The idea of ‘going viral’ is something that social media has brought to our lives, and it isn’t always a positive thing! But in the case of amateur choreographers and the dance moves they create for TikTok, going viral has given them opportunities that they may never have had before the platform existed. But why do some dances go viral and become such big phenomena?
The Basics of a Viral Dance
While there’s no guaranteed way to get a dance move to go viral on TikTok, there are some things that many of the most popular ones have in common. The main factors are that the dance is eye-catching, works well with the music that it is paired with but is still accessible for amateur dancers to have a go.
Then there are the more subtle things that people have realised make a dance popular. Many of them use hip-hop moves in some form but they are almost always front facing. There’s a big emphasis on movement from the hips up because this works with the vertical format of TikTok and most smartphone cameras.
Most of the time, they involve standing in one place, so it is easy to learn them wherever you are, even in a smaller space.
Plus, they are short. There’s a built-in time limit on TikTok that is 60 seconds, but many tend to be even shorter. Some of the most successful are as short as 15 seconds and this means they are something people can learn quickly.
Accessible to Everyone
If you want to create dance moves for TikTok and want to aspire to go viral, there are a few things you’ll want to consider.
There’s no need to have the perfect body or amazing dance technique. The idea is that anyone can make these videos and be successful, although even professional dancers are trying their hand at them! The aim is to have fun and to create your own version of moves or even something new entirely.
By keeping it accessible to everyone and simple in what it involves, there’s more chance that a larger number of people will do it and spread it to their friends.
Understanding How to Stand Out
If you want to go viral, there’s a bit more than luck and a great dance involved. There’s the need to understand TikTok and the algorithm that runs the platform.
Like all social media platforms, we don’t know exactly how their algorithms work but there’s a lot of complex stuff happening in the background. One of the best ways to understand how to stand out is to see what is already going viral. Then you can use it as inspiration to create your own version.
Many viral stars start out creating their own version of something successful before moving on to creating something completely unique as they grow in confidence and build a following. Then they keep producing something new periodically and because earlier content has done well, there’s a better chance that their new dance moves will go viral.