Dancing is all the rage again as hip-hop lightens up

By MALCOLM VENABLE, The Virginian-Pilot

Rapper Soulja Boy might be just a kid doing a simple, extremely popular dance, but he also represents a sea change.

Back in the glory days of hip-hop – the late 1980s and early ’90s – every real fan could perform a catalog of moves – The Roger Rabbit, The Running Man (the MC Hammer), The Wop, The Cabbage Patch.

Kids were just expected to do them with the right song at the right time. Otherwise, they stood awkwardly on the sidelines at backyard barbecues and school functions.

In the late ’90s, though, everything changed. As landmark artists including Wu-Tang Clan, the Notorious B.I.G. and Snoop ushered in a “gangsta” ethos, dancing was out. Being “hard” was cool. Shuffling frantically and dropping to the floor was not.

The pendulum is swinging back.

YouTube.com is propelling a new dance revolution. Enthusiasts have a whole slew of new dances to perform these days, each with its own song. There’s the Aunt Jackie, The Heisman and the Chicken Noodle Soup. In a matter of months, these songs go from local fads to YouTube phenoms to mainstream radio and MTV hits. (more…)