Charo, 74, Makes Claim That She Created the 'Macarena' Dance Alongside Video of Herself Doing the Moves
Historically, there is some discrepancy over who is responsible for creating the dance
"Macarena" was No. 1 on the Billboard chart for 14 weeks in 1996Charo is taking ownership of a dance that took over the world nearly 30 years ago.
In the mid 1990s, the "Macarena" dance was so inescapable that Gen Xers and many millennials can still do it to this day. There was nary a school dance, cruise ship or club that didn't include the Los del Río hit and a cavalcade of dancers repeatedly shaking their bodies, extending their arms, then turning their palms up, then placing their hands on their shoulders, cradling their head in their hands momentarily, and moving them to their gyrating hips. Heyyyy, Macarena, Ay!
On Wednesday, July 2, the 74-year-old Spanish actress Charo shared an Instagram video of herself performing the famed routine. 'Hola amigos. I want to share with you a little history that I hope you like,' she penned. 'Once upon a time when my cuchi-cuchi was only a kichi-kichi I introduce to America a cute song and dance like aerobic exercise by the name Macarena…" In her native Spanish language, she then encouraged her followers to 'dance, dance, dance' if they're feeling down.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Charo (@officialcharo)
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The story of the song and dance is a little convoluted.
In 1993, Los del Río, a Spanish pop duo, recorded the earworm, and several other groups covered it. The song then got a resurgence in 1995 after the Miami-based Bayside Boys remixed it. The following year, the dance craze surrounding the song took off, propelling it to No. 1 on the Billboard chart for 14 weeks.
Still, the birth of the "Macarena" dance itself is up for debate: Some claim audience members created it, while most others point to Mia Frye, who choreographed the 1996 music video, which featured people of all races and backgrounds doing the oh-so-memorable routine. Charo, though, believes she brought it to the States after being inspired by Flamenco dancing.
In 1996, during Jerry Lewis's MDA Labor Day Telethon, the Tiger by the Tail star even taught the dance to the host, saying, 'I try to teach you Macarena, because it's the No. 1 dance in the world, and I'm the one that started the whole thing.'
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
42 minutes ago
- Fox News
Diddy insider Mark Geragos admits 'the only thing' that surprised him about the verdict
Sean "Diddy" Combs was acquitted Wednesday of racketeering and sex trafficking charges following a two-month-long federal trial. Backed by a "dream team" group of defense lawyers, the rapper was facing life in prison if convicted of the three charges, but a jury handed down a guilty verdict on two of the lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. High-profile criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos – a longtime Diddy acquaintance and father of lead attorney, Teny Geragos – closely followed the case, and told Fox News Digital that the jury "absolutely" made the right decision. More than 10 hours into deliberations, the 12-person jury told Judge Arun Subramanian Tuesday that "unpersuadable" opinions prevented them from reaching a unanimous verdict on the biggest charge. Multiple notes were passed to the court from the jurors, with Judge Subramanian ultimately advising continued deliberations until a verdict was reached. While it was unclear at the time what the verdict was, Geragos admitted to feeling somewhat uneasy. "When I heard they were hung on the RICO and had verdicts on the other four, at first I was not confident until I read the note," Geragos said. "Once I read that note, I figured at that point that they would … I thought that they would hang on because, you know, they use the term, unpersuadeable jurors on both sides. "That indicated to me that they had split the verdicts on the other four counts. The only thing that surprised me is how quickly they came back on the RICO with a not guilty." The following morning, roughly two hours into deliberations, jurors reached a verdict and found Diddy not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, with guilty verdicts on both counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The judge joked that he assumed Diddy did not want to return to MDC Brooklyn, to which the rapper shook his head very exaggeratedly and then looked up with his hands together as if praying. After the judge left, Diddy knelt down with his arms on the chair in front of him. He then got up, faced the gallery and started clapping. The courtroom opened up in applause and cheers for him. WATCH: Criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos weighs in on Diddy trial A hearing next week will determine a sentencing date where Diddy could face up to 20 years in prison. The government requested a term between 51-63 months, while Diddy's defense is seeking a 21-27 month term. Still, Geragos guessed both of those numbers were far off base. "Frankly, I think this case isn't worth anywhere close to either of those calculations. But even if he gets it, he's a prime candidate for some of the federal programs that are out there actually initiated by this administration and this administration's prior iteration," Geragos said. "So there are programs there that he could take advantage of, and I'm sure he will. I mean he's had enormous amount of time – I call it a time out – and he's used it productively. He's reading, he's thinking, he is talking. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I think in retrospect, when he's out, it'll be very, very productive." It's unclear when Diddy will be sentenced and what term he faces following the court victory, which Geragos chalked up to the defense team setting the framework before testimony even began. "I've always said that cases like this are won or lost in jury selection, and so I think that the jury selection was instrumental," Geragos said. "And then look, I'm biased. I think that my daughter delivered the opening statement and, frankly, from where I sat, and I watched it, I don't think the prosecution ever recovered from that opening statement. There are a lot of studies that say jurors make up their minds 90% of the time after the close of the opening statement." Geragos added, "And by the way, I don't want to denigrate Mark Agnifalo. He did a tour de force on that closing that had him literally rolling in the aisles. So it was a pretty amazing book end." During opening statements of Diddy's trial, which began on May 5, Teny asked the jury to consider the federal charges, not the choices of an at-times violent man. "Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case," Teny told the court. "This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. This case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships. This case is about those real-life relationships, and the government is trying to turn those relationships into a racketeering case, a prostitution case and a sex trafficking case. It will not work." She noted that Diddy "has a bad temper" and at times gets "so angry or so jealous that he is out of control," but she emphasized that the "Victory" rapper was not charged with "being mean." "He is not charged with being a jerk. He's charged with running a racketeering enterprise," Teny said. "And though there was violence that you are going to hear about, you already have, that violence is not part of any RICO. That violence is not connected to sex trafficking and that violence is not prostitution."
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
What Time Is ‘A Capitol Fourth' 4th Of July Special? How To Watch
Fourth of July, US Independence Day fireworks are seen over the US Capitol and National Monument in ... More Washington, DC on July 4, 2013. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo by Paul J. RICHARDS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images) America's annual 4th of July celebration A Capitol Fourth is airing on free TV and streaming on Friday. Where can you watch the festivities live? The official summary for A Capitol Fourth notes that 'the all-star event features patriotic and musical performances across genres, including pop, country, R&B, classical, and Broadway, with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of premier pops conductor Jack Everly. 'The 45th anniversary of A Capitol Fourth, the National Independence Day Celebration, will be capped off by the greatest display of fireworks for America's biggest birthday party." A Capitol Fourth will begin airing on free TV on all PBS stations on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The event is also streaming on the PBS app, and on PBS' YouTube channel, which is embedded below. Who Is Performing During 'A Capitol Fourth' On The 4th Of July? In addition to the National Symphony Orchestra, A Capitol Fourth will also feature several performers. Scheduled to play at the event are the iconic pop group The Beach Boys, gospel legend Yolanda Adams, country music star Josh Turner and jazz star Trombone Shorty. Also scheduled to perform at A Capitol Fourth is the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame singing group The Temptations, Christian music performer Lauren Daigle, the hit country music duo LOCASH and 2024 American Idol winner Abi Carter. In addition to a fireworks celebration at A Capitol Fourth, the event will feature the Choral Arts Society of Washington, Patrick Lundy & The Ministers of Music, The United States Army Band, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the Joint Armed Forces Chorus and the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery. A Capitol Fourth will be hosted by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star and Dancing with the Stars TV host Alfonso Ribeiro. A Capitol Fourth begins airing on broadcast on PBS on Friday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and will stream live on the PBS app, and on PBS' YouTube channel.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Pop star Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom split after six-year engagement
Pop star Katy Perry and British actor Orlando Bloom have split, several media outlets reported. The pair 'have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting' and will continue to be seen in public with their daughter, according to a statement cited by platforms including People and USA Today. The statement, attributed to representatives for both stars, said their priority would be raising their daughter with 'love, stability, and mutual respect'. It comes a week after reports of the couple's break-up swirled ahead of the wedding of billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos, which Bloom attended alone. Perry has been on a world tour. Perry, 40, and Bloom, 48, have been romantically linked since 2016. The pair split in 2017 but rekindled shortly thereafter, getting engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019, as Perry revealed during an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In 2020, the pair welcomed a daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. Perry and Bloom got Unicef to announce the news on its Instagram account. Both are goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations agency for children. Bloom and his former wife, Australian model Miranda Kerr, have a son, Flynn, who was born in 2011. Daisy is Perry's only child. Perry, born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, was previously married to comedian Russell Brand. Born and raised in California, the 13-time Grammy Award nominee helped usher in the sound of Noughties pop, quickly becoming one of the best-selling artists of all time for her campy, big, belting anthems. She has released seven studio albums, most notably 2010's sugar-sweet Teenage Dream. The album produced five US number one singles, tying a record set by Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. Bloom, who is from Canterbury, is best known for his roles as the elf Legolas in The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit films as well as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
