![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
koganbotWrote about "Harlem Shake" at the Jukebox, but I chose writing my own dance over writing about the viral dance meme. So here are some undeveloped thoughts about the latter:
The original Australian dorm-room version: Starts with people in their individual, isolated activities. Then the bass drops, and now they're in wiggly motion. Cuts off after 15 more seconds, before it's really an issue — for me* — whether or not they're dancing well, whether or not they're dancing with each other.
The Norwegian army version: Soldiers in order, in formation. The bass drops. Formation lost, everybody in wiggly motion.
Beat as infectious agent, which I brought up in my 2011 wrap-up regarding LMFAO's vid for "Party Rock Anthem," the 28 Days takeoff: We start with one person infected with the dance. Others apparently ward this off either by not noticing or by pretending not to notice. Bass drops. They've all got the dance fever. But are they taking each other into account any better than before? (A metaphor for writing? We see something, at first we try not to let it change us, then we flail about? Repeat?)
*Obv. it's an issue for some people whether the dancers dance well, and who's dancing. I don't have any instant-pundit ideas, but see my "Dance Rock 2000" essay for where my thoughts might find their way, should I decide to think more about "Harlem Shake" (if you've got time for 5,000 words; I do think they're worth it). Also relevant is my saying at the end of my 2011 wrap-up that LMFAO pretend to be desperate dance dolts while actually dancing well, that Bom sings well while taking on a joke persona, that G-Dragon feigns clumsiness in order to let himself loose. So: trying to find a putative way out in a constricted social space, though the ways out themselves seem constricted to a limited number of options. It is important to me that LMFAO manage to dance well. I think the viral memesters in the "Harlem Shake" videos have found a temporary way out of the issue of "dance well versus not dance well" (though the Aussies I embedded do seem on beat).
The original Australian dorm-room version: Starts with people in their individual, isolated activities. Then the bass drops, and now they're in wiggly motion. Cuts off after 15 more seconds, before it's really an issue — for me* — whether or not they're dancing well, whether or not they're dancing with each other.
The Norwegian army version: Soldiers in order, in formation. The bass drops. Formation lost, everybody in wiggly motion.
Beat as infectious agent, which I brought up in my 2011 wrap-up regarding LMFAO's vid for "Party Rock Anthem," the 28 Days takeoff: We start with one person infected with the dance. Others apparently ward this off either by not noticing or by pretending not to notice. Bass drops. They've all got the dance fever. But are they taking each other into account any better than before? (A metaphor for writing? We see something, at first we try not to let it change us, then we flail about? Repeat?)
*Obv. it's an issue for some people whether the dancers dance well, and who's dancing. I don't have any instant-pundit ideas, but see my "Dance Rock 2000" essay for where my thoughts might find their way, should I decide to think more about "Harlem Shake" (if you've got time for 5,000 words; I do think they're worth it). Also relevant is my saying at the end of my 2011 wrap-up that LMFAO pretend to be desperate dance dolts while actually dancing well, that Bom sings well while taking on a joke persona, that G-Dragon feigns clumsiness in order to let himself loose. So: trying to find a putative way out in a constricted social space, though the ways out themselves seem constricted to a limited number of options. It is important to me that LMFAO manage to dance well. I think the viral memesters in the "Harlem Shake" videos have found a temporary way out of the issue of "dance well versus not dance well" (though the Aussies I embedded do seem on beat).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 02:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-01 05:51 pm (UTC)There's a dog! Lower right, appears early but upstages everyone at 1:08. Decides that discretion is the better part of valor.
I'm still trying to figure out who's where. According to the comment thread, "Llalla" is Amber, who's on keyb at the start. I think she's the one in black jacket and T-shirt at 0:48. And though the face is hidden under a cap, I assume from the dance style it's Minzy in the gold jumper. I take it that Marshall Bang is the one who experiences the chair mishap.
But they cheat by throwing in an extra edit at 0:18.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 02:36 am (UTC)Here's another twist to the Min story
Don't ask me what this is because I have no idea! Where are the explanations for this?
Of course JYP produced a track on the Leslie-dominated Cassie album and I wouldn't be too surprised if Leslie did some work for JYP artists, and he would probably be a good fit for Miss A. What this particular track is - who knows! Leslie even tries out some Korean.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 03:25 am (UTC)I'm really bad at identifying faces. That's one (fairly minor) reason I was so upset at the T-ara turmoil: this was the one band where I'd finally gotten to the point where I could usually identify every member at sight, no matter the hairstyle (though Qri still tends to throw me); and here they were in danger of breaking up!
I notice there's an edit in the midst of (what I'm now following you in calling) Min's dance. Damn perfectionists! I suppose having all that dance showoff stuff after the main meme also violates the spirit of the meme, though I like the showing off. Hurrah for the chair, for putting everything in perspective!
It is Min's dog Bobo who's starring in this video.
Marshall's only appearance is at the end, according to his Facebook page.
I don't see JYP in the credits to the Cassie album. Were you thinking of one of the singles? Of one of the many leaked tracks?
Ryan's saying "we" (he and Min?) have a new record due out tonight (which has already happened in Korea). Hasn't shown up anywhere that I can see.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 03:42 am (UTC)Amber and Min as a duo are dangerously up to date on memes and internet culture, so I wonder what min's new channel will bring us in the future.
The track we hear over the youtube video was performed at Ryan's Seoul thing, hopefully it gets an official release.
JYP did "When Your Body Is Talking", which is just a bonus track I guess http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001LMOZVQ/ref=dm_sp_alb .Good enough to be included on that great album, though.
More footage of Min and Leslie, still with no live sound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkGalkSTGME
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 05:07 am (UTC)"When Your Body Is Talking," which I'd never heard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nnZlFjXLc
no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 08:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-02 06:42 am (UTC)Dreams do come true? YG and JYP are pretty close so there's no reason he couldn't work with both labels.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-09 09:53 pm (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b04AHbw-lsY
no subject
Date: 2022-03-19 09:08 pm (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8tCrDlZIaw
The twist on the Min story, though, has been deleted from YouTube, at least that particular upload, so I've got no link for that, whatever it was.
Btw, "Harlem Shuffle" really holds up as a track and I included it in my all-time Top 50 for rockcritics.com.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-05 05:51 pm (UTC)[EDIT: "This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated."]