TikTokers in full challenge in Lithuania in 2020 -

CHINA NOUVELLE / SIPA

  • You don't understand why you absolutely have to move your pelvis in (almost) all TikTok challenges?

  • In reality, the choreographies of the social network are full of little secrets and great basics to know.

When you were walking around town in 2015, you had to slalom between selfie poles.

A year later, you couldn't escape the Pokémon hunters walking around with smartphone in hand.

Today, it is the TikTok challenges that have invaded the streets.

Like the arms which rise, the hips which sway and the feet which fly away.

This new trend is the work of the all-powerful TikTok, a juggernaut with 800 million active users around the world and acclaimed by 13-24 year olds.

In addition to its sometimes political messages and its humorous videos, the platform remains overwhelmingly the largest dance hall on the planet.

Choreography of all kinds remains the fastest way to break into the application, like Charli D'Amelio, 16 years old and 95 million subscribers gained in one year thanks to his dance steps.

More simplicity for more virality

"Yeah, basically you move around a bit, you give a nice smile and you gain subscribers", could launch one of your uncles during a family meal.

Deep down, he wouldn't be really wrong, but it's actually more complicated than that.

If the TikTok challenges sometimes borrow the same codes, there is not a single dance that we could reproduce endlessly on the application.

"When we see the TikTok dances, we say to ourselves that there are things that come up often, we have the impression that it is alike but it's always different because the music is not the same for example", advances Franck Mam, professional dancer and creator of Up The Crowd.

To create the most trendy choreography possible, you need to know the basics: favor the (very) short format, namely ten to twenty seconds, film yourself in vertical format to see everything from head to toe, and take a few steps back. everyone knows.

"We necessarily add new movements but it is often the same things that come back", remarks Franck Mam.

Revolutionary steps which intermingle with the most basic contortions, this is the secret of a successful choreography.

Logically, recurring gestures can be learned in a few minutes to allow access to TikTok's Grail: virality.

Then, it is the rhythm of the music which dictates the movements to the dancers.

When the song is as heady as the steps are easy to reproduce, the chances of appearing “trending” are increased tenfold.

An artisanal but effective copyright

If a choreography quickly ends up on the TikTok home page, it's because it has a good chance of having been initiated by a celebrity.

French and international stars are gradually taking over the social network to promote their new titles, from Justin Bieber to Aya Nakamura.

In seconds, performers kick off the choreography movement to replicate, which fans are eager to do while growing the popularity of upcoming hits.

On the other hand, it is not only the stars who are at the initiative of the most viral trends.

Anyone can get started and become the worthy successor of Charli D'Amelio, in particular thanks to the kindness of TikTok users.

Next time you want to know the origin of a choreography, take a look at the description of the video.

If you find the letters "DC" (for "dance choregrapher") followed by the mention of a person, you should be able to go back to the first version.

An artisanal but very practical copyright system for anyone who plans to fully embark on the TikTok machine.

Soon in the dance halls?

And outside the screens of smartphones, what life for the choreographies of the Chinese application?

Could TikTok classes rub shoulders with waltzes, Argentine tangos and paso-doble in dance halls?

“It could exist but it would quickly be limited, tempers the professional dancer Franck Mam.

Even if you are really a beginner, you can learn a TikTok choreo in one session.

When we come to class, we learn choreographies of three to four minutes, and there we are more on durations of 15 to 25 seconds.

"

For those who are thirsty to learn and reproduce the TikTok challenges as well as possible, let's go to YouTube.

There, the tutorials are a hit and the videographers have more than sixty seconds to explain all the steps.

"Even if it is quite simple to resume a choreography that we see on video, it is not always so easy to achieve for beginners", specifies Franck Mam, whose YouTube channel exceeds 30,000 subscribers.

Thanks to these tutorials, you should be able to master the basic gestures to make a splash on TikTok.

And if that's not one of your life goals (understandably), you can at least join the bunch of pals swinging their hips down the street the next time you see them.

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  • 20 minutes video

  • Dance

  • TikTok

  • Challenge

  • Culture