See why the viral dance craze has refused to go away

It is July and the Shaku Shaku dance craze which seeped into our consciousness late 2017, taking over the dancefloor and music videos is still going strong with no sign of fading anytime soon.

The Nigerian music industry is certainly no stranger to viral dance moves and it doesn't take much to see the reason behind the popularity of the 'Shaku Shaku' which took over the internet late last year.

The vibrant pop scene since its explosion in the late 90s to early 2000s has witnessed different phases of popular dance styles from Galala, Konto to Suo and many more, but one peculiar nature of these trends is the transient lifespan that they enjoy.

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The music scene is a fast-paced one, with a huge inflow of new songs, slangs and dance moves on a daily, so it makes it easy for a trending dance to be easily ushered out by another.

But almost a year after, Shaku Shaku is still here and surprisingly waxing stronger.

ALSO READ:Use these 10 songs to dance Shaku Shaku

So why has Shaku Shaku refused to go away?

The dance trend which we cannot exactly trace the original owner, but supposedly has its roots in Agege, Mainland area of Lagos State, is one dance routine that transcends status, age and class.

Perhaps the simplicity of the dance is the trick that retains its charm.

Every one who can join their hands together in a lock and then drag it backwards with a comical expression can do the Shaku Shaku, it is quite simple to carry out, and very beautiful to watch, especially if the dancer is someone like Nollywood actress, Genevieve Nnaji, who went viral captured doing the dance on the streets of US.

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One other thing that Shaku Shaku has also achieved is to make previously unknown artists into household names.

The usual trend with viral dance moves is for it to be largely peculiar to the originator and it usually fades away when the artiste can no longer spin it into something new, but for names like Slimcase and Mr Real, Shaku Shaku have not only helped them own a hit song but also propelled their careers to be able to sit on the same table as the elders, which has led to a number of high profile collaborations with artists like Tiwa Savage, D'banj and Mr Eazi.

Outside helping discover new names, it is the star power of popular artistes like Olamide, who even made dance videos off it to promote his songs and Wizkid, who is always seen doing the dance moves in his videos and on stage, who have tapped into it that has helped it to break boundaries and grow into a pop culture trend.

It is also worth noting that during the ongoing World Cup 2018 in Russia, Nigerians were left disappointed when the Super Eagles failed to do the Shaku Shaku after every goal scored.

With a few months to the end of 2018, we are not sure of what new dance will come up, but one thing we can confirm is that Shaku Shaku is the King of dance this year.