When UF cheerleader and psychology senior Amanda Soule was told to do the “Harlem Shake” during the Florida-Kentucky men’s basketball game Feb. 12, she had no idea what it was.
The 22-year-old also had no idea that six days later, a video of the dance performance would amass almost 2 million hits on YouTube, joining thousands of others like it.
“I think it’s taken off because it’s just a fun thing for people to do, and it’s fun to watch other colleges’ renditions of the Harlem Shake,” Soule said.
The dance requires one person (Albert, in this video’s case) to dance solo to the heavy-bass track made by electronic music producer Baauer, while other dancers wait for the beat to drop before joining in, for a grand total of about 30 seconds.
In most of the videos, bizarre props and outlandish outfits add to the randomness of the latest viral dance craze.
UF social media specialist Bruce Floyd said the short length of the song clip and its two defined steps make it easy for people to duplicate and upload to social media.
“I think it’s easy to produce, and it’s easy to consume,” he said.
An underwater version of the dance performed by the University of Georgia’s swimming and diving team, for example, is one of the more notable Harlem Shakes on YouTube, with more than 21 million hits.
“Facebook and YouTube and Twitter all make these things possible, but if something resonates with the right people, it can make things grow exponentially,” Floyd said.
In the UF video, Soule is joined by her fellow cheerleaders, the Dazzlers and Albert on the basketball court, jumping and jiving before a sea of orange- and blue-clad fans, each doing their own dance move.
“Like anything, it’s a trend,” Soule said. “I think it’s popular because of its entertainment factor and the fact that it’s so easy to throw together.”
In addition to the “Harlem Shake (Florida Gators Edition) LIVE” video posted by Florida Gators Athletics, plenty of other UF organizations are adding their own versions to the mix. More than 30 Gainesville-based videos appear after searching “Harlem Shake UF,”including Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity, RecSports and Florida Competitive Cheerleading.
Jessica Watson, a 20-year-old UF public relations junior and Reitz Union Board Entertainment Bands director, hadn’t heard of the dance either. That was, until a fellow RUB member suggested via social media the group make a video, following the legions of Harlem Shakers all over the Internet.
“Someone posted on the RUB Facebook group, and it kind of blew up,” Watson said. “They said we have to be a part of that — it’s too cool!”
On Feb. 13, Watson found herself dancing on top of a table in the office RUB shares with TRiP, surrounded by eight grooving RUB members, a dancing beaver and a cutout of President Barack Obama.
“I thought it was hilarious, and no one else wanted to be the first person to start dancing,” Watson said. And so, the Harlem Shake newbie fearlessly took one for the team.
“Maybe I was inspired by Beyoncé,” Watson said. “I’m a big fan of her and her Super Bowl show. So sure, I channeled a little bit of her swag.”
Last Friday, telecommunication freshman Giselle Ponce, 18, watched as hundreds of costumed students swarmed Turlington Plaza for a Harlem Shake flash mob.
“All the people that were dancing had the most ridiculous things on: gorilla masks, banana suits, and Mario and Luigi costumes,” she said.
Ponce said the new dance craze was annoying at first, but once some people started doing it, the rest followed suit.
“I think it’s popular because it’s something weird, and everyone likes stuff out of the norm,” she said. “It’s entertaining and can make people laugh, and it’s one of those things like ‘Gangnam Style.’”
Even if people think the trend is irritating, Watson is proud of her club’s video.
“It’s a short time, but it’s a fun little thing to do,” she said. “You can be whoever you want for that 31 seconds.”
Turlington Plaza was packed with more than 800 students dancing to “Harlem Shake” by Baauer on Friday afternoon.
