Harlem Shake

I was just surfing the internet, just passing the time and I came across this:

And I'm like, "What is this? I don't even" and  "WTF did I just watch?".

A few days ago I had read that this... thing called Harlem Shake is gaining popularity and might be the new Gangnam Style, but I didn't really pay much attention.

Apparently (as I learnt through Know Your Meme), Harlem Shake (or as I like to call it, Coloterrorista), created by an artist named Baauer, was uploaded on Youtube on August 23rd 2012 (although there exists an even earlier upload of the same from May 10th 2012).

Apart from the fans of that particular music genre (trap), no one else really noticed it.

Then, on January 30th 2013, Youtube user DizastaMusic (aka Filthy Frank) uploaded this video:

It went viral, spawning an ever increasing number of imitators with all kinds of people doing their own versions. Wikipedia describes the "script" of these videos very nicely:

"Various videos have since been released that start with a lone dancer (usually wearing a helmet/mask of some kind) dancing to the build up of the song while other people go about their normal business. Once the build up reaches a climax and the song "drops", the video cuts to the same setting but with a bunch of people twerking, jerking, spinning, humping, and bumping. Other dances are purely improvisational."

From what I've seen, some of the main motifs are (in the same video): masks, helmets, bodysuits, thrusting, spazzing-shaking, punching dolls, staying totally still and generally all types of improvisations.

Below are a few video compilations of Harlem Shake:

Only the future will tell if it's going to be the Gangnam Style of 2013.