Floss Dance Revived: Why You Should Learn And Impress!

The famous floss dance refers to the dance move when a person swings their arms back and forth with clenched fists. The name floss dance refers to its similarity in the dance movement resembling that of dental floss when both arms swing across the body.

Although the original intention was not that the dance moves were suggestive of dental flossing, its high resemblance to flossing move made the dance famous.

Floss dance first came into people's attention in 2010, however, its popularity remained low and regional for several years in the US. It was introduced to a wider population by the 15-year-old Russel Horning, aka the Backpack Kid. He began performing the floss dance in his videos in the summer of 2016.

Horning is an American schoolboy who is currently 18 years old. He is Instagram-famous. He was first exposed to fame after Rihanna gave him a shoutout back in 2016. He is often dancing to songs and has gained wide support from fans all over the country. With him growing in popularity, his dance move became known to viewers' eyes. In May 2017, he performed the floss dance during a live performance in Saturday Night Live to Katy Perry's song Swish Swish, the somewhat awkward dance became one of the most trending topics.

Since then the floss dance has infiltrated many dance classes and choreography, celebrities and teens are eager to recreate the legendary floss dance. To be fair, it's not a hard dance to master at all, that's why fans love it.

This dance gained further recognition when Fortnite used this dance gesture in its game as a celebratory move for its character. Fortnite was so popular that it was once the most-searched topic in the US. With the move gaining attention from Fortnite, the floss dance was once again present in people's minds. There is, however, a lawsuit between the Backpack Kid and Fortnite. The Backpack Kid is suing Fortnite for using his move iconic moves in its video game without giving him any credits.

Fans are divided on this issue with some believing something as successful as Fortnite should pay its diligence to credit its creator while others think this dance move is so simple that it's not patented and the celebratory gesture in the game isn't a copy of the Backpack Kid's top creation.

The floss dance itself does not involve difficult body movements requiring great flexibility. Any ordinary people will be able to do the trick. However, the dance does need excellent body coordination as you will need to swing your arms back and forth in different directions. You probably need high mental concentration until you familiarise yourself with the move so much that you can do it with your eyes close without thinking, like a reflex.

There are plenty of tutorials online to teach you how to do the floss dance. Here are several tips and steps for a newbie to pick up on this funny, dope skill.

Duh, that's the best part about the floss dance. How can you ever dance to anything without music? Below we will cover more on what songs are the best to dance to.

The floss dance swept across the US because of the Backpack kid. You don't want to miss out on not having a backpack when doing it. It just makes it 10 times funnier. But of course, this is optional.

Having a stable balance is always good when starting a dance. As simple as this dance might be, you don't want to risk falling over.

Swing both arms to the left with your left arm coming from the front and the right one coming from behind. Stop the swinging motion when both of your arms are about 70 degrees to your body. You don't need to swing them at lightspeed or vigorously. You can swing them gently and slowly as you wish.

Practice it so you can do it in one swift motion. Move your hip too if it helps the flow better.

Now, as you swing your arms to the other side, make sure you are pushing your hip in the opposite direction. Your feet should not be moving. The hip movement can be as dramatic as you want it to be as it's all for fun anyway.

Repeat the exact same motion but to the other direction. Your arms should be swinging back to the left with your hip going to the right. It's not as difficult or complicated as it sounds once you try to do it in slow motion.

Now, it's time to change sides. As mentioned before, one of your arms should be swinging from in front while the other swings from the back. Now, pull both of your arms to the front and swing them both to the right across. Push your hip to the other side as usual.

Note to put both arms in front. The floss dance is to mimic the act of flossing and so bringing both arms to the front creates a smooth flow to change sides for when you put the other arm to your back.

Repeat the same motion as the first one to swing your arms to left. However, this time you put your right arm in the front and put the left arm behind. Again, swing them at a 70-degree angle to your body. Nothing vigorous or hard.

That's a complete set of the floss dance. All you need to do now is to practice it until you can do the moves faster and faster. Put on some slow songs at first for you to get comfortable and not get pressured into following the beats that would be too fast for you. Change the songs according to your speed and when your skills improve. There are many songs you can choose from. Don't start with something fast as your body will take time to warm up to it and it takes some time to familiarise yourself with this seemingly easy dance.

Trying singing to the song to remind yourself of the beats and rhythm. Gradually increase the speed once you are comfortable with it.

Last but not least, how can you perform a floss dance without the legendary straight face that made the dance famous? The Backpack Kid has said it himself that he decided to not smile in his dance videos because he thought it would make the videos funnier. He was not wrong. People are laughing their heads off with his dance and videos because sometimes the awkwardly performed dance move is hilarious with a serious face that seemingly tells you this dance is business and you should not take it lightly.

Can't do this dance without the song that made the dance! The Backpack Kid gained breakout success dancing to Swish Swish. The song itself is hilarious enough with the music video. Those who are fans of Katy Perry will know how great this song is to the floss dance. The singer has written hundreds of popular songs that captured the hearts of many Americans and so many dance moves came from those songs. Play it together with your first floss dance to feel why this dance went flying off the roof with this song!

Interestingly, there are a ton of videos on TikTok of people doing the floss dance to the singer's best hit. The hype over this song probably made it so good to dance to. There are many recreations or a mix of the floss dance available to see. People are incorporating other dance moves together to make things even more interesting and add more challenges to it.

The song is chill and lively, very suitable for the cheeky move and it's easy to sing-along with. It's been 3.5 years and the popularity of this pop song is still blasting through the radio. Try it next time when you hear this classic comes on.

The floss dance is a classic easy, hilarious dance that came from an internet celebrity. It's not as challenging as all those fanciful moves on TikTok but challenging and fun enough for friends to gather together and have some fun while playing any songs you like.

The dance is meant to be enjoyed with a light heart. Put on any songs you like and start floss dancing!