Nothing wins over the general public like a good old dance fad. Without them, wedding receptions, 50th birthday parties, and definitely the office Christmas shindig, would be infinitely more boring.
Over the years there have been some bizarre, bold and slightly bonkers novelty hits that get even the blokes two-stepping on the dance floor, but the main rule of a successful dance craze is simple. Quite literally: keep it simple.
Digital Spy has ranked 16 of the most popular dance crazes of the past 50 odd years, but which one gets us whipping out the moves before the first chorus every time?
16. Soulja Boy Tell Em: 'Crank That'
Back during a time when it was acceptable to style your debut album title as souljaboytellem.com and be considered "the future", American rapper Soulja Boy had everyone cranking it on YouTube when the site was barely two years old. It spawned the first major dance craze for the iGeneration, even if they did have to learn the dance routine off a low resolution Motorola RAZR.
15. Silento: 'Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)'
Following in the footsteps of Soulja Boy, Silento is the most recent dance craze on this list. What started as a 15-second Instagram video turned into a viral hit and major recording contract. But it's not just about whipping and nae-naeing on this song. There's the superman, the duff, the bop and the break your legs, all put together with instructions easier to follow than an IKEA manual.
14. Psy: 'Gangnam Style'
The 'Gangnam Style' wasn't just a dance craze, it was a cultural phenomenon. As the Mayan prophecy for an impending apocalypse approached on December 21, 2012, it obviously didn't come to light (thank heavens). But instead, on that auspicious day, Psy's video became the first ever to surpass a billion views on YouTube with his horse-riding moves. We can only assume that the apocalyptic horsemen often cited in lore were completely misinterpreted all along. Easy mistake.
13. Whigfield: 'Saturday Night'
The key to dance craze success is to keep the routine as simple as possible. It's a rule that made Whigfield's 'Saturday Night' one of the biggest hits across Europe in 1994. People were rolling their wrists and bouncing around to this for seven weeks when it was at No.1. In fact, 'Saturday Night' is just like riding a bike: you may not hear it for years, but as soon as it comes on you find yourself doing the routine perfectly all the same.
12. Madonna: 'Vogue'
Voguing was a popular dance phenomenon in the gay community long before Madonna came along, but the superstar's 1990 hit thrust it into the mainstream. Urging listeners to move to the music, voguing is one of those skills that looks a lot easier than it actually is. Most people end up looking like a Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man. Or worse, accidentally hitting someone in the face.
11. The Rocky Horror Show: 'Time Warp'
The brilliance of the 'Time Warp' is that it's a parody of what it actually became. The Rocky Horror Show is totally poking fun at the idea of the dance-along genre with its step-by-step instructions and the fact that every cast member performing it in the musical looks like that crazy great-aunt who's let herself go with a few sherries at the family get together.
10. Steps: 'Tragedy'
If you were a kid growing up in the '90s, there's no way you escaped Steps' cover of the Bee Gees classic 'Tragedy'. Yeah, it's a good party song, but the hook was the hands either side of the head routine which captured everyone 1998. But it wasn't until this year that we found out the move's true origin: it was inspired by a Home Alone poster of Macaulay Culkin screaming. Amazing.
9. Kylie Minogue: 'The Loco-Motion'
'Locomotion' was a big hit in the US twice before Kylie popularised it once again in the late '80s. This time, however, it had been spruced up with synths by Stock Aitken and Waterman, while the Aussie popstar had everyone doing their best Thomas the Tank impression by chugga chugga motioning themselves across the dance floor. Oh, and as we've already pointed out before, it's basically every '80s music video in one.
8. Chubby Checker: 'The Twist'
One of the earliest dance crazes known, Chubby Checker took a song that charted at just No.28 the year before, quite literally put a Twist on it, and saw it soar to the top of the chart in 1960. 46 years on, 'The Twist' is still a wedding/office/school disco mainstay, and in an instant everyone on the dance floor are wiggling their feet like they've got pins and needles.
7. Spice Girls: 'Stop'
How did people slow down flirtatious advances before this routine existed? The 'Stop' choreography – known from heart the world over – was essentially the '90s version of swiping left on Tinder. Kids from the decade have this hardwired into their very fibre. As soon as the Motown-inspired bop kicks in for the chorus, that halt gesture comes flinging out.
6. DJ Casper: 'Cha Cha Slide'
There's nothing better than a song that tells you what to do, when to do it, and how many times you should do it. And when it comes to DJ Casper's 'Cha Cha Slide', there's a very good reason for that: it started its life as a workout routine for a health club in America. You can't, however, hold greatness down, and within a few years the 'Cha Cha Slide' was a global phenomenon. All together now: take it back now, y'all. One hop this time!
5. Grease Megamix
Nothing gets the blokes on the dance floor quicker than 'Greased Lightning' (most probably after a few pints, though). The 'Grease Megamix' is fundamentally the ultimate duet dance craze, with wannabe Dannys and Sandys having got their best jives on across generations for decades. It's a routine best achieved with a hair comb to hand.
4. Beyoncé: 'Single Ladies'
Considering she's one of the best performers in the world, it was only a matter of time before one of Beyoncé's moves became legendary. That day came in 2008 with the release of the 'Single Ladies' music video. The one-shot clip saw Sasha at her most Fierce, pulling out the now iconic hand twist. When then-First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama got involved eight years later, it just proved that Bey had some serious impact.
3. Village People: 'YMCA'
Quite possibly one of the most famous gay anthems with an equally iconic routine, 'YMCA's cheerleading gestures actually didn't come about until after the song was a hit. The story goes that during rehearsals for an episode of Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1979, the audience picked up on this previously unused choreography and the band had no choice but to go with it.
2. Michael Jackson: 'Thriller'
Before there was The Walking Dead, there was The Dancing Dead. Aside from truly iconic moments like The Moonwalk and 'Smooth Criminal' lean, Michael Jackson's most famous routine came complete with horror show shenanigans and choreographed zombies. We also suspect that the insane popularity of the 'Thriller' routine is largely down to the fact it's one of the few MJ moves the average dancer can actually do.
1. Los del Rio: 'Macarena'
Macarena is a Spanish female name which basically translates to Mother of God, so it's fitting that it's also the mother of all dance crazes. It took three years for the phenomenon to really take off, but by the summer of 1996 the 'Macarena' was the most famous piece of choreography across the globe. It takes about three choruses to get the moves down, so it's a good job it repeats the hook about 50 times. By the end, everyone's a pro.
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