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Jerk It! Matthew Africa, The Pack, and New Boyz


"Miss me, miss me, now she want to kiss me," with the cow bell jerking, back and forth, this podcast by Matthew Africa is off the chain of course (Thanks Dan!). The podcast is a mix of jerk music. If you don't know what jerkin' is, then you probably haven't been squirtin' over these videos neither. Ha. The jerk dance isn't anything new, not according to Wikipedia.

The dance steps are like this:

Step One :Stand in a fighter's stance facing partner with feet apart and knees bent to begin the Jerk dance. Hold hands so that they are out on either side of the body, with hands about level with the face.

Step Two :Bend the body forward toward partner and turn to the left. As the body turns, cross hands in front at the wrists. The hands should still be held up at the same level. Bob the head forward also as the body is bent.

Step Three :Straighten the body and spread the hands wide again.

Step Four :Lean forward again toward partner, turn to the center, and cross hands in front. Bow head as body is bent forward.

Step Five :Raise body up straight again, spread arms wide, then repeat the above steps to the right.

Step Six: Vary the steps by snapping fingers as the hands are thrown out in front.

Step Seven: The dancer should check out the dance in a mirror. The dancer should look like a jerky monkey conducting a band. The dance is actually a combination of the popular dance, The Monkey, and sweeping arm gestures.

Now that you know the dance, if you want to know a little about the musical structure take a look at this LA Times article. The style began to be popularized again with the surge of krumping, and clowning (see Rize). Matthew Africa's podcast suggest that The Pack (Oakland baby) and other Bay Area hip hop,were also responsible for the growing sound. As the movement hits mainstream, The New Boyz will start the trend with their song called, "You're a Jerk," that's creating a buzz around the dance.

Jerk Video


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