Robot (dance)

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The robot (or mannequin) is an illusionary dance style often combined with popping that attempts to imitate a dancing robot or mannequin.

1 Description
- 1.1 Broken robot
2 Music
3 In popular culture
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Description

Body joints are bent in straight unnatural ways and all movements started and finished with a small jerk to give the impression of motors starting and stopping, or creaking hinges. The dancer's posture is kept stiff at all times. The dance was popularized by The Jackson 5's Michael Jackson, who devised a routine for their 1974 single, "Dancing Machine." Jackson first performed the dance while singing "Dancing Machine" with the Jackson 5 on an episode of Soul Train.

Robot dancing is often confused with popping and liquid dancing in general. Robot dancing, however, properly refers only to the technique of imitating a humanoid robot (or mannequin come alive)—one of several techniques used in these dance styles.

[edit] Broken robot

A variation on the robot is the "broken robot" style, where various parts of the dancer's body is shaken rapidly giving the impression that the robot is breaking down. A lock-and-release of joints can also give the appearance of supports breaking down.

[edit] Music

As with popping in general, the visual impact of the robot can be boosted by doing it in pace with music. The best effect is achieved with music that has very distinct beats such as electrofunk. It is nonetheless common to use music not particularly suited for the dance, but which has a "robot theme", such as Styx's "Mr. Roboto".

Unlike most other dances, the robot may also be accompanied a cappella by making vocal impressions of beeps and noises.

[edit] In popular culture

The Robot is frequently featured in popular culture, more often than not, as a joke. Following the cheerful nature of such appearances, most of these instances are rather unskilled examples of the dance. Common themes are either a person or a situation for which the robot dance is unexpected or out of place, or using the irony of having actual robots do the robot-imitation dance for comical effect. Examples include:

Musician Buckethead is known for his robot dancing.
Charles "Charles Robot" Washington premiered the dance in the first season of the dance show Soul Train.^{[citation needed]}
Allegra Cole performs the robot in the wedding scene during the end credits of Hitch.
English football player Peter Crouch has performed a basic version of the dance as a goal celebration.^[1] He has also performed the "broken robot" variation.
In the Futurama episode "Fear of a Bot Planet", Fry attempts and fails the robot dance. Leela then upstages him. Ironically, the actual robot, Bender, attempts to dance the robot along with them at a later point and is entirely unable to immitate them.
The GEICO gecko performs the dance in one of the company's commercials.^[2]
In the MMORPG Guild Wars Factions, the Male Assassin class can use an emote that triggers a robot dance.
Karl Lake, the set designer for Chappelle's Show, appears in many different sketches throughout both seasons doing the dance.
The dance is done by King Julien in the movie Madagascar.
The dance is done by a robot in the movie Robots.
The dance is performed on the television sitcom Scrubs by Elliot in Season 4, Episode 25 "My Changing Ways".
The song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" by the Arctic Monkeys includes references to the robot dance.
Homer and Marge Simpson briefly perform the dance at a wedding, in The Simpsons episode "Regarding Margie".
In "Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High", a fourth season episode of the animated television series Family Guy, Stewie Griffin performs the dance.^[3]
In the 2004 comedy Eurotrip, Scotty (Scott Mechlowicz) mocks a Parisian busker by imitating his robot routine. This quickly degenerates into a robot dance-off/fight which ends with Scotty kicking the busker in the groin.
In Disneyland's Tomorrowland, Buzz Lightyear does the robot at Club Buzz, often to the song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk.
Mixed Martial Arts fighter Genki Sudo is known to spontaneously perform the dance. His performances can occur during his entrance, or more noticably, during his fights.
Arrested Development star Tony Hale is known for his Volkswagen commercial featuring the dance. He later spoofs the commercial in Arrested Development as Buster.
At the end of the film The Princess Diaries the main characters perform the dance at the embassy party.
While performing the dance, Vaughn (Bob Odenkirk) is mistaken for an actual robot by his less than intelligent friends in "Melrose Heights 90210-2402" a sketch from the Ben Stiller Show.
On the Shrek 2 DVD, in the "Far Far Away Idol" special feature, Pinocchio sings the song and performs the dance.
The dance moves are mimicked by Seth Green in the 1998 teen comedy film Can't Hardly Wait.
The dance also appeared in a Spartan Cheerleaders sketch from Saturday Night Live.