Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Harlem Shake video hits FAU

FAU is trying to go viral.

This Thursday, Feb. 14, after the men’s basketball game against Western Kentucky, many students plan to celebrate — win or lose.

So far, the FAU football team, dance team, and 153 students (as of 10:56 a.m. on the event’s Facebook page) plan on shaking what their mamas gave them in effort to make YouTube video history.

The Harlem Shake — originally a dance move from the 80’s — is now a series of videos and response videos that have been viewed more than 44 million times on YouTube.

According to YouTube, the Harlem Shake movement started with a video featuring four guys lounging in a dorm and one masked figure in the center, dancing to “Harlem Shake,” by the producer Bauer. Once the bass drops 15 seconds into the song, all of the people in the dorm room start raging, dancing crazily and gyrating their bodies. One even goes from being fully clothed to wearing nothing but his red boxer briefs.

Since the video, published Feb. 2, 2013, gained popularity — over five million views in 12 days — the name of the game has been “how can we make this better?”

From swim teams dancing underwater, to major universities, Harlem Shake has become the newest trend for large groups to take part in.

And with the help of senior marketing/management major Michael Neel, FAU is next to hop on the Harlem Shake response-video bandwagon. Thursday night, the Official Harlem Shake at FAU Facebook page is instructing students to come to The Burrow dressed in FAU clothing. But once the bass drop of the song hits, be ready to break out the “crazy masks, rave outfits, tights, short shorts, crazy hats,” and more.

“I’ve always been a big proponent of school spirit and something like this could help boost that,” Neel said. “I want at least an entire section at the burrow filled with crazy outfits and crazy dance moves.”

FAU’s mascot, Owlsley, will be starting off the night’s Harlem Shake. Fifteen seconds into it, Neel expects the crowd to go wild. According to the event page, some costumes expected tonight are a unicorn mask and a banana suit among the almost 200 confirmed attendees.

“It seems like a lot of students want to be a part of it, so it’s cool to see our students get excited about something and coordinate something like this on their own,” said Student Body President Robert Huffman. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out, and hopefully, it will be a big hit!”

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About the Contributor
Emily Bloch, Editor-In-Chief
Emily is a multimedia journalism major at Florida Atlantic. Beginning as a staff reporter in 2012, she has held positions such as features editor and associate editor and has freelanced for publications including RockSound Magazine. Emily is a blogger for SunFest Music Festival and a contributor for Broward New Times. Follow her on Twitter:  @emdrums