Why The Men Are Interpretive Dancing On TikTok This Month
So, here’s the breakdown–this wholesome trend has taken over your fyp.
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This month, the men of TikTok are singing for their supper. Across the platform, women are playing a drum beat originally posted by a dancer named Shelby (@shelbysdanceact), and asking their husbands and boyfriends to improvise interpretive dances to earn privileges like staying the night or a night out on the town with their friends.
The trend has spiraled in many different directions and age demographics, with college boyfriends dancing for a spot in their girlfriends’ dorm rooms and husbands dancing for a chance to watch football. Most importantly, the dances continue to inspire men’s humorous creativity and a willingness to participate in the trend for their significant others.
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In recent years, the internet, and particularly TikTok, has become a hotbed for misogyny and toxic masculinity. Most notoriously, male podcasters like Andrew Tate, Joe Rogan, and some sects of Barstool’s programming have continuously served as mouthpieces to what they have coined “alpha male” culture.
This rhetoric frequently has negative and patriarchal views on women and relationships. Schools in Victoria, Australia, recently announced additional educational measures aimed at limiting the influence of Tate’s extreme viewpoints in schools.
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The interpretive dance trend feels like such a breath of fresh air on the for-you page because it is a manifestation of healthy masculinity. The trend also offers a newfound playfulness found amid couples’ content that is often highly commercialized for the sake of brand deals, instead opting for a new layer of authenticity previously seen on platforms like Vine.
Kimberly Tavares found herself abruptly going viral after sharing a video of her husband dancing for “a night out with the boys.” Tavares said, “The trend itself was absolutely hilarious, and it just seemed fitting for us. I was interested to see what his take on it would be, so I pressed record and let him do his thing.”
While Tavares and her husband’s shared professional dance background came into play in his strong improvisational skills, she elaborated that the humor at the heart of the trend is what is most important.
“I just think it is so wonderful to see these men just embracing the silliness of it all and appealing to their girlfriends and wives. I feel like no man is really going to be super thrilled about doing this kind of challenge, but the fact that they're willing to go ahead with it anyways, to please their gal or, you know, for the laughs of it all, I think is super cool,” said Tavares.
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Meanwhile, Avery Dickerson and Paxton Packman from Texas shared a video of Packman dancing for a chance to spend time gaming with his bros. Avery appreciated the ray of positivity the trend brought online, and wanted to jump in with her version. “Masculinity is often presented in a strict manner online. This trend is really able to open up and show the more lighthearted side to what relationships really do consist of. It showcased the fun side that people don’t see as often,” said Dickerson.
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The trend has grown in participation from video creators from all walks of life, from career influencers to lucky TikTok users who shared a humorous moment that went viral. The popularity and vast reach of the trend could prove a positive shift away from the alpha-male culture that has long dominated TikTok, and a much needed reminder that sometimes all one can do is dance through life.