Zanku: the new viral dance that has taken over the Nigerian music scene

There is a new dance in town, it is called Zanku and it is fast becoming a nationwide sensation.

Who would have thought that just like 'Shaku Shaku' emerged towards the end of 2017 and became a rave that a new dance will steal in so late in 2018 to become the new trending dance steps?

December is the year where you get to have a lot of events and concerts and one of the early entries was the ''Omo Better Concert'' which went down at the Agege Stadium on Sunday, December 9, 2018, put together by Small Doctor.

My music journey saw me attending the event and throughout the duration of the over six hours concert that packed a large number of artists and DJ's exhibiting their skills, the most exciting and at times mind-blowing experience for me was the dance moves.

Every single time music emanated from the giant speakers, the crowd which ran the spread of the stadium burst into life doing only the 'Zanku' dance. It was like a command, like a switch had been tunred on and everyone plugged into the 'Zanku.'

Like it was fascinating seeing a group of people tapping their feet on the floor so delicately, effortlessly, adding a swagger to it and displaying animated and comical looks on their faces. Indeed, ''Shaku shaku no dey do dem again, Zanku na the new dance wey dey reign.''

Indigenous rapper Zlatan, also referred to as Zlatan Ibile has been around for some time, his early singles like the self-titled 'Zlatan' released in 2017 brought some attention his way but nothing can be compared to the following he now enjoys with his efforts in 2018.

From an impressive verse in the hit single, 'Able God' by Chinko Ekun to fully introducing and naming the dance on his own single, 'Zanku Legwork', which he claims is an acronym for ''Zlatan Abeg No Kill Us'', Zlatan has birthed a new phenomenon that is fast sweeping through the country.

Origin of the Zanku Dance

As common with dance steps, it is usually difficult to trace its true origin as they are usually inspired by dances of old or adaptation of trending moves, but in the world of street dance steps, Agege is fast becoming the new home for viral dances.

'Zanku,' like recent other sensational dance moves like 'Shaku Shaku' which went global and made the pages of international journals and 'Shoki' can be traced to the mainland suburb of Lagos State.

The 'Zanku' dance is clearly in a league of its own. With the way, it juxtaposes leg movements with the hand swings, the dance intensifies every time your feet touch the ground creating a more energetic and riveting reaction. It is as high energy for the learners as it is light-hearted steps for the skilled.

The popularity of this dance has been pushed by social media videos and Youtube competitions that have poured in endlessly in the space of a few months, and while it has hit every street on the mainland, the movement is fast collapsing classes as seen with Island kids joining in on the act.

The streets have always been the vessel by which culture in different forms are influenced and it seems yet again, Agege has provided us with the latest dance move that we all need to learn going into not just the festive seaosn but also the new year.