Barack Obama shook the world with the seismic news that his near-namesake was, almost literally, sleeping with the fishes. But the next day, it was his wife Michelle doing the shaking. Shaking that ass, to be precise.
Footage has emerged of Michelle Obama throwing shapes in front of hundreds of American high-school students to the strains of Beyoncé's Move Your Body. And how she moves hers. First Obama shuffles slowly, gracefully on the spot. Then, seconds later, she flips into gear, grinding from side to side, rolling her hips, and twisting her fists through the air like she's driving a souped-up Hummer. Every so often, she coyly slicks back her hair. Why? It's to promote her campaign, Let's Move!, which aims to curb childhood obesity by encouraging healthy eating, and, in this case, bootylicious grooves.
Obama's own grooves have been the subject of significant analysis. The shuffle, as all dance gurus will note, is her version of the Running Man, a move made famous in the 80s by MC Hammer. But her hair-slicking, hip-rolling party piece – the Dougie – has more complex origins. Inspired by the smooth moves of 80s hip-hopper Doug E Fresh, the Dougie was brought back into the collective consciousness by Texan rapper Lil' Wil with his 2007 single, My Dougie, the video for which sees Wil give a vigorous demonstration of a number of hairslick-based moves. In 2010, Californian rap collective Cali Swag District brought out their own take on the Dougie, Teach Me How to Dougie, which Fresh himself gave his blessing to. It lets people, he said, "get back to what hip-hop was about – having fun!" But while CSD's version was a commercial hit, it was a didactic miss: the group had to release a further video clarifying exactly how to do the dance. Perhaps Obama watched it.
How to do the Dougie
1 Bend your legs slightly at the knees, and bounce lightly from one leg to the other.
2 Lean casually with your shoulders, put your arms out in front, and swing them gently from side to side, twisting your elbows like you're turning a steering wheel.
3 Run your hands briskly through your hair, one after the other.
4 Apply your own variations. Lil' Wil, for instance, often crimps the shoulders of his shirts.
