Today’s Dance Crazes:
You Can Do Them All By Yourself!
By: Ccep
dews_ccep@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/ccepvanity
“You gotta know it. It’s Electric. Boogie woogie woogie […] I’ll teach you The Electric Slide…” When I was in grade school, a family reunion just wasn’t the same without the family argument and The Electric Slide. Little patience was given to those who couldn’t seem to catch the rhythm of “right… clap… left… clap… back… clap… lean up… clap… lean back… clap… swing the right leg as you turn to the left… clap… and repeat.” Some family members would even shun you or whisper, “Here comes Sarah’s boy. You know he can’t Electric Slide? What a disgrace.”
To this day I love The Electric Slide and will get up and do it to just about any song, no matter how fast or slow. Good classics such as “The Booty Call” and the now famous “Casper’s Cha Cha Slide” that are about putting aside differences, coming together, and partying in unison can fit any genre of music. But the dance crazes of today don’t have that lasting impression, hence the need to create a new one each month. Though the basic movements are spreading world-wide, dances have become more about individuality.
For
example, take Souljah Boy’s “Crank That [Souljah Boy]” dance, better known as
“The Superman.” I have seen people jump to their feet as soon as the first two
seconds of the song have begun and it amazes me every time to watch people run
to form a circle and show off their skills. What makes the dance so appealing is
that it’s actually a mixture of “The Superman”, “The Super Soaker,” “The
Robocop,” “Cranking (which seems to be a Yung Joc motorbike move),” and what
looks to be some amateur step moves. I think even Souljah Boy realizes fads fade
fast, as he’s already expanded to “The Roadrunner,” “The Souljah Girl,” and
proclaims on a new song, “We don’t Superman no mo,’we just Spiderman…” Some
kids I know have adapted that song, singing proudly, “We don’t Spiderman no mo,’
we just Penguin…” complete with a little waddle dance. How cute is that?
Though the basic movements are spreading world-wide, dances have become more about individuality.
Though I’m not really one for jumping on the dance-wagon, I must admit that a group of middle school students taught me how to “Crank That” and it was fun. But the reality is that even though this dance is hot now, 30 years from now (if not 10), it will probably be as insignificant as “The Macarena.” Can you really picture 80 year-old Grandma Shirley at the reunion cranking that “Robocop?”
From the “Wipe Me Down”
dance to Baltimore’s own “Sponge Bob,” dances are popping up faster than we can
learn them. What’s great is that the lyrics tell you how to do the dance! Like
how “Lean Like A Cholo” tells you “Elbows up, side to side…” How complicated is
that? At one point there was a Square-dancing-type of thing going on in Reggae/Reggaton
music that dictated “Fast wind… slow wind… signal the plane… give them a run…
row the boat…” And even Beyoncé, already famous for her “Uh Oh” booty-shaking
dance, hopped on board with dances for her hit song “Get Me Bodied.” With lyrics
such as “Shake your derriere in them House of Deréons” and “Pat your weave,
ladies,” how could anyone resist?
Your grandma’s “Two-Step”
has been adapted to fit the swagger of thugs in clubs, Eve has taken over the
church’s “Tambourine,” “Aunt Jackie’s” rocking-chair dance has been upgraded to
include foot movement, people around the globe “Walk It Out,” and finally D4L
and Dem Franchise Boys have given up the argument over who created the “Lean
With It, Rock With It” dance. For our enjoyment there’s “The Double-Dutch,”
which no one can do better than 106 & Park’s Terrance and Rocsi, and the “Ay Bay
Bay” hand clap, complete with the “Rick James” pimp-slap hand-wave.
…The reality is that even though this dance is hot now, 30 years from now (if not 10) it will probably be as insignificant as The Macarena.
As tempting as these and other dances such as 50 Cent’s “Dice Dance” may be, I have pretty much reserved myself to what I call “Finger Dancing.” It’s simple and you can do it all by yourself! When you’re driving in the car and your song comes on, simply wave the index finger of one or both hands back and forth to the music or in any pattern you’d like. If you’re really feeling the music get your whole hand involved. This is much more fun than pulling up your pants, doing the “Rockaway” and leaning back. Or if you’re at a party and getting tired, you can do what we like to call “Cute Dancing.” This involves standing in one place, doing the type of bounce that all one year-olds do when they first learn to dance, and snapping your fingers. This dance works wonders in crowded clubs because you look like you’re doing more than you actually are, it can be adapted to a one-hand snap, and you look good without spilling your drink.
If,
like me, you are one of the people who have tried to “Pop, Lock, and Drop It”
and failed and you really want to learn, don’t get discouraged. Websites such as
YouTube, Google Video, and MySpace have made it possible for anyone to upload
their videos for tutorial and show of skills. Simply pick one of the sites and
type in something such as “Chicken Noodle Soup dance” and you’ll have dozens of
videos to choose from. And don’t worry if you can’t get the moves down exactly.
Just do like I do: “Superman” backwards and say it’s cooler. “I bet you can’t do
it like me.”