From Indians to Hot Dogs: Harlem Shake

Saturday, 31 December 2016

Harlem Shake

Previously, I have written about the Lindy Hop dance, however I think it's worth trying something new. You all probably remember the Harlem Shake dance trend, which appeared in 2013. However, the history of this dance is much more complex and deeper than we think.

So what actually is Harlem Shake? The dance originated in 1981. It was introduced by "Al B", a resident of Harlem and derives its origins from the Ethiopian dance, Eskista. The dance has spread really fast though beyond the neighbourhood and the dance changed its name. Harlem Shake became mainstream when G.Dep featured it in his music video "Let's Get It".

In spite of the fact that Harlem Shake had its origins in Ethiopia, Al B said that dance comes from Egypt and it was performed by mummies. It was this way because they were all wrapped up, couldn't really move and the only thing they could do was to shake. Moreover, Al B is remembered for saying that the dance is "a drunken shake that will make you die if you ever attempt it, and you could easily go to jail anyway. It's a dirt bag troll that is really hardcore and will make you have seizures but it's fantastic. Everybody appreciates it."

In popular culture

Besides its appearance in "Let's Get It" the dance was also present in the outro to Missy Elliott's "Hit it".The dance is also connected to another dance "Chicken Noodle Soup" and it became especially popular when DJ Webstar and Young B brought it to mainstream in 2006.