TikTok, Dancing, and "Pop Muzik"

Dance trends are nothing new. Every decade brings about it's unique take on a pastime as old as humanity itself. The music of the era inspires the dances and vice versa. But there's something especially unique about the latest trend: the TikTok dance.

You might be thinking, "Krista, you're late to the party. TikTok dances have been part of the app since it's early days." And you would not be wrong for thinking that. However, one of the latest dance trends has got me thinking a little deeper about this social phenomenon.

A few weeks ago, I began seeing tons of posts from people on my FYP ("For You Page" for an older audience ;D) dancing to the 1979 song "Pop Muzik" by M. I will not lie, I had never heard this song before, but I understood quickly how effective it could be on an app like TikTok. It was catchy, upbeat, and perfect for a little dancing.

@jillsta dancing Molly Long's choreography to "Pop Muzik"

The very first video that dropped on my feed was by @jillsta. In my usual fashion, I clicked on the search feature suggestion, which said something like "molly long original."

For some context, all throughout my childhood I was a ballet, tap, jazz, modern, you-name-it dancer. To this day, you won't find a song I can't dance to. I never intended to dance professionally because it was just a fun thing to do. Where my heart did lie was in the choreography. I've always felt music in my soul. To this day, I hear a song and naturally choreograph in my head. I can't help it. The vision unfolds in my mind naturally.

So, anytime I see someone doing someone else's choreography online I make it my mission to find the original source. Luckily @jillsta's crediting Long and the search bar seemed like it was going to be pretty easy. But this time it wasn't. I just saw more and more people doing their version of it. Until I found one video that just seemed right. Even though it wasn't a single person dancing in front of a perched camera. It was, to my surprise and delight, a group of kids performing a full-on dance routine.

@pr0ject2i, a fan page posting a video of "Pop Muzik" from the Project 21 Showcase.

Unless you're truly interested, I'd skip the first 25 seconds of the @pr0ject2i video above. That's the point where the first verse and the TikTok earworm begins. As I watched, I was first just excited to find the choreography performed by its original source. I was then entranced by the emotional performance, spot-on timing of complex moves, and the uniquely captivating costume selection, gloves and all.

Then, I started to really pay attention to the original choreography and how the TikTok audience had translated it. I watched it over and over again. I scrubbed back through, paused, slowed it down, then went to the @jillsta video and did the same. I even went so far as to download both so I could watch them side-by-side. I was absolutely entranced.

I know it might sound silly because it is silly. The choreography at its core really wasn't that different. Although, you may disagree that it's not that different because my partner struggled to see the connection. Either way, I was still so fascinated by the whole thing.

In Molly Long's original choreography, her dancers are traveling quickly and far across the stage throughout the entire clip. That doesn't work in a TikTok dance because if you move too far, you won't stay in the view of the little rectangle in front of you.

The young dancers are also very exaggerated and intense in all their movements, which most of the users on the app simplify and de-exaggerate. Which is totally reasonable and fair because Long's choreo is not for the faint of heart. While true that complicated choreography and the TikTok audience are no stranger, the creators on the app generally strive to appeal to a wider audience of users when it comes to dance.

But it's more than just this one piece that makes me think about TikTok as a dance style. I've been thinking about this for years. I've noticed how unique and specific the style is because of the medium it's showcased through. It relies heavily on hand and arm movements, mainly remains in place, and among other things, leans into "storytelling" choreography to express the chosen music's lyrics.

I'm not sure why some of the elements of the TikTok dance style originated, but it's likely the who can be traced back to the early influencers on the app. Traditionally trained and competitive dancers like Addison Rae and Charli D'Amelio took to it as a creation space for their own artwork. Eventually, whether they intended to or not, they and others like them created a new style that represents the 2020's.

One can logically assume the "storytelling" aspect of the style connects back to the app's roots as Musical.ly. What was purely an app for lip-syncing videos allowed people to ponder what to do with their arms while they sang. Naturally, they started making hearts with their hands when songs talked about love or point to their head when the lyrics mentioned having someone was on their mind. It was all about carrying out the song's story. And then early creators took it from just arms and hands to full on viral dances.

On top of that, the style had a perfect platform to flourish when people were locked in their homes for months during COVID-19 lockdowns. One person would watch someone's dance and then be inspired to create their own. Suddenly, it's a cultural phenomenon.

Even today, I can spot a TikTok-style dance out in the world when people aren't in front of their phone cameras. Because ultimately, it's no longer just a silly way to express yourself on an app. It's a style that's developed it's own unique qualities, shaped by the world and culture it was created in.

I think in twenty years we'll look back and see how the dance elements that stick out from this decade tie back to an entertainment app for a bunch of teens and twenty-somethings.