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Top 10 Dance Fads of All Time
By AprillBrandon in Pop Goes the Culture
February 12, 2008

Hello. My name is Aprill Brandon...and I'm a dance fad abuser.

(Hi Aprill).

I wasn't always this way. It started out just as a fun thing to do at weddings when I was young. You know, a Chicken Dance here, a Hokie Pokie there. But then I started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and they started taking me to places like school dances. It started out innocent enough. I'd see the others doing it but I'd always pass. I just enjoyed hanging out at the table in the back.

But eventually, I'd start swaying a bit, a foot tap here and there, and then encouraged by my new found friends, soon I was out in the middle of the dance floor, doing The Worm.

Oh, and it didn't stop there. Soon I was busting out the Hammer slide, and...(gulp)...the Boot Scootin' Boogy.

But I knew I hit rock bottom, I knew I needed help when...when...(small sniffle)....my mom caught me doing the Macarena...(breaks down into hysterical sobbing).

Ah, yes, as if our fashion choices weren't bad enough back in the day, so were our choices of dances. But we can take solace in the fact that every generation has their own horrible dance fads unique to their generation (although it's hard for any generation to top the crap we came up with the in '80s).

A new slew of dance crazes are hitting the Internet these days, in part spurred on by the success of Soulja Boy and his "Tell 'Em" video. This 17-year-old kid managed to make his song a hit merely by the popularity of the dance alone (check out the video of it above).

And of course, what would the music industry be without a gaggle of sleazy music execs trying to also cash in on this surprise hit and Internet sensation. Seems every music producer is now looking for the next big dance hit, according to this Wall Street Journal article.

I hate to tell them, but a dance fad cannot be contrived out of thin air. No one is exactly sure what makes a dance popular. Obviously, there is no guaranteed formula, no mix of lyrics, beats and dance moves that ensures everyone will be doing your dance at their wedding. I mean, did anyone foresee the hit that the Macarena was going to be?

But I digress. Let the music execs try in vain.

And until the next big dance craze hits, here's a little trip down memory lane for you. In no particular order, I present my picks for the Top 10 Dance Fads of All Time:

The Robot

The Hustle

The Vogue

The Electric Slide

The Running Man

The Time Warp

The Humpty Dance (anyone...anyone?)

The Cha Cha Slide

The Freddie

The Urkel Dance

And last but not least, Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Thank you and see you all at next week's meeting.