TikTok has been the source of all this viral (and stupid) for some time now and the biggest thing that’s happening on the platform at the moment is something called the Renegade dance.
Made popular in 2019 by TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, the Renegade dance quickly became the thing to do on and off the platform. In fact, it spread so wildly that the likes of Lizzo, Stray Kids and even the Kourtney Kardashian have starting doing it.
Speaking of things going viral, the GOAT team talk about BTS’ global domination on It’s Been A Big Day For… below:
While Charli D’Amelio may be reaping the popularity for bringing the Renegade dance to the mainstream, all the credit must go to the dance’s actual, underappreciated creator: 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon.
The New York Times did a big profile on the young dancer and how the Renegade dance originated from her, only for people to give others the credit.
It all began back in September 2019 when Jalaiah decided to create a post on Instagram with her friend. After listening to the song ‘Lottery’, she choreographed a routine to the chorus, pulling in other big viral moves like the “whoa” and the “wave”. She then posted it to Instagram and viola, the Renegade dance was born.
The Renegade dance caught a little steam on Instagram but things really took off when a user named @global.jones shared it to TikTok. Charli D’Amelio then shared a video of herself doing the dance and the rest is internet history.
Unfortunately for Jalaiah, people started crediting Charli as the “CEO” of the Renegade dance rather than her. Despite attempts to set the record straight, no one believed her until The New York Times profiled her.
The Jalaiah Harmon/Renegade dance a truly fascinating story on misattribution, the trickle-down effects of not being given credit for something going viral (virality equals future opportunities in 2020, especially for creators), and another unfortunate example of how black creators aren’t given their due credit for things they’ve made that have gone viral.
Check out The New York Times‘ piece on Jalaiah Harmon right here if you want to know the full story of how the Renegade dance came to be.
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