ISU Harlem Shake video and photos

Jordon Beesley
jbeesley@journalnet.com

POCATELLO –– Hundreds gathered at Reed Gym Friday evening to perform their version of the worldwide music video meme phenomenon, the “Harlem Shake.” A few weeks ago, few people had even heard of the Harlem Shake — let alone the song’s producer, Baauer.

It seems fitting Idaho State University students would make their own version of the video now that the Harlem Shake video has officially taken over the internet with thousands of videos getting millions of views.

ISU senior Preston Crompton and his roommate Edgar Ramirez had the idea that came to fruition with the help of the Idaho State Campus Recreation group and more than 150 costumed dancers who joined Benny the Bengal Friday evening at Reed Gym.
“My roommate showed me the video a couple of weeks ago and we really wanted to do our own version here at ISU,” said Crompton. “It seems like everybody is making a version of the video, so why not us.”

Indeed, everyone from “King” Lebron James, appropriately dressing the part in the Miami Heat’s version of the video, to more than 400 protesters gyrating wildly outside the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo are is it. The video has spread around the world.

The Federal Aviation Administration has even had to “look into” a recent version of the video that has now joined the mile high club. About18 Colorado College students convinced passengers to stage a Harlem Shake at more than 30,000 feet while soaring over the Rocky Mountains on a Frontier Airlines flight bound for San Diego.

The video lasts around 30 seconds and features part of the “Harlem Shake” and begins with one person, often masked or helmeted, dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds surrounded by other people not paying attention or unaware of the dancing individual. When the bass drops, the video cuts to the entire crowd doing a crazy convulsive dance for the next 15 seconds.

The ISU Student Union Creative Productions filmed the video from a man-lift 20 feet in the air. Benny was the first to dance and was quickly joined by hundreds of costumed dancers doing their best moves for the video that will be featured on the university’s website in the coming weeks.

“I had someone on my back, so it was getting a little crazy,” said ISU junior Marc Quiroz. “I’ve never done anything like this at all, It was pretty awesome.”