When Jill and Kevin Heinz's "Wedding Entrance Dance" went viral last week (and spurred a network news turf war), it was but the latest in a long conga line of YouTube clips starring brides and grooms doing the robot, making like Michael Jackson and otherwise performing their apparent homage to "Evolution of Dance."
And if you don't know what "Evolution of Dance" is, then you're just the sheltered type who really, really needs our quick look at the incredibly dense genre of wedding dance videos.
Speak now, or forever hold your best disco moves. Here we go:
A "Thriller" That Michael Jackson Could Love: Among YouTube wedding dance clips, this one's the king with close to 10 million views after nearly three years. The zombie line dance performed by Brian and Sandy Lundmark's crew even caught the attention of Jackson's camp—it's down on the late singer's YouTube channel as one of his 13 favorite clips.
The No. 1 Clip That Formally Name Checks "Evolution of Dance": Brian and Katie don't note their last name, but they do something even more helpful: They provide a rundown of all 25 songs (plus the artists) featured in their exhaustive and exhausting-looking six-minute-plus routine.
First! Indicating that the seemingly carefree world of wedding dances is more competitive than meets the twirl, this popular, three-year-old clip (7.8 million views—and counting) is billed as "the ORIGINAL youtube surprise wedding dance." We'll leave the vetting of that claim to surprise wedding dance historians. We just wanted to let you know there's robot action at the 1:05 mark.
For a Good Cause: Originally, "Dirty Dancing UK" was proof that British people are just as nuts about Johnny Castle and Baby as we are here in the land of the Catskills. Then bride Julia Boggio turned it into a platform for a cancer fund-raiser in honor of Patrick Swayze, whom she got to meet—and dance with—as a result of the clip.
Like, Crazy, Man: Who knew there were so many love songs built around the word crazy? This smooth-moving couple.
Haven't Blown Up (Yet?): (1) Forty-year-old white guy breakdances. Really. Go to 3:44. (2) Did you know you can spell "Smith" with five pairs of bridesmaid bloomers? Live and learn at about 1:30. (3) The groom, aka "The Funkiest Jew Ever," bops down the aisle to 1960s soul.
Well, we could go on (and on and on and on…), but you get the idea. If you're not pop-locking at your reception, you're probably still single. As choreographer Jillian Forbath of OurWeddingDance.com tells us: "I think there's a lot of pressure on a bride and groom to top the last thing they saw at a wedding."
Or on YouTube.