Melloquence

Following the decline of the Planking and Harlem Shake craze, a new entertainment epidemic has taken over social networks, this time in the form of a dance move called the 'Twerk'. The Twerk dance move has been around for several years. However, with the rising popularity of the newly released Instagram video app, several women have begun to upload videos of themselves twerking. The more daring the dance moves, the more hits on social networks.

Twerking is a dance move mostly practised by women and involves moving their buttocks in an up and down bouncing motion, causing them to shake. During this motion, the protagonist doing the move is usually in a squatting position which is usually sexually suggestive.

Pop singer Miley Cyrus last month released a video doing the Twerk move. This created quite a stir on social networks. She was later followed by other celebrities like the controversial child star Amanda Bynes and Bajan pop artiste Rihanna.

Since then, the growing pool of Twerk videos are now competing against each other for views on the Internet. Several women have begun to push the envelope as it relates to their Twerking environments. Some have gone as far as to upload videos of themselves twerking in supermarkets in proximity to food supplies, while at least one particular woman went as far as to upload a video twerking in church.

Thirty-one students from a San Diego high school in the USA were also reportedly suspended last May, after the young women uploaded a video of themselves twerking on the school compound.

Dancehall artiste Spice has already joined the Twerk craze and has released a music video for her single called Twerk which has received over 300,000 views on YouTube.com. Dancehall duo RDX also encouraged twerking in their popular single Kotch, while up-and-coming dancehall artiste Melloquence is currently promoting his new single called Twerk.

According to Melloquence, the women are gravitating to the move in a strange way.

"This is like nothing I have ever seen. Just to see how the women follow each other and are trying to outdo each other, it's crazy. It's nice to see a craze that only women can do too, refreshing and a sight for the eyes," the singjay said.

Dancehall/reggae dance teacher Latonya Styles says she is aware of the dance move. But added that the particular style of dance, is not new to Jamaicans.

"Twerk is just an American title for shaking your ... But the style itself has been in Jamaica for years, I think the Twerk move was inspired by Mr Vegas' Bruck It Dung and this is good because it was identified as a Jamaican," Latonya Styles said.

Businesswoman/dancer Keiva believes the dance was inspired by Jamaicans, however, she said the Twerk dance move was not dominating the local party scenes as yet because there are currently a lot of competing female-oriented dance moves like the 'Muscle Wine', 'Trapsetta/One Drop' and '6:30'.

Busta Rhymes and Nicki Minaj recently released a song recorded in Jamaican patios. That effort is also called Twerk.

Latonya Styles

Keiva