Viral Baby Shark dance has Long Island kids singing and showing off their moves
The Baby Shark song has had more than 1.5 billion views on YouTube. Credit: Pinkfong's Baby Shark YouTube video
Utter the words “Baby Shark” to Long Island kids this summer and they're likely launch into the viral dance craze.
“It’s very catchy. It’s easy to do,” says Jackie Nelson, a teacher at Encore Dance Academy, with branches in Kings Park and Holbrook. Nelson will sometimes have the kids do it for fun during her formal dance classes, which range from Mommy and Me to age 10. “Every age group knows it,” Nelson says.
The words and moves are simple. The song starts with “Baby Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo” and then repeats with different members of the shark family — Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma. Arm movements go along with each family member.
The original Baby Shark Dance was produced by a Korean education startup called Pinkfong, and it mixes cartoon sharks and sea creatures with real kids dancing. That video has more than 1 billion — yes that’s billion — views.
“I like the tune,” says Elizabeth Alderson, 34, of East Meadow, whose daughter, Lily, 5, will ask the family’s Alexa to play the song for her. “She does it frequently,” Alderson says.
Liz Weiss, 31, of Ronkonkoma, says her son, Cory, 2, watches the dance on YouTube. “He actually can follow the prompts pretty well if he sees it on the screen,” Weiss says. “It’s pretty cute.”
Mommy Moves of Long Island offers baby-wearing dance fitness classes to Long Island moms, and the moms even like to do the Baby Shark dance in class, says owner Cristy Toscano of Rockville Centre. “We try to brainstorm ways for moms to get a workout while the kids are having fun,” Toscano says. “We like to do the viral popular dances.”
Lily Alderson, 5, of East Meadow, demonstrates a move from the Baby Shark dance. Credit: Elizabeth Alderson
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
