I did a search on YouTube for the "original Harlem Shake" and this was the first thing that popped up.
-_______-'
Ok.
This was a few posts down:
HELL. YES!
I'm old enough to remember the Harlem Shake - I remember thinking how amazing it was, simply because I was known to sit in class and dance JUST by moving my shoulders. So, of course, this blew my mind. YES. Of course, it's New Yorkers that are bringing it. ;)
I am a dancer. Always will be. No matter how old I get, dance will forever live in my heart.
"My heart beats in eight count/ So you know I'll only be alive 'til it fade out/ While you was strugglin' with two left feet/ I was here becoming one with the beat/ It's the language of the soul, poetry in motion/ Call me Black Swan with the crazy locomotion.." (Nitty Scott MC/Statik Selektah, "Black Swan")
So, you can imagine my attitude toward all of the YouTube trends like Gangnam Style and all of these Harlem Shake videos. Some people are saying it's disrespectful to the original Harlem Shake, which I get completely.
BUT - here's what I see: Ignorance.
I'm not even sure if the majority of these people even REALIZE that there's an original Harlem Shake.
(Psst! You're doing it wrong!)
But that's all I see - ignorance. All these people want is a chance to be a part of the big trend of the month, which I honestly don't get. My own brother was in one of these videos and I had to giggle (he's not much of a dancer). But at the same time, I'm shaking my head like, "WTF IS this noise??"
And do people actually LIKE stuff like Gangnam Style? Because, honestly, it seems like everyone is making fun of this guy making K-Pop music. Maybe I'm wrong (wouldn't be the first time) but it seems like everyone has made a trend out of "copying" dances by making fun of them. Imitation is NOT always the best form of flattery. ;)
Meanwhile, in NYC --
(Shoutout to a project I've been following/backing for a long time - Flex is Kings):
Let me tell you something about some of these people dancing in New York - in Harlem, in BK, wherever - and listen closely, please:
They have something I wish EVERYONE had more of. They have something every dancer, no matter how great their technique is, wishes for every day they have a knee injury or look down at their bloody toes -- They have HEART. The will to keep moving, no matter WHAT the circumstances. Their stories are different; they dance to avoid the violence. Their moves embody everything that the quote above means to me. I would give anything to dance with these men. I tear up just watching the trailer!
They have heart.
They have soul.
They give ME a reason to keep moving, to keep dancing, to keep waking up everyday. It's powerful stuff and I KNOW for a fact not everyone can and will understand how I feel when I watch their bodies tell their stories.
All I can do is smile when I see those YouTube videos. I know true art when I see it. And those trends will die down quickly. But the true artists will continue on.
We have to do better, people. Use your creativity. Look past the trends and see the beauty surrounding you.
