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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> Dancing In KL In The 1970s

"Evolution Of Dance" The Number 1 Most Favourited (All Time) Video On YouTube

YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, share and view video clips. The company was founded in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. YouTube was acquired by Google in 2006 and is presently headquartered in San Bruno, California, USA. Unregistered users can watch most videos on the site while registered users are allowed to upload an unlimited number of videos. YouTube reported that in January 2008 alone, nearly 79 million users had made over 3 billion video views. YouTube also bestows numerous awards on the videos including the "Most Viewed, Most Favourited, Most Discussed and Top Rated".

As far as video clips go, Evolution Of Dance by American motivational speaker and comedian Judson (Jud) Laipply is undoubtedly one of the most popular of video clips to have appeared on YouTube. The six-minute video posted on YouTube by Laipply in 2006, features him dancing to a soundtrack that plays through various popular songs by various artistes ranging from Elvis Presley (Hound Dog) to Chubby Checker (The Twist), Village People (YMCA), MC Hammer (U Can't Touch This) and Michael Jackson (Billie Jean & Thriller).

Evolution of Dance was the finale to Laipply's 2002 show called Inspirational Comedy. Laipply said he came up with the name Inspirational Comedy to help describe what he does. He wanted people to know that he was going to try and be funny but also give them things to think about and try to inspire them all in the same experience. During its initial rise in popularity, the video amassed over 10 million views in under two weeks. It was also featured on CNN, MSN, E!, USA Today, Good Morning America, The Today Show, AOL, Google and many other websites.

Evolution Of Dance is currently the Number 1 Most Favourited (All Time) Video, Number 2 Most Viewed (All Time) Video and Number 6 Most Discussed (All Time) Video on YouTube. The video has been viewed over 103 million times as at October 30 2008. It had the most all time views for just over 2 years before being replaced by the music video for Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend which also had more than 100 million views. Anyone who has watched Evolution Of Dance is bound to be bombarded with flashbacks, for the better or worse, of a particular period of their youth so characterized by the iconic dances which accompany the songs.

Best Wishes As Usual,

Dance Aficionado
Dancesport Malaysia

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

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

Chubby Checker's "The Twist" has been ranked as the number 1 song in the 50 years of the the Billboard Hot 100 Chart while the Beatles have topped Billboard's all-time Hot 100 Artistes. Here is a list of the Top 10 Singles and the Top 10 Artistes

The Top 10 Singles

1. The Twist by Chubby Checker
2. Smooth by Santana
3. Mack The Knife by Bobby Darin
4. How Do I Live by Leann Rimes
5. Macarena by Los Del Rio
6. Physical by Olivia Newton John
7. You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone
8. Hey Jude by The Beatles
9. We Belong Together by Mariah Carey
10. Un-break My Heart by Toni Braxton

The Top 10 Artistes

1. The Beatles
2. Madonna
3. Elton John
4. Elvis Presley
5. Stevie Wonder
6. Mariah Carey
7. Janet Jackson
8. Michael Jackson
9. Whitney Houston
10. The Rolling Stones

Many would be as surprised as I am that none of Elvis Presley's songs have made it to the Top 10 as many of his hit singles like Teddy Bear, Love Me Tender and Jailhouse Rock were released before the Billboard Hot 100 started in August 1958. I am all shook up that Elvis's top hits like It's Now Or Never, Are You Lonesome Tonight and Good Luck Charm which were released after August 1958 did not even make it to the list. I had also expected classic hits by The Beatles like I Saw Her Standing There, I Want To Hold Your Hands or And I Love Her to be in the Top 10 but certainly not Hey Jude. The song Hey Jude isn't all that great and the ending is pure cacophony!

Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts of Billboard magazine acknowledged that the list may not be consonant with some fan's personal thoughts of the most popular songs of the past 50 years. "This is simply a chronicle of how each of these songs performed in their era on the Hot 100. We're not saying these are the most memorable songs of your life. Everyone has a subjective frame of reference," said Mayfield. Billboard is also showcasing some other chart achievements on its website www.billboard.com. The other "controversial" list is the Most No.1s by an artiste.

Most No.1s By Artiste (Number In Brackets)

1. The Beatles (20)
2. Mariah Carey (18)
3. Michael Jackson (13)
4. Madonna (12)
5. The Supremes (12)
6. Whitney Houston (11)
7. Janet Jackson (10)
8. Stevie Wonder (10)
9. Bee Gees (9)
10. Elton John (9)

You may notice that Elvis Presley isn't on the Top 10 list of Most No. 1s by an artiste. While Elvis had 7 number 1s on the Hot 100, 11 of his number 1 hits were released before the Hot 100 existed. Elvis had a total of 18 number 1 hit singles in his career. This means to say that there is a tie between Elvis and Mariah Carey for the most number 1 hit singles by an American artiste ever. I believe many would not disagree with me if I were to rank The Beatles as the greatest band or group and Elvis Presley as the greatest solo singer of the 20th century. Next week, I'll be talking about Chubby Checker and his song that helped inspire a global dance craze - The Twist.

Related Post

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