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New video shows Gen Z kids trying to emulate the best of iconic 1980s and 90's dance moves

Kids are learning to Vogue, do the Roger Rabbit and wear Hammer pants again.

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File:Voguing Masquerade Ball (30471230845).jpg - Wikipedia

Something was in the water back in the mid-80s, almost as though dance itself was rebelling against common sense. And it was glorious. Moves like the Running Man popped up and were made super popular by all the greats: MC Hammer, Milli Vanilli, Janet Jackson, and, of course, the beat-master himself, Vanilla Ice. You had Bobby Brown busting out the Roger Rabbit dance, which, yes, was simply the Running Man done backward.

But it was the early 90s when things got REALLY sexy. And by sexy, I mean, picture a man wearing parachute pants. Now drop the crotch down, taper the ankles and insert more air into the sides and then pop them - like a slightly deflated balloon.. Now stop. Hammer time.

TikTok kids are here to bring those good vibrations (c'mon, c'mon, c'mon) in every way possible. (If you're not currently picturing Mark Wahlberg in a tank top, you should be.) First, the New Kids on the Block showed us how it's done. The hats! The vests! The bouncing! The style of dance can only be described as being electrocuted while drinking a triple shot of espresso.


Madonna took things up a level when she released "Vogue," complete with a sexy video where she was, in fact, "voguing." This is a dance trend that goes back to the '60s and has evolved and gained popularity, specifically through the LGBTQ community. Check this amazing kid out…

Later in the decade, the boy bands exploded. Now all of those Backstreet and *NSYNC lovers are teaching their children spins and moves that put Justin Timberlake to shame.

Some of the parents have taken part in the craze, too. Jevin Smith put together the ultimate compilation on TikTok/Instagram of all the times he showed off his '90s moves while picking up his daughter, Jayna, from high school. We're talking "2 Legit 2 Quit" – complete with the aforementioned Hammer pants and a crazy gold jacket, obviously.

Jayna was initially mortified, but she later told Today.com, "Now I think it's hilarious. There's never a time when I'm upset. He's like a celebrity at school now. Everyone loves his TikToks."

And she does mean everyone. After Jevin (known online as wealthyjev) popped and locked for a bit, one of Jayna's classmates joined in, and they had the coolest dance-off in recent history.

And don't think for one second that the Boomer generation doesn't want their moment in the spotlight! TikTok is chalk-full of them, and they might actually have the best moves yet. They certainly all have the swagger and why wouldn't they? They were the original kings and queens of swagger!

The comments were especially uplifting, with one person sharing, "Your moves make me want to get up and dance. Every move was on point. I love it! I'm a fan." Another gushed, "One of the last generations to just actually enjoy and groove to the music without being distracted by phones."

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Joy

Adorable 'Haka baby' dance offers a sweet window into Maori culture

Stop what you're doing and let this awesomeness wash over you.

@focuswithdan/TikTok

A young Māori performing his haka dance.

If you've never seen a Māori haka performed, you're missing out.

The Māori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, and their language and customs are an integral part of the island nation. One of the most recognizable Māori traditions outside of New Zealand is the haka, a ceremonial dance or challenge usually performed in a group. The haka represents the pride, strength, and unity of a tribe and is characterized by foot-stamping, body slapping, tongue protrusions, and rhythmic chanting.

Haka is performed at weddings as a sign of reverence and respect for the bride and groom, at funerals, at other significant events, and are also frequently seen before sports competitions, such as rugby matches.

The intensity of the haka is the point. It is meant to be a show of strength and elicit a strong response—which makes seeing a tiny toddler learning to do it all the more adorable.

Here's an example of a rugby haka:

Danny Heke, who goes by @focuswithdan on TikTok, shared a video of a baby learning haka and omigosh it is seriously the most adorable thing. When you see most haka, the dancers aren't smiling—their faces are fierce—so this wee one starting off with an infectious grin is just too much. You can see that he's already getting the moves down, facial expressions and all, though.

@focuswithdan When you grow up learning haka! #haka #teachthemyoung #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou #kapahaka ♬ original sound - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

As cute as this video is, it's part of a larger effort by Heke to use his TikTok channel to share and promote Māori culture. His videos cover everything from the Te Reo Māori language to traditional practices to issues of prejudice Māori people face.

Here he briefly goes over the different body parts that make up haka:

@focuswithdan

♬ Ngati - Just2maori

This video explains the purerehua, or bullroarer, which is a Maori instrument that is sometimes used to call rains during a drought.

@focuswithdan Reply to @illumi.is.naughty Some tribes used this to call the rains during drought 🌧 ⛈ #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp ♬ Pūrerehua - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

This one shares a demonstration and explanation of the taiaha, a traditional Māori weapon.

@focuswithdan Reply to @shauncalvert Taiaha, one of the most formidable of the Māori Weaponry #taiaha #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

For another taste of haka, check out this video from a school graduation:

@focuswithdan When your little cuzzy graduates and her school honours her with a haka #maori #māori #haka #focuswithdan #fyp #graduation @its_keshamarley ♬ Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

Heke even has some fun with the trolls and racists in the comments who try to tell him his culture is dead (what?).

@focuswithdan Credit to you all my AMAZING FOLLOWERS! #focuswithdan #maori #māori #followers #fyp #trolls ♬ original sound - sounds for slomo_bro!

Unfortunately, it's not just ignorant commenters who spew racist bile. A radio interview clip that aired recently called Māori people "genetically predisposed to crime, alcohol, and underperformance," among other terrible things. (The host, a former mayor of Auckland, has been let go for going along with and contributing to the caller's racist narrative.)

@focuswithdan #newzealand radio in 2021 delivering racist commentaries 🤦🏽‍♂️ #māori #maori #focuswithdan #racism DC: @call.me.lettie2.0 ♬ original sound - luna the unicow

That clip highlights why what Heke is sharing is so important. The whole world is enriched when Indigenous people like the Māori have their voices heard and their culture celebrated. The more we learn from each other and our diverse ways of life, the more enjoyable life on Earth will be and the better we'll get at collaborating to confront the challenges we all share.


This article originally appeared four years ago.

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Health

Professor makes students put on surprise dance performance after catching them bored in class

“It was perhaps the coolest, most kind-hearted thing I’ve ever seen a college instructor do.”

Photo credit: @redadhdventures/https://www.canva.com/photos

When you're burnt out, you just gotta dance!

A Tumblr story from @redhdadventures is getting some attention after showcasing what learning in life is all about. In the post, she shares about when her Arabic college professor noticed the entire class was looking tired, restless, and overall rundown. Usually, a teacher would encourage their students to get a good night's rest after class, perhaps bring a coffee next time, or some other piece of advice before pushing forward with their lesson plan. This professor had a different solution: stop class and dance.


Seeing that his students were “dead inside,” he closed the textbooks and said, “That’s not healthy!” He then taught his students a dance he learned from Iraq, having them let loose and let the good vibes boost their energy. He didn’t go back to his lesson until he saw every student laugh and was able to confirm that each one was feeling better.

“It was perhaps the coolest, most kind-hearted thing I’ve ever seen a college instructor do,” remarked @redadhdadventures in the post.

The story made its way to Instagram in which commenters shared similar joyful, invigoration stories from their teachers:

“My high school German teacher used to do this. We'd be expecting a typical lesson/class, but she'd say, ‘Push all the desks to the back. Wir tanzen!’ 🕺😁”

“I had a linguistics professor like this. I remember one day it was beautiful and sunny. As class was about to start, he looked out the window and declared that it was too nice a day to stay indoors. We did our lesson in a circle on the lawn 😂”

“My ninth grade English teacher brought out jump ropes one day and had us go outside and jump rope for about half the class time and afterwards asked how we felt and everyone said that we felt like kids again. Core memories.”

Even fellow teachers shared their strategies when faced with depleted students:

“I used to dance with my 2nd graders during their 10 minute ‘brain breaks.’ They would tell me what Just Dance videos to play on YouTube and we would all follow along. 🕺🏾”

“I have given my high school students half an hour for nap time. They all said they didn’t need it but I turned down the lights and switched the music to soothing and one by one their heads dropped. I just let them wake up on their own time. About half an hour later they each woke up and started doing their work. I believe they were more productive after then if we persevered without a nap.”

College students dancingDancing can loosen the mood while improving your memory skills!Photo credit: Canva

Taking a break to boost students isn’t just good for the soul, science backs it up, too. A study by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that taking frequent, mindful short breaks while studying actually help the brain learn and retain new skills. It showed that the resting brain would repeatedly replay information while it rested, making it easier to retain and remember in the longer term.

Breaks are shown to be even more effective when they involve physical activity, especially dancing. Dancing can improve circulation and provide exercise without feeling like exercise, per a National Library of Medicine study. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that dancing can also strengthen neuron connections, improve memory, and even combat dementia in our brains! This is partially music involved in dancing invokes emotions and thoughts within our minds as we move, along with our brains being stimulated as we try to remember the dance moves as we execute them. All of this stimulates and improves the parts of the brain that are associated with executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition. Our brains are also rewarded with feel-good serotonin chemicals due to the physical activity and social interaction that dancing provides, too.

Woman doing yoga in front of her laptopDoing a physical activity during a break from studying, such as dancing or yoga, can be beneficial to your health.Photo credit: Canva

So if you feel like you’re in a rut, your brain is fried, or you’re just feeling down, try just dancing it out. It may feel silly, but that’s kind of the point. Even if you’re bad at it, you’ll be able to make yourself feel better by laughing at yourself and from your body rewarding itself for it, if alone. If with a group, you’ll be able to all laugh together and feel better before attacking the next task ahead.

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Joy

Man teaching people in other countries how to dance online is the perfect mood booster

"This is exactly what we need."

Photo credit: Canva

Man unites people by teaching men in other countries American dances

Dancing is one of those things that comes easier to some people than it does to others. Having no rhythm seems to be a lot like being tone deaf: no matter how hard you try it takes a herculean amount of effort just to get it remotely close to what you're trying to replicate. But some people have rhythm and are simply untrained on how to use it which is when dance teachers or tutorials come in handy.

When TikTok was first developed, it was mainly an app where people made dancing trends and tutorials. You can still find dance videos on the app but it's mostly been taken over with skits, life advice, politics, trad wife content and more. But recently a content creator named Ace has been delighting people with random live videos of him teaching people from different parts of the world how to dance.

It's unclear how or when it started since it looks like someone came across the live and decided to screen record it. Ace uploads the screen recordings onto his platform putting them all in one place. It is truly like watching a impromptu dance class because clearly some of the dancers are repeat attendees based on their interactions. The "classes" seem to be full of men from countries that don't speak English so the communication is a little spotty at times but they make it work.

man jumping on the middle of the street during daytime Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash

In one video Ace is teaching them how to do the "superman" from Soulja Boy's song "Crank That." It starts off a little rocky as Ace speaks loudly trying to convey the five men need to copy his moves.

"Listen, follow me. What I do, you do. Got it? No own moves. Do not bring your own moves up here. I need you being precise" Ace shouts just before the music begins to play again.

That's when one of the men seems to have a bit of a personal issue happening with his backside that the TikTok dance instructor has to tell him to leave alone. The entire interaction is comical but wholesome. The men appear to be really invested in learning this dance

@thefvmousace I HAD TO TAKE EM BACK REAL QUICK😂 #trending #jokess #stream #fypシ #explorepage✨ ♬ original sound - Ace ♠️

In another video, Ace teaches a different group of men how to do Jackson 5's "ABC" dance. Of course the communication barrier had the instructor a little stressed. One man named Babar struggled to understand what Ace was asking him to do but eventually got it so the class could resume. People cannot get enough of these videos as they provide a form of escapism from stress.

One person asks, "Is the world…. Healing ?!???"

Another shares, "This is exactly what we need."

@thefvmousace Babar had me stressed 😂😂😂😂#jokes #streaming #trending #fypシ ♬ original sound - Ace ♠️

"TikTok gotta be the only place where u see America happy," someone else surmises.

"TikTok is a real view into the world usually. The news would have you believe we're in an apocalypse. Irl, most people are chilling," another person chimes in.

While Ace's dance classes won't actually bring world peace, it's certainly a nice break from the current stressors people are feeling. Besides, who doesn't like a little dance break?

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