In the past 20 years, YouTube and TikTok dance trends have revolutionized the world, transforming ordinary individuals into dance sensations. From catchy choreographies to sick combo moves, these viral dance trends are perfect for showcasing one’s talent and, of course, becoming a celebrity of sorts.
From the classic Numa Numa kid to modern trends, these are some of the most viral dances ever published on YouTube and TikTok.
1. Numa Numa
Initially, O-Zone’s song “Dragostea Din Tei” was known as “Numa Numa.” The name change came when some American guy named Gary Brolsma posted a video of terrible quality on Newgrounds and then on YouTube, in which he danced to the song, quickly hitting that viral status. Props to the man for having amazing facial expressions and sick moves.
2. Evolution of Dance
In 2003, Judson Laipply put on the original performance of “Evolution of Dance,” where he showed off 31 popular dance moves from the past 50-ish years. In 2006, Judson Laipply uploaded the entire performance to YouTube, which has since garnered over 214 million views! In the video, you can see him busting out various dances, from Elvis’s Hound Dog to YMCA to Chicken Dance to ‘N Sync’s Bye Bye Bye. All that in under eight minutes.
3. Uptown Funk
In 2015, an entire American school took part in a dance video tribute to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ smash hit Uptown Funk. And that thing blew up like a fireworks display, getting over seven million views and going on national news in less than a week. And what’s even more fascinating is that Bruno Mars personally praised their little stunt!
4. Where the Hell Is Matt?
Imagine doing the same dance over and over again and then going viral. Sounds silly, but in 2005, YouTube was like Wild Wild West of content. Que in Dancing Matt with his famous globetrotting adventures while hitting the “jig” on camera. By today’s standards, that’s like a 3/10, but back then, Matt somehow started a new dancing trend that anyone could join in.