Wiktor Wise
The Electric Slide is a popular line dance that is often performed at weddings, parties, and social events. Created by choreographer Richard L. Ric Silver in 1976, the dance is set to the music of Marcia Griffiths' hit song Electric Boogie. The Electric Slide gained widespread popularity and has even been used as a form of protest and activism, showcasing its deep roots in black culture. With its simple steps and room for creativity, it has become a beloved and inclusive dance for people of all ages.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Creator | Richard L. "Ric" Silver |
| Year of creation | 1976 |
| Number of steps | 22 |
| Dance type | Line dance |
| Number of walls | Four |
| Turn between each repeat | 90-degree |
| Music | "Electric Boogie" by Marcia Griffiths and Bunny Wailer |
| Origin location | VAMPS, a New York Dance Club |
| Adaptability | High |
| Difficulty | Easy |
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What You'll Learn
The Electric Slide's creator, choreographer Richard L. Ric Silver
The Electric Slide is a four-wall line dance with a 90-degree turn between each repeat, allowing the dance to continue indefinitely. The dance was created by choreographer and dancer Richard L. "Ric" Silver, who claims he created the dance in 1976 to the song "Electric Boogie" by Bunny Wailer, which was written for singer Marcia Griffiths. Silver's original choreography included 22 steps, including grapevines and a series of forward and backward steps, but the dance's popularity led to the final four steps being forgotten, reducing it to an 18-step performance.
Silver was outraged by this simplification of his dance, particularly because he specifically created 22 steps in honour of his birthday on January 22. He even threatened websites hosting videos of the 18-step variation with lawsuits, as he owned the copyright to the dance. In 2007, Silver was himself sued for infringing on videographers' free speech rights, and the lawsuit was settled that same year.
Silver's dance gained widespread popularity, in part due to its association with the song "Electric Boogie." It was also boosted by its appearance in the 1999 film "The Best Man," where it was danced to Cameo's 1986 hit single "Candy." The Electric Slide has become a staple at parties and weddings and is often called the Candy Dance. It is known for its accessibility, adaptability, and inclusivity, making it a popular choice for social dance events.
The Electric Slide has also taken on a new significance in recent years, becoming a form of protest and activism. During the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, the Electric Slide was often danced in public as a form of peaceful protest, demonstrating the power of dance to convey a message without resorting to violence.
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The Electric Slide's 22 steps, inspired by Silver's birthday
The Electric Slide is a 22-step dance created by choreographer Richard L. "Ric" Silver in 1976, inspired by his birthday, which falls on January 22. Silver created the dance to the song "Electric Boogie" by Marcia Griffiths, a hit in Jamaica that later became popular in the US. The dance is a four-wall line dance, meaning it is performed in a square or rectangular formation with a 90-degree turn between each repetition.
The Electric Slide has become a popular dance at weddings, parties, and other social events. It is known for its simplicity and allows for a great deal of personal creativity and style. While the basic steps are easy to follow, dancers often add their own flair with hand claps, finger snaps, and silly poses.
- Begin with a "grapevine" to the right.
- Side-step to your right, crossing your left leg behind your right to the count of four.
- Step to the right with your right foot, counting 1, 2, 3, 4 to the beat of the music.
- Take one step after each beat.
- Step to the right with your left foot, crossing it behind your right.
- Pump your arms forward or upward slightly with each step.
- Go side-to-side, backwards, and step-touch forward and back.
- Pivot and brush your foot against the floor.
- Repeat the above steps for the opposite side.
- Continue with the basic grapevine step, adding your own variations.
- Add in your own creative flair, such as knee-lifts, hip-lifts, foot-flicks, kicks, hand claps, finger snaps, or silly poses.
- Ensure you keep up with the movement of the group and don't bump into other dancers.
- Style the rest of the dance to your liking.
- The dance can be adapted to any 4/4 music with a similar tempo to "Electric Boogie."
- Line up in several lines, forming a square or rectangle based on the shape of the room.
- The dance is more fun with a large group, so gather a bunch of people willing to dance and have fun!
- Spread out in a large room to give yourself enough space.
- Load up "Electric Boogie" or any other suitable 4/4 groove with a comparable tempo.
- Once the singing starts, begin dancing to the beat.
- Count each beat out loud or in your head: 1, 2, 3, 4.
- Step on each count, moving with the music.
- Enjoy the dance and feel free to add your own style and creativity!
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The Electric Boogie—the song the dance was created for
"Electric Boogie", also known as "Electric Slide", is a dance song written by Bunny Wailer in 1982. The song was inspired by Eddy Grant's "Electric Avenue", which was also released that year. The song is strongly associated with the Electric Slide line dance and has become a celebratory staple.
The most successful recording of "Electric Boogie" was performed by Jamaican singer Marcia Griffiths, who was part of the I Threes, the backup singing group for Bob Marley & The Wailers. Griffiths' version of the song was originally released in 1983 but failed to catch on internationally. However, a remixed version of the song featured on her album "Carousel" and reached number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
"Electric Boogie" was written for Griffiths by Bunny Wailer, who was her childhood friend. The song came about spontaneously after Griffiths and Wailer experimented with a rhythm box that Griffiths had purchased in Toronto earlier that year. Griffiths has said that the song was made out of innocent fun and has denied that it was related to anything sexual.
The Electric Slide dance was created by choreographer Richard "Ric" Silver, who devised a 22-step routine in honour of his birthday on 22 January. The dance incorporates grapevines and a series of forward and backward steps. However, as the dance grew in popularity, people began to forget the final four steps, changing it into an 18-step performance. Silver has been litigious about the dance, threatening lawsuits against websites hosting videos of people performing an incorrect version of the dance.
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The Electric Slide as a Black Lives Matter protest dance
The Electric Slide is a popular line dance that has been used at weddings, parties, and other social events. The dance was created by choreographer Richard "Ric" Silver in 1976 as a 22-step routine to the song "Electric Boogie" by Bunny Wailer. Over the years, the dance has evolved, and people often perform a simplified 18-step version.
In 2020, the Electric Slide took on a new significance as it became associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Following the killing of George Floyd, protests against racism and police brutality spread worldwide, and these protests were often accompanied by collective dancing. The Electric Slide, with its roots in black culture, became a common sight at these protests, with dancers gathering to push for change and turn their activism into motion.
The Electric Slide's simple sequence of sidesteps and step-touches, along with its adaptability, made it an accessible and inclusive choice for protesters. The dance's connection to black culture and its widespread popularity made it a powerful tool for unity and expression during the Black Lives Matter protests.
On June 7, 2020, a group of dancers, many of them professionals, organized a peaceful march and a collective performance of the Electric Slide in New York City. The event, known as "Dance for George," paid tribute to George Floyd and highlighted the contributions of black artists to the dance and entertainment industries. The dancers performed the Electric Slide on 125th Street in Harlem, filling the plaza near Malcolm X Boulevard with their grapevining, step-touching moves.
The Electric Slide's role in the Black Lives Matter protests demonstrates how dance can be a form of peaceful yet powerful protest. It allows protesters to express their unity, energy, and passion through movement, adding a unique dimension to their calls for change and social justice.
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The Electric Slide as a popular line dance
The Electric Slide is a popular line dance, often performed at weddings, parties, and other social events. It is a four-wall dance, which means that dancers form four lines facing the centre of a square or rectangle. The dance is characterised by its sidesteps, step-touches, and grapevines, with room for personal creativity and style.
The Electric Slide was first choreographed by Richard L. "Ric" Silver in 1976. Silver created the dance for the song "Electric Boogie" by Marcia Griffiths and Bunny Wailer. The song was written by Wailer for Griffiths, who was his childhood friend. Silver's choreography originally consisted of 22 steps, honouring the fact that he was born on January 22nd. However, as the dance gained popularity, people started to omit the final four steps, turning it into an 18-step performance.
Silver was unhappy with this alteration and even threatened legal action against websites hosting videos of people performing the shortened version of the dance. He owned the copyright to the dance and wanted it to be performed correctly. Despite this controversy, the Electric Slide has become a beloved and widely practised line dance.
The Electric Slide gained a new boost in popularity when it was featured in the 1999 romantic comedy film "The Best Man." In the film, the dance is performed to the song "Candy" by Cameo, and it became known as the "Candy Dance." This exposure helped solidify the Electric Slide's place in American line-dancing culture.
In recent years, the Electric Slide has also been adopted as a form of protest, particularly associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. The dance's roots in black culture and its accessibility, adaptability, and inclusivity have made it a powerful tool for activism in motion.
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Frequently asked questions
The Electric Slide is a four-wall line dance set to Marcia Griffiths' hit song "Electric Boogie", which was written by her childhood friend, Bunny Wailer, in 1976. The dance was created by choreographer Richard L. "Ric" Silver in the same year at a New York dance club called VAMPS.
The Electric Slide is a 22-step dance that involves grapevines and a series of forward and backward steps. Dancers are encouraged to add their own creative flair with hand claps, finger snaps, and silly poses.
The Electric Slide is one of the most popular line dances due to its simple steps and adaptability to different music genres. It is often performed at weddings, parties, and social dance events, and has been featured in films such as the 1999 rom-com "The Best Man". The dance has also been used in Black Lives Matter protests as a form of peaceful protest and activism.
