Every few years a song or a movement inspires us to get up and do the most ridiculous dances. Sure, there are a few that are cute like The Twist, but in the dark shadow of Pop Culture Hell lies some of our worse Dance Craze skeletons. Some say that dancing is a language of its own. Well, if that is true these dance crazes are all screaming out one thing: "Shoot Me!" Here is our list of the eight most ridiculous dance crazes.
8. The Limbo
All of the ocean air and island sun is probably what caused the citizens of Trinidad to take a stick and start dancing under it. Unfortunately for us, it caught on and stuck, with even the likes of The Hoff cashing in on the craze. Now every drunken person at a party with a stick and a penchant for sticking out his or her genitals wants to limbo.
7. The Running Man
There are many dances that came out around the time that The Running Man hit it big: Cabbage Patch, Roger Rabbit, Kid'N Play, and others. But this one was the coolest to know--I remember because, sadly, I was there. Talk about taking an aerobic workout and making it a hip dance move. That is the power of Hip Hop music in the 1980s.
6. Lambada
Just because you have an excuse to bump 'n grind in public doesn't mean that you should. I'm looking at you, R. Kelly. This dance and hit single of the same name made even Patrick Swayze's leotards blush. While the song and dance originated in Brazil, it wasn't until a French pop group released "Lambada" that it became a sensation. The craze went on to inspire two B-movies--Lambada and The Forbidden Dance--before fizzling out.
5. Electric Slide
If you were unlucky enough to grow up in the 1980s, then you have been subjected to the horror also known as the Electric Slide. It is the "hip" version of line dancing for the middle-aged. Another embarrassing activity for your family and friends to do together, this dance was invented by a guy named Ric Silver, who has an official website for the dance. The rumor mill tells us that Ric is so crazy about his dance that he had YouTube take down videos of people doing it incorrectly. Really?
4. Tootsee Roll
Children of the 1990s have no excuse! This is absurd. The 69 Boyz's hit single Tootsee Roll went Double Platinum in 1996 (Double!) and with that success the dance became staple for nightclubs all over the land. Before we knew it we were all going to the left, to the left...and we dipped, baby!
3. The Hustle
As if we didn't already have enough material to make fun of the 1970s with, this dance craze is like nuts on a sundae. It's always some song that sparks the fires of embarrassing dances, in the disco-loving year of 1975, it was Van McCoy's hit song "Hustle."2. Conga
This dance has been embarrassing us at family parties for decades. Originating from Cuba, the dance is actually called Comparsa, but it didn't catch on in America so they just renamed it after the instrument at the heart of the dance--the conga drum. Hitting its peak in the 1930s, this is a craze that still hasn't gone away. Although you'll be hard-pressed to find a Conga line at a school dance, watch your back at the next family reunion.
1. The Macarena
1996 was a dark time in pop music. Although The Spice Girls and Britney Spears weren't big yet, there was still a bunch of eardrum-destroying "musicians" to keep us on the brink of going postal. Top hit-makers included the likes of Toni Braxton, Quad City DJs, and these guy-s: Los del Rio. This song and dance of the same name radiated through all airwaves and ended up at weddings and quincineras all over the world. Thank God those days are behind us...but with Hannah Montana on the loose, are we really safe?
