It seems that Filipinos can groove to any kind of music. If you need any proof, the Cebu Dancing Inmates alone are more than enough. SPOT.ph lists 10 dance crazes from all over the world or just around the corner that had Filipinos shaking their bon-bons.
The Wonder Girls had everyone singing their song (or at least humming to it) and copying their dance moves.
1. The Nobody Dance
Prime movers: The Wonder Girls, a five-member South Korean girl group, popularized this dance move in the music video of their like-titled song, which was was released in Korea in late 2008. By 2009, it was enjoying heavy airplay in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world. Jocelyn Lee of The Straits Times wrote that "fans across Asia" were "devoting hours of practice [in order to copy] the exact dance movements" of the pop princesses. Pinoys got in on the craze even if the song was mostly in Korean.
Sassy steps: "The dance involves synchronised participants clapping their hands, shaking their shoulders, and swaying their hips to the catchy chorus, which goes: ’I want nobody nobody but youuuu,’" explained Lee.
Dance floor lowdown: The song made an impact beyond the dance floor. In September 2009, ABS-CBNNews.com reported that Leo Santos, 28, was stabbed to death by one of his drunk friends in his Tondo neighborhood after he asked the suspect (who was singing "Nobody" on videoke), "Ano ang kinakanta mo?"
This group of funny Bisayas can give the Wonder Girls a run for their jobs.
The Sexbomb Dancers test their fans’ Spaghetti moves.
2. The Spaghetti Dance
Prime movers: Before 26 seasons of their long-running noontime drama Daisy Siete, the Sexbomb Dancers exploded to nationwide fame in 2003 with their body-twisting dance moves to the tune of "Spaghetti," a novelty ditty composed by Lito Camo.
Sassy steps: Pretend like your body is a strip of al dente noodle and twist your chest, belly and hips upwards and downwards, depending on which direction the song’s chorus says you do.
Dance floor lowdown: Although the Spaghetti dance catered to the taste of young girls who suddenly adopted being a member of the Sexbomb Dancers as their lifetime dream, the song drew flak from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), which said that the song was full of innuendos. Members of the Cebu City Anti-Indecency Board even wrote a letter to the MTRCB complaining of the song’s "obscene" lyrics. Apparently, they were not fans of Italian-food-inspired dance moves.
Kids went crazy over the Chocolate dance.
3. The Chocolate Dance
Prime movers: This delicious dance craze by the Soul Control duo hit nationwide fame through the second season of GMA-7’s reality-based talent search, StarStruck. Most of that particular season’s contestants may have already been forgotten, but their dance lives on.
Sassy steps: Tap both of your hands on your lap, then cross them over to your arms, wiggle them in the air, then lightly punch your armpit. That simple. And weird.
Dance floor lowdown: This dance craze has so much focus on the armpits that you can do it everytime you apply your deodorant.
Edu Manzano and former US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney do the "Papaya" dance.
4. The Papaya Dance
Prime movers: This proudly Filipino dance craze was started by TV host Edu Manzano who, in 2007, regularly danced to the 1970s song by singer Urszula Dudziak on the now-defunct noontime game show Pilipinas: Game KNB?.
Sassy steps: Place both your hands in pointing position. Bend your knees slightly, then wiggle your hands near your right thigh, followed by the left. Point up, then down, then slowly bring your pointed fingers back up by drawing imaginary waves in the air.
Dance floor lowdown: The Papaya dance became such an international craze that even the hosts of American TV show Good Morning, America danced to it.
The Philippine Army begin doing the Papaya dance at 1:17. (Great to know they can also entertain us while defending us.)
LSS alert! The Vengaboys cover "Shalala Lala."
5. The Shalala Lala Dance
Prime movers: Although the song first hit the airwaves in 1973 through the Danish glam rock band The Walkers, "Shalala Lala" only became a dancefloor hit in the 1990s through the more upbeat cover of the group Dreamhouse.
Sassy steps: Hop from left to right with hands doing circular motions at the side. Once you hear the clapping sound, clap your hands thrice upwards as well, then slowly move your arms in three counts to the right, then to the left. (These moves are better danced than read, promise.)
Dance floor lowdown: A decade after the "Shalala Lala" dance craze gripped the Philippines, the Dutch dance group Vengaboys did another cover of the song, which made it big in Australia and the United Kingdom. So in terms of "Shalala-love," we were 10 years ahead with the rest of the world.
Bayani Agbayani had almost everyone doing the "worm-like" steps of the Otso-Otso dance.
6. The Otso-Otso Dance
Prime movers: Numerology says the number eight is a lucky number. Singing about this number really brought luck to comedian Bayani Agbayani, who got the whole country dancing to the tune of his novelty song in 2003.
Sassy steps: Position your knees together, slightly bend forward then place your palms above your knee cap. With this position, lower your back a bit then continue arching your back until the chorus finishes.
Dance floor lowdown: Aside from being a ridiculously entertaining dance move, the "Otso Otso" dance is also a perfect back-breaking exercise. Be sure to do it properly lest you’ll appear to be some pervert humping nothingness on the dance floor.
The Universal Motion Dancers turn back the clock by dancing "Always" (begins at 1:00) and other dance hits that they popularized.
7. The Always Dance
Prime movers: Even before teaming up with Judy Ann Santos, Wowie de Guzman with the rest of his eight-man dance group Universal Motion Dancers or UMD got the whole country moving to the tune of Erasure’s "Always." The dance craze was such a hit during the early 1990s that noontime shows featured an "Always" dance contest.
Sassy steps: Groove to the verses of this song by caressing your own chest and doing some dips with knees bent. Come the chorus, straighten your arms the move them from center-left-center-right, then some more dips. These dance steps are collectively called the Butterfly Dance, although an ordinary butterfly can definitely not execute any of these moves.
Dance floor lowdown: These dance steps can only be done with your favorite shades on. Yes, you have to wear them even if you are indoors. No shades, no "Always."
This fan has perfected the Butterfly Dance.
Maricel Soriano begins doing her signature dance at 1:32.
8. The Shake Body Dancer Dance
Prime movers: The Diamond Star Maricel Soriano is not only known for her acting skills, but her body-shaking dance moves as well. She popularized this dance hit sung by Magic Fire in discos during the 1980s, and continues to be associated to her up to this day.
Sasy steps: Bring one of your legs forward, stretch out your arms and shake your body, body, dancer, just like what the song’s chorus says.
Dance floor lowdown: To borrow the words of Glee’s Cheerio, Brittany, "It’s like cool epilepsy!"
The girls of Las Ketchup do their thing.
9. The Asereje Dance
Prime movers: This Spanish-English dance craze became an international hit in 2002, thanks to the three sultry girls of the Spanish pop group "Las Ketchup." The song even reached the top spot in the UK charts, as well as in 26 other Ketchup-loving countries. Naturally, the dance is also known as the Ketchup Dance.
Sassy steps: Shake your bon-bons to the chorus of this song by shuffling your hands with palms down alternately. Slowly bring them upwards to your head by drawing small spirals in the air, then end by briskly shaking your bent knees.
Dance floor lowdown: The "Ketchup Dance" made noise not only on the dance floor, but also by way of an urban legend. There was a crazy story that went around about the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo banning its members from listening to the song because it was some form of Satanic prayer when backmasked. Iglesia ni Cristo members disclose that no such ban was imposed on them. In any case, the song is just about a man who enters the club and dances to his favorite hip hop song. Nothing at all related to the Devil.
The Macarena is actually a pretty provocative dance, but its singers look like nice old men.
10. The Macarena Dance
Prime movers: The world became "Macarena"-crazy in 1996 when the Spanish music duo Los del Rio released a dance mix of this song. Thanks to the easy-to-do moves that came with it, "Macarena" hit it big in world music charts, even staying on top of the US Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks.
Sassy steps: The "Macarena" is done in 16 easy steps, which involves a lot of criss-crossing of hands to different parts of the body. The most groovy part of this dance move, though, is when you jump after you hear the phrase, "Hey Macarena!" It's like a victory jump after successfully executing the move without entangling your limbs.
Dance floor lowdown: This groovy song is actually about a young woman named Macarena who hooks up with two male friends after her boyfriend was drafted to the military. Yes, the world actually went gaga over a song about infidelity.
These cute kindergarten students have no idea that they’re dancing to a song about infidelity.
Art by Warren Espejo.
Image credits: Scanned album covers of Las Ketchup, Los del Rio, Edu Manzano, Sexbomb Dancers and screen capture of Maricel Soriano from Jack en Poy.