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Watch this groomsman go from cringey to fierce as he learns to nail the 'chicken head' dance

He spent the whole bachelor's trip learning the dance in time for the wedding.

Photo credit: Canva

Watch groomsman learning to dance go from cringey to fierce.

Rhythm is something that people are naturally born with. It makes things like learning how to dance or keeping time with music a lot easier. Of course people who don't have a natural ability to catch the rhythm of a beat can still learn to dance through learning to count the steps. Practicing while watching others who do know the specific dance helps move things along a bit faster.

This sort of group effort is likely why some people have very little trouble line dancing but have a hard time with any sort of freestyle type of dance. Phil Sloves, a Broadway actor, was recently in a wedding, but before he watched a friend commit to eternal love, he was determined to learn how to dance. But not just any dance. The actor wanted to learn a dance called "chicken head." Unsurprisingly, the dance involves a lot of rhythmic coordinated movements designed to make the person's head appear to move like a chicken's would move.

Sloves decided that the best time to learn the dance would be while the guys were away on the bachelor trip. The group of men recorded Sloves' progress over several days leading up to the wedding. At first the man's efforts were seemingly off beat and uncoordinated, but they appeared smooth. The next attempt looked like Sloves might have taken a few steps back in progress because he seems even less coordinated than the previous attempt.

gif of mustached man dancing Fathers Day Dancing GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy

As the trip progresses, so does the man's dancing skills as the other men demonstrate and give him pointers. By the time the wedding rolls around, the Broadway actor has officially gone from cringe to cool when he kills the dance move at the reception. The amount of effort he put into perfecting this dance likely means he will be breaking out the "chicken head" well into his nursing home days.

Others can't get enough of his failed attempts turned perfection with one person writing, "I'm not going to lie i did not have a lot of faith lmao but he ate thatttt."

Another person appreciates the support the others show, "It’s yall being so supportive and schooling him. He was a good student with good teachers."

man dancing at weddingGetting Married Party GIF by PartifulGiphy

"The way he unlocked his confidence once he knew he had it," someone else says.

"The facial expression in the hotel room when he got it is diabolical. GO PHIL," one person says while adding the fire emoji.

Clearly Sloves was dedicated to learning the dance and had a group of good friends willing to take the time to teach him. It may not seem like a big deal to some, but seeing the confidence grow as the video progressed lets you know that the actor was ready. Thanks to his friends being supportive, he was able to go into the wedding reception with full confidence in his ability to do at least one dance well.

@aneesanael My boi @Phil Sloves was on a mission fr. #trending #chingy @huggybruh ♬ Right Thurr - Remix/Explicit - Chingy

"He said I’m not going to embarrass you my boi," another writes.

"The joy on his homie face when he was finally hitting that shhh," someone else chimes in.

According to one person, this dance will be seen anywhere Sloves is present: "He’s about to be doing this, EVERY. WHERE! Grocery stores & all."

As one commenter says, "GO AWF PHIL." You've earned the right to do that dance for the rest of eternity. Way to go on trying something new and sticking to it until you got it right. We could all use these kind of supportive friends.

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Man's dance moves are so incredibly fluid that people don't think he's a real person

Some people are speculating he's somehow computer generated. He's real.

Maikon Alves|Instagram

Man's dance moves are so smooth people don't think he's real

The human body is amazing. People that have figured out a way to command their body to do reality defying acts are just as fascinating. There's nothing quite like watching someone feel them music, moving so smoothly from one movement to the next while they dance.

Dancing can be a beautiful expression of art and creativity, connecting people through music and movement without even speaking the same language. One dancer from Brazil is turning heads on social media with moves so fluid and robotic that people are questioning if he's human. Maikon Alves uploaded a video recently of him dancing to "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas.

To say his dance moves are impressive would be an understatement. Alves pops his chest to the beat while slowly stepping in place making it look like he's gliding from move to move. Some movements are crisp and sharp like a robot while others are so fluid it's nearly unbelievable that it could be coming from a human.

While the man's moves do look slightly out of this world, he is indeed a real person, or at least he appears to be in other videos on his page. Commenters ranged between being in awe of his abilities and questioning if he was human.

"Loved. I like how everything is in sync - from the music to the moves to face expressions. 👏👏👏 and your cool personal style," one person writes.

"Doesn’t even look real it’s that good..!! Love this," someone says.

"You will be the dance instructor for the children of our AI overlords someday," a commenter thinks.

"Nah, this is God-level pop-locking," someone compliments.

Even Nicole Scherzinger, actress, singer and former member of the pop group and dance ensemble, Pussycat Dolls gave Alves praise saying, "you are a legend!" Watch his reality defying moves for yourself.

This article originally appeared last year.

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Joy

Adorable 'Haka baby' dance offers a sweet window into Maori culture

Stop what you're doing and let this awesomeness wash over you.

@focuswithdan/TikTok

A young Māori performing his haka dance.

If you've never seen a Māori haka performed, you're missing out.

The Māori are the indigenous peoples of New Zealand, and their language and customs are an integral part of the island nation. One of the most recognizable Māori traditions outside of New Zealand is the haka, a ceremonial dance or challenge usually performed in a group. The haka represents the pride, strength, and unity of a tribe and is characterized by foot-stamping, body slapping, tongue protrusions, and rhythmic chanting.

Haka is performed at weddings as a sign of reverence and respect for the bride and groom, at funerals, at other significant events, and are also frequently seen before sports competitions, such as rugby matches.

The intensity of the haka is the point. It is meant to be a show of strength and elicit a strong response—which makes seeing a tiny toddler learning to do it all the more adorable.

Here's an example of a rugby haka:

Danny Heke, who goes by @focuswithdan on TikTok, shared a video of a baby learning haka and omigosh it is seriously the most adorable thing. When you see most haka, the dancers aren't smiling—their faces are fierce—so this wee one starting off with an infectious grin is just too much. You can see that he's already getting the moves down, facial expressions and all, though.

@focuswithdan When you grow up learning haka! #haka #teachthemyoung #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou #kapahaka ♬ original sound - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

As cute as this video is, it's part of a larger effort by Heke to use his TikTok channel to share and promote Māori culture. His videos cover everything from the Te Reo Māori language to traditional practices to issues of prejudice Māori people face.

Here he briefly goes over the different body parts that make up haka:

@focuswithdan

♬ Ngati - Just2maori

This video explains the purerehua, or bullroarer, which is a Maori instrument that is sometimes used to call rains during a drought.

@focuswithdan Reply to @illumi.is.naughty Some tribes used this to call the rains during drought 🌧 ⛈ #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp ♬ Pūrerehua - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

This one shares a demonstration and explanation of the taiaha, a traditional Māori weapon.

@focuswithdan Reply to @shauncalvert Taiaha, one of the most formidable of the Māori Weaponry #taiaha #maori #māori #focuswithdan #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

For another taste of haka, check out this video from a school graduation:

@focuswithdan When your little cuzzy graduates and her school honours her with a haka #maori #māori #haka #focuswithdan #fyp #graduation @its_keshamarley ♬ Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Ngāti Ruanui - 𝕱𝖔𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖂𝖎𝖙𝖍𝕯𝖆𝖓

Heke even has some fun with the trolls and racists in the comments who try to tell him his culture is dead (what?).

@focuswithdan Credit to you all my AMAZING FOLLOWERS! #focuswithdan #maori #māori #followers #fyp #trolls ♬ original sound - sounds for slomo_bro!

Unfortunately, it's not just ignorant commenters who spew racist bile. A radio interview clip that aired recently called Māori people "genetically predisposed to crime, alcohol, and underperformance," among other terrible things. (The host, a former mayor of Auckland, has been let go for going along with and contributing to the caller's racist narrative.)

@focuswithdan #newzealand radio in 2021 delivering racist commentaries 🤦🏽‍♂️ #māori #maori #focuswithdan #racism DC: @call.me.lettie2.0 ♬ original sound - luna the unicow

That clip highlights why what Heke is sharing is so important. The whole world is enriched when Indigenous people like the Māori have their voices heard and their culture celebrated. The more we learn from each other and our diverse ways of life, the more enjoyable life on Earth will be and the better we'll get at collaborating to confront the challenges we all share.


This article originally appeared four years ago.

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Health

Professor makes students put on surprise dance performance after catching them bored in class

“It was perhaps the coolest, most kind-hearted thing I’ve ever seen a college instructor do.”

Photo credit: @redadhdventures/https://www.canva.com/photos

When you're burnt out, you just gotta dance!

A Tumblr story from @redhdadventures is getting some attention after showcasing what learning in life is all about. In the post, she shares about when her Arabic college professor noticed the entire class was looking tired, restless, and overall rundown. Usually, a teacher would encourage their students to get a good night's rest after class, perhaps bring a coffee next time, or some other piece of advice before pushing forward with their lesson plan. This professor had a different solution: stop class and dance.


Seeing that his students were “dead inside,” he closed the textbooks and said, “That’s not healthy!” He then taught his students a dance he learned from Iraq, having them let loose and let the good vibes boost their energy. He didn’t go back to his lesson until he saw every student laugh and was able to confirm that each one was feeling better.

“It was perhaps the coolest, most kind-hearted thing I’ve ever seen a college instructor do,” remarked @redadhdadventures in the post.

The story made its way to Instagram in which commenters shared similar joyful, invigoration stories from their teachers:

“My high school German teacher used to do this. We'd be expecting a typical lesson/class, but she'd say, ‘Push all the desks to the back. Wir tanzen!’ 🕺😁”

“I had a linguistics professor like this. I remember one day it was beautiful and sunny. As class was about to start, he looked out the window and declared that it was too nice a day to stay indoors. We did our lesson in a circle on the lawn 😂”

“My ninth grade English teacher brought out jump ropes one day and had us go outside and jump rope for about half the class time and afterwards asked how we felt and everyone said that we felt like kids again. Core memories.”

Even fellow teachers shared their strategies when faced with depleted students:

“I used to dance with my 2nd graders during their 10 minute ‘brain breaks.’ They would tell me what Just Dance videos to play on YouTube and we would all follow along. 🕺🏾”

“I have given my high school students half an hour for nap time. They all said they didn’t need it but I turned down the lights and switched the music to soothing and one by one their heads dropped. I just let them wake up on their own time. About half an hour later they each woke up and started doing their work. I believe they were more productive after then if we persevered without a nap.”

College students dancingDancing can loosen the mood while improving your memory skills!Photo credit: Canva

Taking a break to boost students isn’t just good for the soul, science backs it up, too. A study by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke found that taking frequent, mindful short breaks while studying actually help the brain learn and retain new skills. It showed that the resting brain would repeatedly replay information while it rested, making it easier to retain and remember in the longer term.

Breaks are shown to be even more effective when they involve physical activity, especially dancing. Dancing can improve circulation and provide exercise without feeling like exercise, per a National Library of Medicine study. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that dancing can also strengthen neuron connections, improve memory, and even combat dementia in our brains! This is partially music involved in dancing invokes emotions and thoughts within our minds as we move, along with our brains being stimulated as we try to remember the dance moves as we execute them. All of this stimulates and improves the parts of the brain that are associated with executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition. Our brains are also rewarded with feel-good serotonin chemicals due to the physical activity and social interaction that dancing provides, too.

Woman doing yoga in front of her laptopDoing a physical activity during a break from studying, such as dancing or yoga, can be beneficial to your health.Photo credit: Canva

So if you feel like you’re in a rut, your brain is fried, or you’re just feeling down, try just dancing it out. It may feel silly, but that’s kind of the point. Even if you’re bad at it, you’ll be able to make yourself feel better by laughing at yourself and from your body rewarding itself for it, if alone. If with a group, you’ll be able to all laugh together and feel better before attacking the next task ahead.

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