There’s no doubt about it – Lorde’s dance moves have a different kind of buzz. All eyes were on the young star as she took her signature grooves to the Grammy stage to perform Royals. And we thought it ruled.
Here’s our list of the top-10 signature dance moves. Nominate your favourite in the comments.
1. Lorde
She’s kooky, mysterious and spooky – and 17-year-old Lorde could quite possibly be mistaken for a member of the Addams Family when she’s in the throes of a performance. She tosses her hair, bares her teeth and twitches like a woman possessed. Most well-known is the Lorde “claw”, which punctuates her songs like a rhythmic T-Rex.
2. Michael Jackson
The late King of Pop is famous for too many dance moves to list, but the moonwalk is undoubtedly his signature. The slick move gives the appearance of gliding backwards, and is notoriously difficult to master. Jackson first pulled out the move in 1983, at the end of his hit song, Billie Jean. With his white glove and sparkly socks adding to the overall effect, it became legendary.
3. Elaine from Seinfeld
We all have that friend who loves to cut shapes a little too enthusiastically. Elaine Benes of Seinfeld fame (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is that friend. She jerks her body to the point of limb dislocation, and brings out the cringe-worthy “groovy thumbs”. Her moves are described by character George as “a full-body dry heave set to music”.
4. James Brown
He was known as the Godfather of Soul, and it was his dance craft that started it all, influencing everyone from Michael Jackson to Chris Brown. The soul man performed right up until he died aged 73. Signature dance moves involved some seriously fancy footwork, with fluid ankle rolls and slides. One of the most famous of these was called the Mashed Potato.
5. Elvis Presley
In the conservative 1950s, the King roused a generation with his provocative performances. When he performed Hound Dog for the first time, his gyrating became so suggestive that he was nicknamed “Elvis the Pelvis” and caused a moral panic across America. TV censors famously demanded he be shot only from the waist up during his performances.
6. John Travolta
The 1977 disco film Saturday Night Fever inspired a generation of bad fashions and worse haircuts. But it also brought us the Bee Gees and John Travolta, a formidable combination. In his tight pants and funky shirts, Travolta struts his stuff on a psychedelic dance floor. He claps, finger points, pelvic-thrusts and man-splits his way to glory. The moves were known as the Hustle.
7. Bill Cosby
Everyone’s favourite TV dad was known for his hilarious, but also skilful dance moves. These are most notably demonstrated in the openings of The Cosby Show, where the whole family had the chance to show us their stuff. One of the most memorable episodes involves Cosby partaking in a tap-dance challenge with Howard Sims, otherwise known as the Sandman.
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8. Ellen De Generes
She is known for her love of dancing, and begins every episode of her talk show by grooving with her audience. As she is not a trained dancer, her signature moves are more akin to a “mum shuffle”. She prances about her studio waggling her hips endearingly, before returning to the stage and straddling the coffee table. She also popularised the “dance dare” game – dancing furiously behind people’s backs before they notice.
9. Psy
It was the dance move that put K Pop on the map. Gangnam Style, performed by 36-year-old South Korean singer Psy, became the most watched video on YouTube, mainly thanks to its crazy dance moves. Psy said the mantra behind the video was, “dress classy and dance cheesy”. His signature dance is the “pony”, which involves the dancer crossing their hands and pretending to ride a horse, intermittently throwing in a “lasoo” move for good measure.
10. Carlton from The Fresh Prince
A perfect demonstration of dancing like nobody’s watching. The popular character in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was famous for his dance routine to Tom Jones’ It’s Not Unusual. The Carlton Dance typically required wobbly knees, flailing elbows, and a wide grin of pure, unadulterated joy. The actor, Alfonso Ribeiro, even went on to author a dance guide – Alfonso’s Breakin’ and Poppin’ Book.
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