![]() ![]() We’re still talking about these issues they’re the stock in trade of the popular media. It was OK for men to do housework (well, it’s probably not OK for anyone to do housework but somebody’s got to do it), to change diapers, to cry when hurt. It was OK for women to take on the toughest jobs, from heading companies and countries to fighting wars. Women of my generation launched the new feminism, what they called “the women’s liberation movement.”That movement demanded role flexibility and challenged preconceived assumptions about gender. So what’s masculine and feminine? Certainly our age has brought on a redefinition of roles. But not enough to get up and dance the Macarena. Like swinging and shimmying is no problem, and in a way I envy them that. I’ll be the first to admit that gay men are a lot more flexible about gender roles than we uptight straight ones. The Macarena is popular among the Latino gay crowd. Somehow, I just can’t imagine she would have been lured. On the other hand, I wonder what would have happened if she had seen him swinging and shimmying like that. Seeing her dance, it’s obvious what lured my brother-in-law in the first place. The best Macarena dancer I know is my brother-in-law’s new bride, a young Puerto Rican woman of unbridled party spirits who shimmys and swings with true gusto. But I’ll tell you, a bunch of tuxedoed men in late middle age shimmying and swinging their hips on bent knees all the way down to the floor is not a sight for sore eyes. Oh sure, I’ve seen some Latin men dance the Macarena, in clubs and parties, even at formal balls where the guests are well-heeled, older Hispanics. You just line up, as if you were doing the Bunny Hop, and follow what everybody else is doing, a series of loose hand and arm motions that end in a very sexy shimmy and hip swing on bent knees all the way down to the floor. Like its Brazilian predecessor, this Spanish import is quite sexy however, it involves no complicated steps nor any special clothes _ the very swirly, very short Lambada skirts were probably the only justification for that silly fad. In case you have yet to see it _ or dance it _ the Macarena is the biggest dance craze to come out of the Latin world since the Lambada. (Since the song released two weeks ago, “WAP” has been used as the audio for just under 200,000 videos on the app, while the hashtag #WAPdance has amassed over 2.7 million views.Tough guys don’t Macarena. Other artists have acknowledged the power of the TikTok dance as well Doja Cat included Haley Sharpe, the TikTok user who created the viral choreography to her song “Say So,” in the official music video for the track, while Cardi B has vowed to learn the choreography to the dance challenge that choreographer Brian Esperon debuted on TikTok to her song “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. ![]() The dance challenge began before the song had even dropped. For Drake, no stranger to the potential of a viral challenge, having the “Toosie Slide” hit #1 on the Billboard Top 100 appeared to be a clever feat of reverse engineering, thanks to his instructive lyrics that were perfect for a soundbite, and the “leak” of a hip hop dancer-slash-influencer performing choreography to it. But the power of a trending dance extends beyond the views of a viral video this year so far, TikTok dance challenges were responsible for securing top chart spots for artists like Drake, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, whose songs provided the addictive soundtracks for these dance trends. ![]()
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