Somewhat lost in today’s breaking campaign news that D.C. Council Chair Vince Gray really likes Sex and the City is the fact that he’s also a fan of hand dancing. To be honest, I had no clue what the heck hand dancing was, and foolishly assumed it was a take on jazz hands or something.

Oh no. Not at all. In fact, it’s not only a real dance, but it’s the District’s official dance.

According to the D.C. Hand Dance Club, the dance is a “regional and time-period specific version of the swing/jitterbug” developed in the Washington, D.C. metro area in the 1950s. The dance is characterized by “smooth footwork and movements, and close-in and intricate hand-turns, all danced to a 6-beat, 6 to 8 count dance rhythm.”

In 1999, the D.C. Council declared it the District’s official dance, and follow-up resolutions were introduced in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. (All by At-Large Council member Phil Mendelson, interestingly.) The 2004 resolution, for example, not only recognizes that hand dancing features “myriad steps and different foot patterns which, in conjunction with many turns and body movements, requires time, practice and much effort,” but also “urges all District residents to learn, practice and Hand Dance.”

So now you know. Pretty much all the up-to-date information you could want on hand dancing is available from the National Hand Dance Association and Smooth & EZ: The Hand Dance Institute.

And if Gray can move like this, well, then he kinda deserves to be mayor.