shuffle.
Channel 4 has picked up the five-part series, Flirty Dancing, a reality dating show which hopes to bring prospective couples together through the arts, Deadline reports. Here's how it works: Matchmaker Ashley Banjo (Dancing on Ice, Britain's Got Talent) will select two people he thinks could be compatible. Then, each person attends a dance class and learns half of a choreographed number. Later, they'll meet up for a date where, instead of talking to each other, they break out in dance. After the routine, they can then decide whether they'd like to up the tempo on their relationship by going on a second date.
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So, let's get this straight, because... WHAT? So, two people who have never met before — who aren't Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd — are supposed to be so great at dancing that they fall madly in love with each other? I'm not buying it. Banjo, however, seems convinced that the method could really work.
"Dance exposes your true self — you can't hide behind words or an outfit," he said in a statement. "Back in the good old days, three quarters of people met their partners on a dance floor. I met my wife dancing; we really connected and got to know each other in dance class. There was a chemistry that I don't think would have been created sitting across from each other at a table and just talking. I want to bring a big of old-fashioned romance back to dating — the magic that can be created without a word being spoken."
Until we see the method play out, might I suggest you steer clear of pirouetting your way into your next date and stick to talking about things that really matter in a relationship, like which shows you enjoy bingeing on Netflix.