From the 'Hokey Pokey' to the 'Cotton Eye Joe'

Some people love them, some people love to hate them: Participation dances. I’m talking the “Hokey Pokey,” the “Cha Cha Slide” and “Cotton Eye Joe.” Whether it’s in the lyrics or not, everyone knows the choreography. These songs are most often played at school dances or weddings, but every once in a while they might pop up in a roller rink or club.

My high school dances primarily had “Cotton Eye Joe” and “Lip Gloss,” though the “Cupid Shuffle” might have snuck in a few times as well. My parents had songs like the “Chicken Dance” and the “Electric Slide” at their wedding.

I went to a recent wedding reception where “Cotton Eye Joe” was played. I was ready to put my high school dance skills into use, but I was never able to. I learned at that wedding there are apparently numerous versions of the dances for each song.

Upon further discussion with the newsroom, I also learned none of my coworkers had ever heard of one of my school’s classic dances. While most certainly knew “Lip Gloss,” they had never heard of a dance going with it like the other’s I’ve named.

It’s been interesting to see what and how certain things get passed between different schools, seemingly on their own. Senior editor Cheyenne said her school learned the dances in her P.E. class, and they knew two versions of “Cotton Eye Joe,” both the one done at the wedding and the one I know. Meanwhile at my school, we were thrown right in. The songs would start playing at the school dances and you had to learn on the spot, and by the last dance of the year, everyone seemed to know them.

My sister, who is four years younger than me, said that along with “Cotton Eye Joe” and “Lip Gloss” (she went to the same school as me), they had “Cupid Shuffle,” “Macarena” and “The Wobble.”

While I don’t make a habit of going to area high school dances, I was present at a Creston High School dance last year when getting Twirp Birp matching shirt photos. While I wasn’t there the whole time, it was long enough to hear “Cotton Eye Joe.” That was the only participation dance I heard while there.

I’m curious if participation dances are going out of style as many teens learn more intricate moves to various popular songs on TikTok. Participation dances are inherently cringy, definitely not cool, but that’s part of their charm.

On the other hand, maybe these TikTok dances are just the new form of participation dances. While not everyone may know the dance moves, many do. For those that don’t, I’m sure it’s like at my school: by the end of the school year, those that didn’t know them do by now.

It was also fun to see what songs were popular at a modern school dance. While I’m certainly far from old, music tastes change so quickly that the entire vibe of the dance was different than mine were. The songs that made everyone scream and run to the dance floor were songs I remember coming out, like Justin Bieber’s “Baby” or “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction.

Just like the rest of the world, school dances continue to change as the years go by. However, I hope we don’t fully rid ourselves of participation dances. There’s something wonderful about people of all ages getting together at weddings to dance a shared experience from their high school years.