Miley Cyrus's "Hoedown Throwdown" Set To Be The Latest Dance Craze

Lyndsey Parker has in her article "Dance Dance De-Evolution:Dumbest Dance Fads" which was posted recently in Video Ga Ga Music Blog mentioned that the latest dance craze or attempt at one is Miley Cyrus's "Hoedown Throwdown." In case you don't know, The Hoedown Throwdown is a mix of hip hop, popping, locking and shuffle. Parker has also taken a satirical swipe at the fad dances of yesteryears and named the following as the dumbest dance fads:-

The Village People - "YMCA"

MC Hammer - "Too Legit To Quit"

Los Del Rio - "Macarena"

Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - "Crank That"

Webstar - "Chicken Noodle Soup"

Las Ketchup - "The Ketchup Song"

Beyonce - "Single Ladies"

Cherish, Lil Jon - "Snapping"

Dem Franchize Boyz - "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It"

Kaoma - "La Lambada"

Vince Neil - "The Chicken Dance"

Poison - "Unskinny Bop"

The Rolling Stones - "Harlem Shuffle"

Bart Simpson - "Do The Bartman"

"Dance Dance De-Evolution:Dumbest Dance Fads" seems to have stirred up a hornets' nest. The article has elicited a deluge of comments on the Video Ga Ga Music Blog. While there were bouquets praising Parker for writing an entertaining piece of article, there were also many brickbats as well. Many of the comments posted were informative, entertaining and funny. I found this comment hilarious: "The Mashed Potatoes, Fly, Jerk (no offense), Swim, Frug, Madison, Limbo, Watusi, Pony, Popeye, Lambada, Stroll, Hustle, Walk, etc - May they rest in peace. Hey, now I feel like dancing!"

Sandy G wrote: "I knew the Macarena was a crap when my grandmother came home from a fat camp for old people asking if we had learned about it yet. Said they did it every day as a form of cardio. It was about a month later that it hit town. Another visitor responded: "The article sure sparked interest though, didn't it? I laughed all the way through it. Great entertainment. Way to light a fire under everyone's butt, you go Lyndsey Parker!" I liked this well-said comment: "These dances are meant to look cool, they are meant to be fun and letting loose and forgetting what the others think of you. Just do it and having fun is what it's all about!"

Fad dances, also known as dance crazes are dances which are characterized by a short burst of popularity. In the 1960s, the Twist was a sensational fad dance which took the world by storm. Several dance crazes of the Sixties had names of animals like the Pony, Dog and Monkey . In the 1970s the emergence of the disco phenomenon spawned a succession of dance crazes including the Funky Chicken, Bump, Hustle and YMCA. This continued in the 1980s with the popular song "Walk Like An Egyptian", in the 1990s with "Macarena" and into the 2000s with "The Ketchup Song" dance. Yes, having fun is what dancing's all about! Like Nike proclaimed - Just do it!

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> The Macarena Still Going Strong

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> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 Chart

> Dancing In KL In The 1970s

The Macarena Still Going Strong

In 1996, a piece of Samba music captured the imagination of the world, reaching the number one position in the popular music charts of many countries around the world. It was called Macarena, and it was sung by several artistes but the favourite version was by a group called Los Del Rio from Spain. The version by Los Del Rio spent 14 weeks at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and also broke records at that time by remaining in the Top 100 Chart for 60 weeks. The song Macarena has recently been named as the number 5 most popular song in the Billboard Hot 100 Chart.

A special line dance was created for this mega-hit and it became the International Dance Of The Year 1996. In the Macarena, the dancers usually arrange themselves in lines facing front. Everybody starts together and performs the same sequence of moves, one for the first beat of each new bar of music. Start by standing with your feet a little apart and just go with the music.

1. Extend the right arm, palm down
2. Extend the left arm, palm down
3. Turn the right hand, palm up
4. Turn the left hand, palm up
5. Move your right hand across to the left shoulder
6. Move your left hand across to your right shoulder
7. Place the right hand behind your head
8. Place the left hand behind your head
9. Move the right hand across to the front of left hip
10. Move the left hand across to the front of right hip
11. Move the right hand on to the back of right hip
12. Move the left hand on to the back of left hip
13. Roll your hips to the right
14. Roll your hips to the left
15. Clap your hands
16. Jump, making a quarter turn to the right

Then, simply start again. Due to its simplicity and repetitive choreography, the Macarena became very popular at parties, functions and social gatherings. Whilst its popularity has waned somewhat, the Macarena together with Achy Breaky Heart and Night Fever have remained firm favourites with line dancers. The Macarena is without doubt one of the defining songs and dances of popular culture.

Related Posts

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 1

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 2

Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 2

Chubby Checker (real name, Ernest Evans) was born on October 3 1941 in Spring Gully, South Carolina, USA but grew up in South Philadelphia. His song The Twist which he recorded in June 1959 became a smash hit climbing to the Billboard No. 1 in the summer of 1960. In the fall of 1961, record history was created when The Twist re-entered the charts and became no. 1 again in January 1962. Combining its 1960 run with its 1961/1962 return, The Twist spent an amazing total of 9 months on the US best seller charts. The song helped to inspire a dance craze around the world.

In 1961, Chubby Checker came out with another song called Let's Twist Again. While this song did not make it to the Billboard No.1 (it peaked at no. 8) it had a very upbeat tempo and a catchy refrain which went like this - "Who's that flying up there? Is it a bird? (Chorus) No!, Is it a plane? (Chorus) No!, Is it a twister? (Chorus) Yes!" Not surprisingly, Let's Twist Again was Checker's first platinum album. The twist was an easy dance to learn where you basically swivel on the ball or flat of the feet. The simplicity of the dance meant that almost everyone (except those with hernia or back problems) could do it in convincing style and it became very popular not only with teenagers but with adults as well.

Chubby Checker also had another hit in 1962 called Limbo Rock which made it to the no. 2 on the charts. This song reignited a fad for another dance - the limbo. The limbo is a dance that originated in Trinidad. In this dance, the dancers move to a Caribbean rhythm, lean backwards and then dance under a pole (usually part of a high jump apparatus) without touching the pole. The dancer who touches the pole or who falls backwards is considered "out". When several dancers compete, they line up in single file and take turns to dance under the pole. The pole is gradually lowered and by a process of elimination; the last dancer to go under the pole is declared the champion.

The dances that were popular in Malaysia during the 1960s included the twist, limbo, off-beat cha cha and a go go (not to be confused with go go dancing). The off-beat cha cha was danced mainly to Chinese songs and was popular in the night clubs and cabarets. The a go go was a party dance and some of the hand movements are quite similar to the macarena which was a dance sensation in the 1990s . The song Macarena by Sol Del Rio which was released in 1996 is ranked at no.5 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Next week, we'll go retro and learn to dance the macarena again.

Related Post

> Chubby Checker's "The Twist" Named Top Song Of Billboard Hot 100 - Part 1