
Calm Down: Nigerian singer inspired a powerful protest in IranAs Calm Down began topping European charts, Lo c's kinetic response began attracting social media users worldwide.
by The Conversation
21-03-2023 11:23
in Entertainment
Rema performing in the US. His hit Calm Down has gone viral in part thanks to a choreographer named Lo c Reyel. image: The Conversation.
On 8 March 2023, five teenage girls uploaded on social media a video of themselves performing the Calm Down Dance Challenge. This is the choreography for the first verse of the Afrobeats hit Calm Down by Nigerian singer Rema (Divine Ikubor).
--
The girls were following people across the world who've made this dance challenge go viral for over a year by uploading videos of themselves dancing to it. With one difference, though: they were dancing in Iran, where it is forbidden to dance in public, especially without the mandatory headscarves for women.
By 10 March, the 40-second video had gained enough notoriety for the dancers to be rounded up by authorities and made to apologise publicly. But the genie was out of the bottle. Their video is still circulating across social media.
ALSO READ: Reeva foundation offers prayers for Riana Pretorius's safe return
--
They're the latest in an escalating series of challenges to the Islamic Republic of Iran, rippling outwards from the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in September 2022. The Iranian woman was arrested for refusing to wear the headscarf in the prescribed manner.
Iranian girls dance to Calm Down. Iranian girls Six months later, Iranian girls are still protesting - but now through a song by an African singer and a dance routine by an African dancer.
A winning combination of music, movement and technology can make dance routines go viral. This was seen, for example, during the COVID pandemic with the South African music and Angolan choreography to the hit song Jerusalema by Master KG.
--
ALSO READ: Cape Town dam levels: Numbers keep dropping - WARNING
In popular culture singers are known by name, but dancers largely remain unacknowledged. So who first dreamt up the Calm Down dance that has catapulted from microblogging fame to joyous defiance of a notoriously repressive regime?
The choreography On 7 March 2022 the now-famous choreography for Calm Down first appeared on the TikTok handle Lo c Reyeltv. The poster was Cameroon-born, Montreal-based Lo c Ngumele Sipeyou, known professionally as Lo c Reyel. He's the founding director of Afro Vybz dance school and in the video he's dancing with five students.
Their short routine coordinates expressive hand gestures with footwork drawn from African street dance styles that globally circulate through teachers such as Lo c. Think Ivorian coup -decal , Nigerian shoki, Ghanaian azonto, Angolan kuduro These local responses to pan-African electronic music constantly combine with Caribbean and African American dance styles to remember and resist the traumas of enslavement, colonialism and policing of the Black body.
Lo c Reyel (right) meets up with Rema, whose song he created an online dance challenge to. Courtesy Lo c Reyel Lo c used these rich resources to interpret a song that had been released less than a month earlier on Rema's debut studio album Rave and Roses.
In a phone conversation with me, as part of my ongoing research into West African dance forms, Lo c described it as a very easy song he felt immediately connected with and could really move to .
Calm down topping charts As Calm Down began topping European charts, Lo c's kinetic response began attracting social media users worldwide. His dance challenge video has, to date, 215,000 likes and 10,500 shares.
Lo c's video is not just shared; countless people of all ages and nationalities learn his steps, record their performances and upload them on social media. From Pakistan to Kenya and now Iran, in solo, couple and group formats, in salwars and sweatpants, hoodies and baseball caps, by hijab-wearers and hijab-rejectors, the videos keep coming - as this TikTok compilation shows. A remixed duet version between Rema and US singer Selena Gomez gave the song a second peak in September 2022. Meanwhile, Lo c's dance challenge continues to captivate globally.
The song Calm down This magic arises from Rema's vocal delivery. His melodic genius transforms the popular B major key with a complex progression of chords. The lyrics twist together the recognisable and near-indecipherable. In the song words and phrases like vibes , calm down and lockdown meet the syntax and vocabulary of Nigerian pidgin ( no dey do yanga and Jamaican dancehall ( shawty ). The fizzy drink Fanta is crafted into an evocative image of desirability ( girl you sweet like Fanta-ooh ). The song pours out like chilled Fanta bubbling up with the unforgettable lo-lo-lo-lo-ve-ve-ve-ve-ve . Its laid back approach decolonises the English language, releasing it for the world to use.
ALSO READ: Air pollution can increase the risk of COVID infection
Rema's official video increased the song's appeal by visualising its storyline. His pursuit of a hot yet humble girl in her yellow dress draws viewers into urban Africa's interiors and streetscapes. Its plotline is universal: a couple struggling to emerge from a group. Lo c's choreography enhances this story. Its hand gestures bring out the meanings swirling around the words. At the same time, legs, waist and pelvis spell out another story: the transformation of African kinetic (movement) codes into street dance styles that became the weaponry of dispossessed youth around the Afro-Atlantic rim.
Dance of joy Calm down challenge Says Lo c:
No matter what our people went through in the past, we are always able to dance with joy.
The body's alegropolitics - its capacity to activ
More from The South African
04/06/2023
African Proverb of the day: 04 June 2023An African proverb reflects and reveals a community's culture that provides a glimpse into its value systems, belief...
03/06/2023
African Proverb of the day: 03 June 2023An African proverb reflects and reveals a community's culture that provides a glimpse into its value systems, belief...
03/06/2023
Poem of the day: The Beauty Of A TreeA poem a day keeps the soul awake! For the most soulful, authentically African poetry on the internet, check out Poem of th...
02/06/2023
Muvhango: Tonight's episode, 2 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Muvhango? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Muvhango soapie right here,don...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Gqeberha: Anathi struggles to keep things with Luzuko normalDon't miss tonight's episode of Gqeberha: The Empire, and watch the latest episod...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Muvhango: Lindelani chases the Vhakwevho out of the royal houseDon't miss out on the latest drama in Muvhango! Muvhango episodes airs on SABC2 fr...
02/06/2023
Tonight on 7de Laan: Maxine invites Zee and Uys to join their girls' costume...
02/06/2023
SKEEM SAAM: Tonight's episode, 2 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Skeem Saam soapie right here...
02/06/2023
7de Laan live updates: Maxine invites Zee and Uys to join their girls' costu...
02/06/2023
Skeem Saam live updates: There's a thorn on Rathebe's side and his name ...
02/06/2023
HOUSE OF ZWIDE: Episode for 2 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of House of Zwide? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of House of Zwide soapie right her...
02/06/2023
SCANDAL: Tonight's episode, 2 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Scandal ? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Scandal soapie right here. Don...
02/06/2023
GENERATIONS: Tonight's episode, 2 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Generations ? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Generations soapie right ...
02/06/2023
UZALO: Tonight's episode, 2 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of uzalo? No problem! Just watch all the latest episodes of uzalo soapie right here, don'...
02/06/2023
House of Zwide live updates: Isaac has a shocking revelationWhat's new on House of Zwide? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your favori...
02/06/2023
Gomora live updates: Tshiamo comes up with a big concept for her matric dance dr...
02/06/2023
Scandal live updates: Jojo struggles to keep his cards close to his chestWhat's new on Scandal? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your ...
02/06/2023
Generations - The Legacy live updates: Anathi doesn't like his colleagues ho...
02/06/2023
Muvhango live updates: Lindelani chases the Vhakwevho out of the royal houseWhat's new on Muvhango? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on y...
02/06/2023
Uzalo live updates: Sibonelo is released from prisonWhat's new on Uzalo? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your favorite television sho...
02/06/2023
Poem of the day: I Am Always There - You're Never AloneA poem a day keeps the soul awake! For the most soulful, authentically African poetry on the internet...
02/06/2023
Netflix releases first 9 minutes of Manifest' season four part twoNetflix has released the first nine minutes of the much anticipated Manifest' seas...
02/06/2023
House of Zwide 2 Teasers - June 2023This month is going to be intense in House of Zwide. Don't plan to miss any episode. Episode airs every weekday from 19:...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Generations: Anathi doesn't like his colleagues holding out on hi...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Scandal: Jojo struggles to keep his cards close to his chestGet to know what's happening on tonight's episode!. Scandal episodes airs on e.tv...
02/06/2023
Tonight on House of Zwide: Isaac has a shocking revelationDon't miss out on what's happening on tonight's episode of House of Zwide and Catch the la...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Uzalo: Sibonelo is released from prisonDon't get left behind, catch up on Uzalo now! Episodes of Uzalo air on SABC1 from Mondays to Fridays at 20...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Skeem Saam: There's a thorn on Rathebe's side and his name is...
02/06/2023
Tonight on The River: Bukhosi's sins continue to bite himWatch tonight's episode of The River and catch the latest episode every weekday at 20:00 on 1 M...
02/06/2023
Tonight on Gomora: Tshiamo comes up with a big concept for her matric dance dres...
01/06/2023
Generations throwback: Samuel and Sharon were one of the best couplesGenerations throwback, according to Thabiso Mokhethi, Samuel and Sharon were one of the bes...
01/06/2023
Uzalo live updates: Nomaswazi struggles to raise Sibonelo's bail moneyWhat's new on Uzalo? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your f...
01/06/2023
Muvhango: Tonight's episode, 1 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Muvhango? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Muvhango soapie right here,don...
01/06/2023
Tonight on Gqeberha: Cebisa wants to stop Anathi from making the biggest mistake...
01/06/2023
Tonight on Muvhango: Vhutshilo is motivated to pursue his dreamsDon't miss out on the latest drama in Muvhango! Muvhango episodes airs on SABC2 from Mondays...
01/06/2023
Tonight on 7de Laan: Aggie and Augusta are there to reassure AlexaDon't miss out on what's happening on tonight's episode of 7de Laan and Catch the ...
01/06/2023
Tonight on Gomora: Pretty learns that her father is aliveDon't miss out on what's happening on tonight's episode of Gomora, and watch the latest epi...
01/06/2023
7de Laan live updates: Aggie and Augusta are there to reassure AlexaWhat's new on 7de Laan? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your favo...
01/06/2023
HOUSE OF ZWIDE: Episode for 1 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of House of Zwide? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of House of Zwide soapie right her...
01/06/2023
Skeem Saam live updates: Ntswaki flips the script on Turf when things get heated...
01/06/2023
SCANDAL: Tonight's episode, 1 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Scandal ? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Scandal soapie right here. Don...
01/06/2023
GENERATIONS: Tonight's episode, 1 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Generations ? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Generations soapie right ...
01/06/2023
UZALO: Tonight's episode, 1 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of uzalo? No problem! Just watch all the latest episodes of uzalo soapie right here, don'...
01/06/2023
Gomora live updates:Pretty learns that her father is aliveWhat's new on Gomora? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your favorite televis...
01/06/2023
SKEEM SAAM: Tonight's episode, 1 June 2023 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch all the latest episodes of Skeem Saam soapie right here...
01/06/2023
Scandal live updates: Vuvu shows kindness to a snakeWhat's new on Scandal? Find out HERE! Stay informed on what's trending on your favorite television s...
01/06/2023
Generations - The Legacy live updates: Mpho sees straight through Luyolo's l...
01/06/2023
Scandal soapie teasers: What's happening this June 2023?This month is going to be intense in Scandal. Scandal! airs on e.tv Mondays to Fridays at 19h30. Don...
01/06/2023
Uganda's anti-LGBTIQ law stirs mixed reactions in the worldPresident of Uganda, Museveni signed an anti-gay bill in May 2023 and challenged by a prominent ...
01/06/2023
Generations: The Legacy Teasers - June 2023What an entertaining month we have in store. Generations the legacy episodes airs on SABC1 from Mondays to Fridays at...