On Nov. 3, 2010, a video titled “The Interlude Dance” by Ian Goldsmith was uploaded to YouTube. 13 years later, the Interlude dance is still being done. At almost every student Welcome Week since, the incoming freshmen are subjected to learning the dance in the McLeod Center for the first time. It’s played at sporting events, large UNI gatherings and alumni events. But, it may be time to hang up the Interlude and the viral dance crazes of the 2010s.
The 2010s are known for the viral dance crazes that swept middle school winter formals. These included Gangnam Style, the Quan and the Harlem Shake, to name a few. Mixed with the arduous rise of social media and YouTube becoming one of the most visited sites on the Internet, dances spread like wildfire across the greater United States. Thus the Interlude was born, formerly known as one of UNI’s most popular traditions. The Interlude was created in Campbell Hall by a crew of Resident Assistants who created the dance and uploaded it to YouTube. In 2010, the dance took over the campus and spread like wildfire, leading students to perform it at basketball and football games alike.
Since then, many dance crazes have since quieted down. In 2020, TikTok dances blew up. After that, the idea of doing a choreographed dance around large groups of people to pre-set music has dwindled. With this, student favor towards the Interlude has, too. One of the freshmen students’ first interactions with people in their academic class is dancing awkwardly while crowded in one side of the McLeod center while all wearing the same coordinated shirt. Awkward laughs, those who feel too awkward to dance, and anxious glances are exchanged when it’s announced for students to start dancing.
The Interlude will find you at basketball games, football games, and inevitably, homecoming. The Interlude waits till students have their guard down while trying to enjoy a sports outing with their friends to arrive. When the Attack Attack! song starts playing, the dread that fills the student’s hearts is incomparable. Watching as other students meekly try to remember the moves to the age old techno song as it blares in McLeod is enough to bring one back to that freshman year orientation.
The tradition created in 2010 has certainly dated itself, with the dance instructions being filmed in the now shuttered Campbell Hall. Calling the Interlude a “tradition” is a bit of a stretch itself, since the dance has been around since 2010. The Interlude’s time has come to a close. It’s time to let the “trend” die instead of trying to incessantly resuscitate it. The Interlude should be laid to rest once and for all.
