Chicken Noodle Soup

The Chicken Noodle Soup is a variation on the Harlem Shake and the Toe Wop. Originating in Harlem, the dance comes from the song of the same name performed by DJ Webstar, Young B., and The Voice of Harlem. The music is characterized by a pounding low bass club beat. The song was released in June of 2006 and peaked at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100. Due to the song’s popularity, the Chicken Noodle Soup dance became a mainstream phenomenon in the summer of 2006. Another cause of the dance’s rise in popularity was the Internet, where many people put videos of themselves performing the dance on YouTube and Blog sites.

The dance features exaggerated shuffling, arm swinging, and a pantomime of the song's lyrics. Some have claimed the Chicken Noodle Soup dance is racist, as its motions portray those commonly performed in minstrel shows of the early 1900s. The dance is commonly performed at teen clubs, parties, and high school affairs in New York. Some elements of Vogue have been incorporated into the dance, as well.

On December 16, 2006, Justin Timberlake and Kenan Thompson performed the dance in drag on the late-night show, Saturday Night Live. DJ Webstar went on to create “5000”, a song which incorporates four dances in it: Toe Wop, Chicken Noodle Soup, Bad One, and the Harlem Shake. These dances put together have been termed “Gettin' Lite” or “Lockin' In”.

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Region of origin: 

Harlem, NY 

Popularized by: 

DJ Webstar, Young B., The Voice of Harlem