Dancers from around the country perform the most popular moves, from the Dougie to the Quan.
Infectious dance crazes have a long history, but in recent years they’ve been stripped of premeditation and formality. Thanks to social media, short videos of these dances—sometimes incidentally—spread quickly and inspire a rash of copycats. At once silly and profound, these dance phenomena demonstrate the speed at which something can unexpectedly go from being an inside joke among friends (often teen-agers in cities) to a universal dog whistle for joy. The moves land in locker rooms and on late-night talk shows, and they enliven Presidential campaigns. (Even Hillary Clinton has dabbed.) For the past decade, these dances have formed a universal language recognizable by anyone with a pulse and a Wi-Fi connection. They can please your grandmother, but they also thrill seasoned performers, like the U.C.L.A Bruins gymnast Sophina DeJesus, who made a splash by sprinkling in viral-dance moves during a floor-exercise routine at a February meet.