Over 1,000 students filled Storke Plaza Friday afternoon to create a synchronized dance video in the style of the trendy Harlem Shake internet meme and viral YouTube videos.
Dressed in a wide array of costumes, masks and other strange outfits, students set out to dance and flail around in unison to the tune of the internet meme’s theme song, Harlem Shake by Brooklyn-based DJ Baauer. Uploaded by Chasen Productions — which is run by three current and former UCSB students: Michael McSpadden, Anthony Kozlowski and Zachary Rudd — UCSB’s Harlem Shake YouTube video has passed the 100,000 view mark and is the first of its kind claiming to represent the UCSB campus.
Harlem Shake videos usually last roughly 30 seconds and include someone dancing alone at the start of the video, usually wearing a mask, helmet or other head gear, and is then joined by the rest of the video’s participants once the bass drops. In the UCSB version, an individual wearing a Darth Vader outfit is shown dancing alone at the video’s beginning, and then footage cuts to the dense crowd of students dancing throughout Storke Plaza.
The Internet meme went viral at the start of this month, when five Australian teenagers attempted to recreate a similar piece made by comedic video blogger Filthy Frank.
Baauer, who will be performing at this year’s Coachella Music Festival, is a New York artist and producer who primarily performs bass-heavy electronic and trap music.
While many universities have compiled their own versions of the Harlem Shake, fans from all walks of life have uploaded their own renditions, such as indie rock duo Matt and Kim, firefighters and even Anderson Cooper’s CNN staff.
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Thank you Nexus.
Where’s the love! We would have appreciated a shout out… :P maybe next time..