THE 30-second clip begins with one figure, usually helmeted or masked, dancing to a catchy mix by Baauer called “Harlem Shake”. The surrounding people appear oblivious to the movement. Fifteen seconds in, the beat drops, a voice says “Do the Harlem Shake”, and everyone starts gyrating manically. Most are suddenly oddly costumed, and waving random objects. Filthy Frank, a video blogger, seems to have uploaded the first version a month ago. A group of Australian teens posted their response. Their version, with more than 20m views, also went viral. Already a parody, it was parodied. A lot. Searching “Harlem Shake” on YouTube now brings 330,000 results.
一段30秒的视频中，通常会有一个带着头盔或面具的人首先出场，跳着一种引人侧目的舞蹈，鲍尔称之为“哈林摇摆舞”。周围的人似乎并没有注意到舞者的存在，15秒过后，音乐骤起，一个声音说到：“跳哈林摇摆舞吧！”，然后所有人都开始抽疯似的打起转来。大部分人会突然身着奇装异服，挥舞着乱七八糟的东西。这类视频最早出现在一个月以前，应该是一个叫“肮脏的弗兰克”的博主上传的。之后一群澳大利亚的小青年模仿拍摄了这段视频并发布到了网上。他们的版本同样广为流传，吸引了2千多万的点击量。这段本就是模仿他人的视频，居然又被海量模仿了。现在在YouTube上搜索“哈林摇摆舞”，可以找出33万个结果。
Some of the copycats have notched up even more views than the original uploads. One, posted by a Norwegian military squad (pictured), has had 52m views. Firemen, athletes (including Manchester City footballers), porn stars, Sports Illustrated models, newscasters, students, office workers and the Simpsons have all uploaded their own versions of the Harlem Shake.
一些模仿视频的浏览量甚至超出了最初版本。比如挪威部队某班上传的视频（如图），吸引了5200万点击量。消防队员、运动员（包括曼彻斯特足球队）、色情明星、《体育画报》模特、新闻主持人、学生、上班族，甚至《辛普森一家》都上传了他们各自版本的哈林摇摆舞视频。
Some have got into trouble for their silliness. According to the National Centre Against Censorship hundreds of American students have been punished for participating in the Shake, with many of them being suspended. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a video made mid-flight. In Western Australia, 15 miners were sacked for filming at work.
一些人因为录制这些犯傻的视频惹上了麻烦。据“反互联网审查国家中心”称，数百名美国学生因为参与录制这些视频而遭到惩罚，很多人甚至被停了课；美国联邦航空管理局正在对一段飞行中录制的视频展开调查；在澳大利亚，有15名矿工因为在工作期间录制视频被解雇。
But this is not the true Harlem Shake, say many in Harlem. Chef Jones, who is in her 50s, remembers the original version. “That’s not authentic. It can’t compete with the Harlem Shake I know,” she says as she moves her shoulders and arms to demonstrate the original move on Harlem’s busy 125th Street. A-tone, a hip-hop historian, says “they share the name but that’s it.” The original dance was created by the late Albert Leopold Boyce (Al B) on Harlem’s basketball courts three decades ago in the early days of hip hop. Sandra Boyce, mother of the original’s creator, bears no animosity toward the meme, however. “Let them do their thing.”
不过有很多住在哈林区的人说，这些不是真正的哈林摇摆舞。年过五旬的琼斯大厨还记得原始版本的哈林摇摆舞。“他们跳的不对，跟我知道的哈林摇摆舞完全没法比。”她一边说一边舞动着肩膀和胳膊，试图向我们展示这种源于哈林区125街的舞蹈应该是什么样。嘻哈音乐史学家A-tone认为：“它们只是名字相同，仅此而已。”最初的哈林摇摆舞诞生于30年前的哈林区篮球场上，是由已故的阿尔伯特·利奥波德·博伊斯（AI B）在嘻哈音乐早期最先发明的。他的母亲桑德拉·博伊斯却并不反感这些米姆式的模仿，“由他们去吧。”她说。
Others in Harlem are angry about it. One fellow, who goes by “CJ”, played on those courts and knew Boyce well. “It’s a disservice to him and to Harlem,” he says. Derek Watson and Patrick Johnson, two residents, concede the meme is funny, but also say “it is a mockery.” Some teenagers uploaded a clip of themselves performing the “Real, Real, Real Harlem Shake” to highlight the difference between the original and what people are doing now. It got a paltry 1.6m views.
但是哈林区的其他人很生气。一个绰号叫“CJ”的人以前跟博伊斯很熟，也曾经在那些篮球场上打过球。他说：“这是在伤害博伊斯，也是在伤害哈林区。”另外两名本地居民，德里克·沃森和派翠克·约翰逊觉得米姆挺有意思，但同时也认为“这是一种嘲弄行为。”有些年轻人上传了一部他们制作的视频，称这才是“最最最地道的哈林摇摆舞”，并强调原始版本的舞蹈和现在人们跳的有区别。这部视频仅吸引了160万人观看。