As self isolation continues, we’re seeing an increase in a lot of things—mobile phone / social network use, baking, binging, and more time spent with people in your household, to name just a few.
There’s a fair bit of jokes online about how millennials and “elder millennials” (I just recently saw this term to describe the older end of the millennial spectrum!) have turned to TikTok to pass quarantine time as well.
Now please let the record show, I was on TikTok well before the pandemic!
But, I’ll admit my usage has jumped since the pandemic.
(Though, nothing wrong if you did start TikTok during the pandemic lol).
Part of my usage was through a little 30 Day TikTok Dance Challenge, where I learned and posted one video of me doing a TikTok dance a day (some were more comedic TikTok sketches) for 30 days.
Learning—and sharing—a TikTok Dance a Day was SO much fun!
I did these TikTok dances just for fun, but then when TELUS asked me to share how I’m staying connected virtually and staying positive as part of their #StayStrongStayConnected campaign, it hit me that the TikTok dances were absolutely a way I was connecting, spreading positivity, and receiving positivity back. Tap the link or head to the bottom of my post to learn more about the #StayStrongStayConnected campaign.
Also note: I am a sponsored #TELUS_Partner / ambassador so I regularly post content about different, amazing TELUS initiatives. Although my TikTokking was not done as part of the TELUS #StayStrongStayConnected campaign, I think it made a ton of sense to tie it together for this blog post!
I can’t say enough how much I appreciated getting daily messages from Instagram and Twitter followers who told me they looked forward to my TikTok dance videos every day, or that the dances brought a smile to their faces.
It’s amazing you can be connected in meaningful ways even if not in person. And connected over something as silly but fun as a daily dance challenge.
(I also recognize this connection is a luxury not everyone has, and I am grateful every day that I do live in a place where I have access to fast Internet and am able to virtually chat, play games, and interact with friends, family, and followers from my home. I wish that everyone could have this type of access).
Before I get into the 30 day TikTok Dances, I wanted to answer a few common questions I received about TikTok and the dances themselves, like:
- Do you come up with the dances yourself?
- No! There are people on TikTok who come up with the dances themselves, but what often happens on the app is that other users will see the dances and then start to try and replicate them. A lot of TikTok content are in the form of “challenges”—do this dance, do this skit, do this weird or funny thing. So you end up replicating a lot of content. A lot of dances become popular when popular TikTok creators do them and share it on their accounts (but it doesn’t necessarily mean they created the dance themselves). There is an interesting Vox article here about who owns viral dances on TikTok, and how tricky it is finding and crediting the original choreographers. Generally, creators now will try to give dance credit (or you’ll see it as “dc:” in TikTok captions) if they know who the dance was created by. This is also not to say that you can’t come up with your own—absolutely if you’re interested in that, try! It just might not become a popular dance or trend unless a popular TikTok creator does it on their on account. That’s really how most TikTok dances become a “TikTok dance”—when popular Tiktokkers do them.
- How long does it take to learn a dance?
- It depends on the dance! There are MANY dances I still want to learn, that I didn’t get to in this 30-day Challenge, simply because I am not good at body rolls, hip movements and intricate foot work, lol. Some dances are really easy, some are more complex. What you’ll often find as you start to try and learn TikTok dances is that many dances have a lot of the same moves (for instance, there’s usually a ‘Woah’ move in a lot of poplar TikTok dances). For the most part, it takes me from 30 minutes to 1 hour to learn and film a dance video that I liked enough to share. Some easier dances it maybe takes 15 minutes or less. So actually, really not that long! But again, depends on the complexity of the dance you choose to learn. For instance, I still hope to figure out the Seve Shuffle some day. I love it and the song so much!
- How do you learn a TikTok dance?
- Everyone has different approaches. I developed my own system which I outline in greater detail near the end of the blog post, but some people will just watch the same dance TikTok video over and over, pausing and starting the video every few seconds while they try to learn a move. Others will watch dance tutorial TikToks (there are several great accounts, linked at the bottom of this post!) Others will watch slow motion videos. There are some people that take popular dance TikToks and compile them into YouTube videos so you can learn from YouTube compilations. There are sort of running TikTok jokes where you start learning by just doing passive hand movements before you go into full-out TikTok mode and moving all sorts of body parts, lol.
For my TikTok dances, I was joined by my husband Mike in some of them, also shared some older dances I learned with friends and family pre-pandemic (but that are still popular and worth learning if you’re interested in TikTok dances!) and there was a running joke that my dogs were getting increasingly bored of my dancing, captured on camera, lol.
If you missed my 30 Day TikTok Dance a Day Challenge, check this Twitter thread to view all 30 days or view all embedded videos from TikTok below!!!
(My Instagram Story shares of the videos got more views, I promise lol).
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the blog post for tips for learning TikTok Dances (and some general TikTok How-to Advice).
ALSO: Follow me on TikTok! I am sadly not @lindork there, I am @lindorable (still cute).
My husband Mike would also probably want me to shout out to his account too lol @mikethyking.
30 TikTok Dances a Day Challenge
Day 1: Hit Every Beat
@lindorable##hiteverybeat while ##socialdistancing
Day 2: Suicidal
@lindorable Learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 2. 🙃 (i am not a dancer so this is all very new but fun to me lol)
Day 3: Sunday Best
@lindorable learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 3, featuring @tylerjackbutler virtually!! slight lag lol no biggie
Day 4: Blinding Lights Challenge
@lindorable Learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 4. ##BlindingLightsChallenge @mikethyking
Day 5: Ghen Cô Vy (Vũ Điệu Rửa Tay) – Vietnamese Coronavirus Handwashing PSA Dance
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a day, Day 5: wash your hands to this bop!!! Vietnamese Coronavirus PSA. ##vudieuruatay ##ghencovychallenge ##handwashingmove
Day 6: Horseback Ride
(not technically a dance, but a fun trending challenge at the time)
@lindorable learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 6. @mikethyking says this counts as a dance. 😂🐴 ##HorseChallenge
Day 7: The Alternative Woah Challenge
@lindorable learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 7. The Alternative Woah by @realadamrose!! ft. Artie. ##tiktokdanceaday ##AlternativeWoahChallenge
Day 8: See You Again
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a day, Day 8! ##seeyouagain ##mileycyrus @mikethyking
Day 9: Why is Everything Chrome?
@lindorable Learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 9!! Why is Everything Chrome? ##tiktokdanceaday
♬ Why Is Everything Chrome (Lean Swag Rock Wit It) – King Critical
Day 10: Relationship
(this was filmed pre-pandemic but wanted to include with my daily challenge / as a popular TikTok dance you should try!)
@lindorable thanks to my friends who immediately said yes when i said i want to do tiktok dances with them ❤️ ##fyp ##foryou ##bridesmaids ##besties
Day 11: Gimme Some
@lindorable
Learning a TikTok dance a day, Day 11! ##gimmesome ##tiktokdanceaday
Day 12: Renegade (Lottery)
(this was filmed pre-pandemic, at Mike and my vow renewal, but wanted to include with my daily challenge / as a popular TikTok dance you should try!)
@lindorable Renegade Vow Renewal! 🥰😍 @mikethyking
Day 13: Dura Challenge
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 13!!! ft puppet master @mikethyking.
Day 14: Funky Town
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 14! ##FunkyTown with @MikethyKing. ##fyp ##couplesoftiktok
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 15! ##fliptheswitch with @mikethyking 😂 ##fyp ##tiktokcouples @edmontonoilers
♬ Nonstop – Drake
Day 16: Out West
(this was filmed pre-pandemic, but wanted to include with my daily challenge / as a popular TikTok dance you should try!)
@lindorable This draft with my cute parents from pre-pandemic times is Day 16 of Learning a TikTok Dance a Day!!! ##parentsoftiktok ##cuteparents ##OutWest
Day 17:
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 17! @mikethyking ##coupleswhotiktok
Day 18: Treasure
@lindorable 🐶 Artie’s face at the end. 😂 ##dogsoftiktok. Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 18. I need to work on my woah, I know lol
Day 19: Learning how to properly Woah
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 19 ##duet with @thealexjordyyn thanks for teaching how to woah!
Day 20: Come Around Me
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 20! dueting with @justinbieber. 😎 lol ##fyp ##comearoundmechallenge
Day 21: Get Busy
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 21! ##getbusychallenge. ##fyp
Day 22: Your First Move is Their Last Move
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 22: your last move is their first move Challenge. ##tiktokdanceaday ##fyp @mikethyking
Day 23: Walked In
@lindorable Learning a a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 23! just doin my best over here lol ##tiktokdanceaday ##walkedinthehouse ##fyp
Day 24: Intentions
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 24. ##Intentions by @justinbieber, dance by @jeffreychangofficial! ❤️🥰 ##fyp finally a dance without a woah lolz 😂
Day 25: Paparazzi
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 25!!! ##paparazzi by @nickandsienna, dance by @charlidamelio. 🥰 ##fyp
Day 26: Don’t Start Now
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 26! ##DontStartNow by @dualipaofficial. One of many moves I still can’t do: a body roll lol. but I’m having fun ok
Day 27: Supalonely x Glitter
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 27! Olive’s turn to be unimpressed 🐶 lol.
Day 28: Full House Challenge
(this technically isn’t a dance but I count it as a popular TikTok Challenge)
@lindorable Things are going well in the Isolation House. 🏡😅 ##FullHouse ##FullHouseChallenge ##FullHouseThemeSong ##fyp
Day 29: Blueberry Faygo
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, Day 29!!!! with @mikethyking 💙 Getting out of the way so Mike can shine. lol
Day 30: That song they play at the pool on your Mexican / Cuban resort vacation lol
@lindorable Learning a TikTok Dance a Day, DAY 30!!! with @mikethyking. My 30-day Challenge is officially over but I’ll still be TikTokking! 🥰🎉 ##fyp
Thanks for watching my versions of popular TikTok dances!
I am *not* a dancer and I was honestly always envious of dancers growing up, so personally I love TikTok because it really lets you be so creative and have so much fun, just from the comfort of your own home.
Even though my 30-day Challenge is over, I am definitely going to continue doing dances and fun challenges using the app. There are SO many to do!! And it has brought me tons of joy and I hope it does for you too!
If you are interested in learning your own TikTok dances, below are some tips / a process I started following to help me learn:
Tips for Learning TikTok Dances
- Add Sounds to Favourites: As you browse your For You page (TikTok’s main “news” / video feed), and you come across a dance or song you like, tap the spinning record/disc in the bottom right corner. It will open up sound information, a feed of other videos that have used the same sound, and give you the option to Add the sound to your Favourites, which you can then easily access later in your Favourites. This is how I would save sounds (dance sounds or skit sounds) for later, so it ended up compiling an easy list of potential dances to learn all in one spot (my Favourites). You can access your Favourites by clicking the bookmark tab icon on your profile (under your profile picture/name).
- Follow TikTok dance tutorial accounts! These are accounts solely dedicated to breaking down dance moves of popular TikTok dances/sounds. Often it includes word prompts to help you remember what move to do, and sometimes they do slow motion versions as well. The more you follow, like, engage with these dance tutorial accounts, the more TikTok also starts to show you these accounts in the For You / feed page.
- As mentioned above, often people will learn just by watching videos on repeat, stopping, and repeating moves. Increasingly, these dance tutorial accounts have become popular and there feels like there’s no shortage of accounts you can follow for tips on how to do certain moves. Below are just a few I started to follow during my 30-day Challenge:
- Follow popular TikTok creators. As I mentioned, these popular creators are often why a dance goes viral on TikTok. You may have heard of Charli D’Amelio, she is a lovely teenager whose entire life has changed because her dance TikToks went viral on the app. In just a year she’s amassed nearly 50 million followers (as of April 2020, I’m sure this number will change quickly). People love to see Charli’s dances (she is a dancer herself) and her videos doing popular TikTok dances tend to go viral. She is one of many popular TikTokkers who do dances. I enjoy following them because they are SO good at dancing (lol) but also they have so much fun (at least it looks that way lol). So when learning TikTok dances I usually start with watching a dance video from a popular creator, then make my way to a tutorial video. Here are just a few really talented dance TikTokkers you could follow (and yes I’m aware they are all members of The Hype House, a popular TikTok creator collective and I know there are other talented dance TikTokkers but these are just a few of them):
- Have fun! The classic cheesy, but necessary to say tip. Have fun with it! It feels really good when you nail a dance / dance move, but don’t stress if it’s taking you too long to learn. It’s also okay to post an okay version, maybe not a totally perfect dance. Also feel free to revise and pop in your own moves to popular dances! I feel like I am terrible at the woah, and as mentioned, I really don’t know how to roll my body, lol, so sometimes I substituted moves. That’s okay too. Maybe you’ll even want to / start creating your own TikTok choreograhy!!
So that wraps up my TikTok Dances blog post. I hope you found it fun, maybe it made you smile, or maybe you got some good ideas / direction for how to get started on learning and posting your on TikTok dance videos! I am fully aware that at Age 30, I am an “older” TikTok user (though with the pandemic, a lot of parents/families are starting to get on the app through their younger family members so I’m not necessarily the *oldest* person on the app) but hey, old-er people can have fun on TikTok too!
Stay safe and stay positive everyone!
Also:
#StayStrongStayConnected!
As I mentioned, when I started doing my TikTok dance challenge, I just did it for me, for you, for fun!
When TELUS reached out to ask if I could share how I #StayStrongStayConnected for their digital campaign, my first thought went to these TikTok videos! I mean, I’ve also been doing virtual game nights and video chats, but the TikTok dances really have been keeping me + others positive and connected too.
I meant what I said as well when I wrote that as a #TELUS_Partner, I highlight the different amazing initiatives TELUS is up to. Like, I was proud to hear they had waived Internet overage charges and Easy Roam, Pay Per Use roaming charge through to end of April and are offering payment plan options for those financially affected by the pandemic. They even have an Internet for Good program in Alberta and B.C. to offer low-cost Internet services for families in need!
Until next blog everyone!
Linda
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Disclaimer: As a year-round #TELUS_Partner (ambassador), I’m often sharing about the things I love about TELUS, including its initiatives to help those affected by the pandemic! This does not impact opinions stated in this post. I’m so proud to be a TELUS ambassador!