Just stick to places that are legal (even though it’s been done on a plane[1] X Research source ). If you can bust ’er out in a swanky French restaurant or in the middle of Chem class, that’s ideal. Somewhere unexpected.
The more varied your group, the better your outcome will be. Do you have one friend that can breakdance? Super. Do you have one friend who you have to pay to be in this video, but when he busts out his Russian ballerina impression, jaws hit the floor? Better yet. . . do you have a friend with an armadillo costume? Speaking of which. . .
In most videos, everyone has a certain identity. There’s the one guy in the gorilla costume in the back being marvelous at being awkward, the one guy acting gangster as all get out, and the other guy that, for some reason, thought it would be a good idea to swing his belt around his head while his pants fall to the floor. Whatever look you choose, make it count! But for the record, you’re starting in street clothes – or whatever matches your environment. The key is to start being perfectly blended in and then BAM! Shake. Groove. Slam.
Helmets, a ski mask, a turkey – it all works. And it doesn’t have to make sense. In fact, the more absurd, the better. Just covering the eyes works, too.
Don’t be shy. Dance like nobody is watching! You can just close your eyes so you won’t see the people around you. If you’ve ever wanted to pretend you have epilepsy or are being possessed, now’s your chance! You’ve been waiting for this moment for years, haven’t you? In most videos, there’s an obvious cut where the video starts back up but everyone’s changed costumes. You do not have to be a video pro to do this. This part is when you have one guy dropping trou off to the side, one girl doing hair flips constantly, and another guy in the back doing the electric slide in a giant squirrel outfit. You’ll probably also have a friend who insists on standing there and just bobbing his head intimidatingly. Every group has one.
You’re sort of moving your shoulders in arch, starting from the inside and going out. When you pop your left shoulder, your right hip should jut out. The hips should follow behind the shoulder by just a split second.
Start going faster and faster. Electronic dance music can be really, really, fast and keeping time is absolutely imperative.
When you pop a shoulder, it moves up a bit. To exaggerate this, move the other shoulder down a bit. When you add in your arms, this looks especially good and loosens you up. Your arms will then be at slightly different levels.
When you’re working with music that’s 4/4 (as most music is), alternate between working in threes (hitting pop, pop, pop on 1 and 2, 3 and 4), and working in twos (hitting pop, pop on 5, 6). So you might pop your shoulders five times on 1, and, 2, 3, 4 and then five more times on 5, and, 6, 7, 8.
However, if you want to get creative, do the Harlem Shake while you’re making a Harlem Shake video. Only a few people will understand what you’re doing, but they’ll appreciate it!
