Harlem Shake
2013 meme phenomenon
The Harlem Shake refers to two distinct dance phenomena.
The original is a jerky shoulder-shimmy dance that emerged from Harlem in the 1980s, associated with hip-hop culture.
In 2013, the name was appropriated for a viral video meme: one person dances alone while others ignore them, then after a musical drop, everyone gyrates wildly in costumes or absurd situations.
The meme had little connection to the original dance, which irritated some in Harlem.
We did a Harlem Shake video for the office party.
- viralSpreading quickly online
- memeShared online humor
- beat dropSong's climactic bass moment
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
- going crazyBecoming mentally unhinged
2013 · YouTube · helmet · drop · bass · thrust · pelvic · costume · office · office workers · flash mob · EDM · internet · trend · frenzy · masked · chaos · explosion
- Viral DancesMacarena, Dougie, Electric Slide, Gangnam Style, Bernie
- fadspet rocks, hula hoops, fidget spinner, mood rings, Tamagotchi
- 2013Boston Marathon bombing, Edward Snowden, NSA leaks, government shutdown, selfie
- HarlemApollo Theater, Cotton Club, Savoy Ballroom, Sugar Hill, Langston Hughes
- flash mobssurprise dance
Harlem Shakeballet
Classical dance on pointe
classical ballet · ballroom dancing · waltz · Swan Lake · synchronized swimming
Harlem, shake, shakes, shaken, shaking, shaker, shakers, shaky