While pop’s been quite happy of late to cosy up to guest rappers and hang out in the murkier corners of EDM, it’s also been on an extended, pelvic thrust-free separation from the proper dance routine. Sure, there’s the odd cursory arm waggle or leg stretch, but gone, for now at least, are the all-inclusive, line-up-in-a-row dance routines that peppered the last three decades: Britney’s school corridor shimmy in …Baby One More Time, Michael Jackson’s zombified Thriller moves, Beyoncé’s hand jive in Single Ladies, and every Backstreet Boys hit among them.
Dance-centric novelty hits such as Saturday Night and 5, 6, 7, 8 seem to have fallen foul of some sort of pop stasis, while most active boybands gave up on dancing (“cheesy”) when they realised it was easier to just walk about a bit (“authentic”).
The defining moment in pop and dancing’s recent rocky relationship came at the iHeartRadio awards last year. Performing her single, Problem, Ariana Grande fumbled her way through an opportunity for physical showboating, the camera cruelly cutting to Rihanna stifling hysterics. It epitomised not only the pop star’s lacklustre attitude to dancing, but also the reaction you get if you at least give it a go. Beyoncé aside, most of pop’s current top tier either replace routines with generic gyrating (Miley, Nicki Minaj); think pointing and hair flipping counts (post-2005 Britney); or treat it like an exercise in irony (Taylor Swift and Katy Perry).
It’s telling that the most recent dance craze, the finesse-free Harlem Shake, involved standing around looking bored for 30 seconds before jumping about and acting like a moron. We’re in danger of dancing being a meme and nothing more.
But there are signs that hope is on the horizon. One of the greatest dancers of all time, Janet Jackson, has announced a new album and tour. Uptown Funk’s dance-heavy video showed Bruno Mars isn’t afraid to bust out some gif-able moves. And R&B singer Tinashe seems intent on bringing back effortless 90s choreography such as The Whip, a move that dance-ifies driving an imaginary car.
Meanwhile, backflip addict Aston Merrygold – former frontman of dance routine specialists JLS – has just released a Thriller-referencing new video for debut single Get Stupid. He offers succour to those worried about dance’s demise. “Dance routines aren’t attempted as much any more but I still think they’re relevant,” he tells me. “Get Stupid is all about being free and having fun, so movement is a great way to express that.”
And there, from the mouth of someone who once sang “You could be the DJ/ I could be the dancefloor”, is the real reason why routines need to return: doing the same moves as your mates to a ridiculous pop song is one of life’s only unfettered joys. Also, it can make anyone feel like a pop star. Even Ariana Grande.
