In 2002, “inspirational comedian,” Judson Laipply began closing his college tour act about “life and change” with a self-choreographed medley of dance crazes from American culture. A few years later a clip of this crowd-pleasing finale was posted on a fledgling website called YouTube and was shared over, and over, and over. The video is now YouTube’s #2 most viewed video of all time with over 100 million views.
By some chance if you have not contributed to this count, or just want to watch it one more time, here is the clip:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg]
Right after the new year, on January 9, Laipply released a brand new Evolution of Dance video, aptly titled Evolution of Dance 2. The clip includes new songs and dances but covers similar territory by offering a relatively chronological account of dances popular in our recent history, beginning with a bit of James Brown and closing with the Soulja Boy Dance.
See it for yourself here:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inLBPVG8oEU]
The original video has often be recreated and emulated. Examples are littered all over YouTube. One that may be of particular interest to readers at Dance Advantage, is Evolution of Dance “Ballet Style” which was apparently performed at an undisclosed studio’s year-end recital.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_xab-r419E]
It is a fun twist on Laipply’s material and got me thinking that between Evolution of Dance 1 and 2, there may lie inspiration for your next recital theme! Ha ha! To be honest, I just thought I’d share these fun little clips with you. After all, as Laipply himself likes to quote, “Life isn’t always the party we’d hoped for but while we are here we might as well dance!” I hope it has brightened your day!
Have any thoughts on these videos? Is there something missing you think should be included? Is the new one as good as the first? I’d love to know what you think!
Nichelle Suzanne is a writer specializing in dance and online content. She is also a dance instructor with over 20 years experience teaching in dance studios, community programs, and colleges. She began Dance Advantage in 2008, equipped with a passion for movement education and an intuitive sense that a blog could bring dancers together. As a Houston-based dance writer, Nichelle covers dance performance for Dance Source Houston, Arts+Culture Texas, and other publications. She is a leader in social media within the dance community and has presented on blogging for dance organizations, including Dance/USA. Nichelle provides web consulting and writing services for dancers, dance schools and studios, and those beyond the dance world. Read Nichelle’s posts.
