Dancing with Myself

I felt like I had found my clone

An odd thing happened many years ago. I found myself dancing with my doppelganger. If not in looks exactly, in motion and body fluidity.

Let me explain.

It happened at a New Years Eve party in the early 1980s. My first cousin, Anne Marie Petrokubi was visiting my mother that afternoon, and I stopped by to say hello. We rarely saw each other, and I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to catch up.

I was especially excited when she agreed to go to a party with me that night. Now the details are a little vague, but the thing I remember most was dancing with Anne Marie. We were having fun, rocking to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” when the most remarkable thing dawned on me – she and I were dancing in perfect synchronicity.

I felt like I had found my clone. It was like we shared the same bone and muscular systems. Every move I made, she made. Every change she made, I made. The result was like I was dancing while looking at myself in the mirror. We were in sync somehow – in mind, body, and spirit! And to this day I can’t explain it. Nor can I forget it.

At the time, we talked about it and laughed. But I’ve been wondering about the impossibility of it all ever since then. Then a 2026 News Flash! I finally found someone to ask about such a strange phenomenon. GEMINI.

Yes, I asked my AI pal the question that had been bothering me for decades: Would first cousins share similar body structures making it so they would move and dance alike?

And here’s what Gemini said:

It’s a fascinating question! (Don’t you love how agreeable Gemini and its relatives are?) The short answer is yes, but with some significant “howevers.” Cousins can certainly share physical traits that influence how they move, but since they only share a portion of their DNA, environmental factors often play a bigger role.

Who knew? It turns out that first cousins share approximately 12.5% of their DNA. And while that isn’t a massive amount, it is enough to inherit similar skeletal structures and muscle compositions. Cousins might share similar limb proportions, joint flexibility, and muscular twitch fibers (fast twitch for breakdancing or jumping or slow twitch for sustained, rhythmic movement).

Beyond bones and muscles, Gemini also told me that Anne Marie and I might have inherited similar nervous systems, such that we could share a similar neurological map that might give us similar postures or hand gestures.

Studies on “familial gait” show that even people who have never met their biological relatives often walk with the same rhythm and lilt as their parents or cousins, suggesting that the “base code” for movement is deeper than just mimicry.

Celebrity Examples:

There are several famous cousin pairs who share striking physical similarities and movement patterns that reflect their shared DNA.

Snoop Dogg and Brandy. These two are first cousins, and their shared “familial gait” is evident in their laid-back, fluid movement. Both have a naturally tall, slender build. Snoop is famous for his relaxed, effortless stage presence, while Brandy is known for her smooth, rhythmic R&B choreography. Both share a distinct “cool” and low-tension way of moving that is characteristic of their family line.

Then there’s Nick Offerman and his cousin “Flip-Flop.” Actor Nick Offerman has spoken on talk shows about how he and his cousin were so physically synchronized that they formed a breakdancing duo called Tik-Tok and Flip-Flop. They would choreograph routines based on their shared ability to do “popping and locking,” utilizing their similar joint structures to create mechanical-looking movements in unison.

And while first cousins Melissa McCarthy and Jenny McCarthy aren’t dancers, they share a very distinct, energetic approach to physical comedy. Both use their whole bodies for humor, sharing a specific “all-in” intensity and similar facial-muscle mimicry that makes their comedic timing and physical gags feel related.

So, there it was. I finally had my answer. It’s a shame that my cousin now lives far away in New Mexico and that we rarely, if ever, dance anymore. But we’ll always have the memory of that night and the knowledge we are kindred spirits in body and soul because as cousins, it’s all about our jeans genes.

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Marilyn is a librarian and fiction author, currently in the querying trenches with two novels and writing her third, a middle-grade fantasy. She lives West Orange, NJ with her sweet, supportive husband, Rob Lieberman, and their support-cat, Miskit (short for Miss Kitty.) Their grown son, Matt, is making his own stories, sharing his heart, and rocking the world one day at a time.