Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series that explores the question "Why Are Some African American Social Dances With The Same Name Performed Differently By African Americans In Different United States Cities, States, or Regions?"
The "Percolator" social dance is used in this series as an example of this custom.
This post showcases two YouTube videos of what some discussion thread commenters claim are "old school"* versions of the "percolator" dance.
This post also presents information about Detroit, Michigan's television dance series The New Show that documents African American teens and young adults performing dances that some people identify as the percolated. A film clip of that television series is one of the two videos that are showcased in this pancocojams post.
This post also presents selected comments from the discussion thread of those two showcased videos. Some of those comments specifically refer to how that dance is performed in that video. Other selected comments from those discussion threads provide some information about the percolator dance and/or information about and remembrances of African American culture during the 1990s and/or since that time.
*In the context of this pancocojams series, "old school" versions of the percolator mean versions of that dance that were performed in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States from the early 1990s to around 2000s. "New school" means versions of that dance that were/are performed differently from that dances' original performance styles anywhere in the United States since the early 2000s, but particularly those versions that have been performed differently since the 2020s.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/why-are-some-african-american-social.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information and opinions about why African Americans have in the past and in the present refer/red to certain social dances by the same name but may have performed (and may now perform) those dances differently depending on what city, or part of the same city, or state/region in the United States that they live/d in (within the same period of time and/or during later periods of time).*
* Some African American social dances may have different names in different cities/regions of the United States. However, that custom isn't the focus of this particular pancocojams series.
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Click ___ for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases several YouTube videos with selected comments from their discussion threads of examples of social dances that claim to be the Percolator.
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
In the context of this pancocojams series "old school" versions of the Percolator includes other versions besides the original versions that were created in Chicago, Illinois.
**
The dates for "old school" social dances that I'm using in this pancocojams series are probably wider than that referent is usually defined by African Americans.
**
It's difficult to showcase YouTube examples of "old school" versions of the percolator dance because there were/are so many ways of performing that dance and there has never been any agreement about which old style/s of dancing actually represent that dance.
This lack of consensus about what constitutes the percolator's dance s reflected in most YouTube video discussion threads for videos of that dance. In almost all videos-including the two YouTube videos in this pancocojams post, some commenters praise the dancing and indicate that they are examples of the percolator while at least one commenter and usually many more commenters denounce the same dancing. Also, in most YouTube video discussion threads of the percolator some commenters write that those examples aren't the "real" percolator and/or "the right way" and or the "old school" way or ways of doing the percolator.
I selected these two videos of the percolator to showcase in this post based on their visuals and -even more that the visuals themselves- the content of these videos' discussion threads.
These showcase videos are presented in chronological order with the oldest published video given first.
Showcase Video @1 presents a film clip of a dance segment from The New Show, a Detroit, Michigan television series that featured African American teens dancing.
Here's some information about The New Show
from AI Overview
"The New Dance Show (often referred to as "The New
Show") was a cult-classic, locally produced Detroit television dance
series that aired from 1988 to 1996.
Overview and Origins
• Creators: Created and hosted by R.J. Watkins and produced
by Henry Tyler.
• Predecessor: It was a direct spin-off of The Scene,
another legendary dance show hosted by Nat Morris that ran on WGPR-TV from 1975
to 1987.
• Station: Broadcast primarily on WGPR-TV Channel 62 in
Detroit—the nation’s first Black-owned and operated television station—before
later moving to other local outlets like Highland Park's public access and
cable channels.
Style, Music, and Vibe
• The Music: Unlike Soul Train, which focused heavily on mainstream, radio-friendly R&B, The New Dance Show became a pioneering time capsule for Detroit techno, Chicago house, electrofunk, Miami bass, and ghetto-tech.
• The Dancing: It featured regular local teenagers and young
adults doing high-energy dance lines, freestyle street moves, high kicks, and
hip-locks. Regular dancers (such as LaWanda Gray and Jesse "The
Body") became hometown celebrities overnight.
• Aesthetic: Known for its delightfully lo-fi, DIY studio
aesthetic, R.J. Watkins’ signature fast-paced editing matched camera cuts
directly to the beat of the underground tracks.
• Catchphrase: Host R.J. Watkins famously signed off with
the mantra, “Keep it movin’, keep it groovin’.”
Cultural Legacy
• The show served as a crucial visual and
auditory platform for the emerging global Detroit techno and electronic music
culture, introducing cutting-edge underground sounds directly to local youth."...
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #1- The Percolator
Aseagris, Feb 16, 2007
TRACK: The Percolator
ARTIST: Cajmere (name changed to "Green Velvet")
-snip-
Selected comments from the discussion thread of this YouTube video (with numbers added for referencing purposes only.)
2007
1. @tropicalpancake56
"I love the Percolator!
Thank you Aseagris!!!!x"
**
2. @cdm021
"The girl in the red, the girl with the braids, and the dude
in the black were my favorites. Everybody else could've sat down. but those
three were gettin it."
**
3. @RegCrowd
"I remember watching this and dancing to the music. I
couldn't wait to get old enough to go on the show. It stop before my time. Boy
that was a year."
**
4. @igouge
"This song has been stuck in my head for the last 16 or so
years thanks to the New Dance Show."
**
5. @MercedesSantiaga
"This is so old school its not even funny. I saw a few dudes
with high top fades and gumbys. Please don't tell me this is Detroit in 2007,
im begging you. That said they KILLED it, made me want to get up and percolate
lol. Even though, chicago has a different style of percolate (if your'e good
you do the tramp split) lol"
****
2008
6. @ccricers
"The first time I heard Percolator was in grade school- some
dance group came to perform and one of them said to prepare for the future of
music. After the show I knew this was my type of music."
**
7. @Jolar70
"GOD BLESS "THE NEW DANCE SHOW"! I know "The Scene" came first, but
this sh-t* is CRAYZEEE!!!!! Detroit is AMAZING!"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled in that comment in that discussion thread.
**
8. @Adamoda14
"Now I know why Detroit defines the height of American
culture."
**
Reply
9.@runway2007
"but this kind of musik was born by chicago's house musik"
**
10.@BaldAmbition
"The girl with the braids at the 02:00 mark wins. LOL"
**
11. @OTERO81
"Chi town sh-t* right there son"
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in that discussion thread comment.
****
2009
12. @notoriouslyNAY
"datz they original percolator"
**
13. @Darkcloud935
"How old is this?"
Reply
14.
"@doa1120 Judging by the clothes I'd say 1992 or 93!"
**
Reply
15. @TheMsKHall004
"dis da 90s boo boo"
**
16. @X-101
"You know how old this video is and how old this track is? it
came out in 1992 been funny seeing these vids on utube wondering how this
tracks spread :D"
**
17. @alexisp18
"That is not the damn Perculator!!!!"
**
18. @liljeff2008
"LMAO. THIS OL SCHOOL ASS VIDEO"
**
19. @RioXavier
"Worst video quality ever. What is this VHS?"
**
20. @alluring1one
"Oh hell naw. All these dancers are weak. The only one that
made an effort was the guy in the stripes that got on the floor.
Although props to Public Access TV Detroit? for playing this
song. hahaha"
**
Reply
21. @mspubquiz83
"lol dont even try dissin this"
**
22. @LINDASCHANNEL
"WHAT IS A PERCOLATOR ???"
23.
"The girl with the braids owned everyone before and shut down everyone after"
****
2010
24. @devlino
"This is classic material. I used to watch this show just
about every afternoon after school. Why was this on in the middle of the
afternoon? So not a good time for a dance show!"
**
25. @SlikkTim
"Cajmere is from Chicago son..."
-snip-
Cajmere composed and recorded "Percolator". He later changed his screen name to "Green Velvet".
**
26. @Cynicalese
"zelma12312, This track was adopted by Baltimore Club &
Philly Club music fans. It's actually a House Music track. I remember hearing
it almost twenty years ago. The footage of this video is early 90's and that's
around the time that 'Percolator' track came out by a DJ from Chicago. This was
probably the track that lead to the Baltimore and Philly club music scene.
****
2011
27. @Dom_Zero0
"i used to watch this show.. on the public acess channel.. 60
something or 38"
**
28. @nessam72
"LOL....You took Me way back on this! I still love it!"
**
29. @slickhector
"Oh, the memories. In
Grade 6, in small town Ontario, across the border from Detroit, where this show
was made, we used to make fun of how low budget this show was when it came on
the TV after school. Must have been
about 1988. That blue neon signage just
kills me, and was way past its prime even then."
**
30. @mostwanted11
"Ole boy at 3:30 almost got a 'jit' off. Classic 90's detroit
sh-t*
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled on in that comment.
-snip-
"The Detroit Jit (or "Jitting") is a high-energy, fast-paced street dance style that originated
in Detroit, Michigan, during the 1970s and 1980s (source: https://www.facebook.com/VisitDetroit/videos/no-one-makes-the-world-move-like-detroit
**
31. @marailius
"who used to make this beat on the lunch table?"
****
2012
32. @MDplaful
"The dude @ 2:28 is the best! He destroyed it. Ah, I miss the 90's."
**
33. @RealRayaRose
"all the lyrics is is its time for the percilator like 50
times duhh"
****
2013
***
2014
****
2015
****
2016
****
2017
34. @gingerbreadgal30
"No matter where you are when this joint comes on
, you immediately stop what you doing and start dancing"
**
35. @MikeAbe100
"Love this song so much, Makes you want to get up and boogie,
woogie, woogie, till you just can't do it no more ;)"
**
36. @metalmatic8993
"Weakest percolators ever"
**
Reply
37. @QUICKNESSN3
"Metal Matic I said the same thing. Before reading your
comment, I said, "Where did they get these oeopke from? Is that the best percolator they can do?
I actually never seen one person do the percolator in this
video. Or if they did, it was so mundane, that it went right pass me. Lol."
****
2018
38. @YouKnowHowIDo420
"before twerk there was perc"
**
39. @pamelahendricks1637
"Ppl have diff versions of this dance"
**
Reply
40. @slloyd5124
"Yup it's regional. Chi town is pretty good tho, lookup
"Percolator-chi town"
-snip-
"Chi-town" = "Chicago, Illinois"
**
41. @mathisbailey794
"It used to fascinate me whenever I saw guys Jit to this mix.
1:08 ...always appreciated the footwork."
****
2019
****
2020
42. @markeitajohnson8495
"I use to watch this show faithfully in Detroit as a
youth. Classic"
****
2021
****
2022
43. @QUICKNESSN3
"This is not Chi/G.I. (the rink) percolator I know. shrugs
shoulders"
****
2023
44. @mlayne2022
"I remember watching this show in High School. This song was 🔥
at every event"
**
Reply
45. @RomyIlano
"That dance floor is legendary I wish I was there"
****
2024
46. @JayDeeSea
"Cajmere (Green Velvet) is still playing The Percolator. It isn't going anywhere and we don't want it
to."
**
47. @Authenticjarrette
"Notice their not doing any thing close to the way the do the
peculiar. It evolved over time"
-snip-
"Peculiar" is a mis-spelling of "percolator"
****
2025
48. @andraemoore9258
"Classic 90's Michigan"
**
49. @MatthewSwanson-f5v
"Guy in the striped sweater with red stripes was going to
work. He’s the number one dancer according to me and my 5 yr old and 8 yr old
kids."
-snip-
"Going to work"- a complimentary saying meaning "doing something (in this case dancing) very good" (same meaning as "killed it"; "ate it")
50.
"Probably one of the corniest, goofiest, addicting songs
around"
**
51. @gj4650
"Dude in black and girl with braids killed it"
****
2026
52. @anastasialee5056
" So where did people get them tiktok dances from this?"
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2- It’s time for the perculator
precious common, May 1, 2019
My mom enjoying her Birthday night out with some good ol school house music with my brother in the background as her hype man our mother is all we ever had and she sacrifice having a good time every single day just to make sure everything is taken care of fir our family ...love your mother you only get one
-snip-
Here are selected comments from the discussion thread for this YouTube video, with numbers added for referencing purposes only.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpBE-_QkcEE
2019
1. @themoor66, 2019
"Her son is her hype man for real.😊😊
She getting it!!❤"
**
Reply
2. @kimberlylindsey1205, 2021
"I LOVE HOW HE CHEERING HIS MOMMA ON...."C'MON
MA"...."THATS MY MOMMA".....I LOVE THAT 😍"
**
3. @Setschosen090
"That was the most Brutal Perculation I have ever seen. I got
nothing on that. Repsect."
**
4. @parenthoodparables
"Yeaaaaa she threw dooooooown 🙌☺"
**
Reply
5. @TheCharlaB, 2025
"Now this is the percolator I grew up on"
**
2020
****
2021
6. @veronicamcdowell2371
"That's the percolator"
**
7. @tonyaglenn2116
"She was getting it in. Movin better then them young people. They better be lucky she didn't hit the slits."
**
8. @stampdouglas1461
"See gettin it... "Westside Percolator"
-snip-
"Westside Percolator" = the way the percolator was danced in Chicago's Westside.
**
9. @mrfixit8312
"Chi-Town westside baby"
****
2021
10. @quielaivory9104, 2022
"Go momma go with her bad self!! she wasn’t playing as she tearing up the dance floor."
**
11. @SavvyCarla
"Yessss she did that 🔥🔥🔥🔥"
**
12. @lashawndaruffin9632
"Go Mama)))!!! She was getting it!!! That's how it's done!!! Yaasss!!"
****
2022
13. @ToccaraLHyde
"Waiting on the split"
**
14. @raerae3455
"yes mama show how we used to do it"
**
15. @spicy1ize
"She the Only video I seen do it Properly .... Every other video people Wild Legs going Every which way,just Acting a Fool. 😂😂"
**
16. @fairygamer77
"this sista snapping!!!. my love from West side Chicago. woot. 😍😎😎😎"
****
2023
17. @desmondstrose8582
"She ate it up"
**
18. @heymisswest
"She killed it"
**
19. @WDW100Yrs
"I give her credit for her effort and energy but that's NOT
the perulator lol!"
**
20. @johnharrison5098
"go hed mama.... get low on dey azzzzz🥰🥰🥰🥰"
**
21. @QuandriaLaunese
"Mother not playin wit y’all…. Westside,
ChiTown 🙌🏽🥰"
****
2024
22. @bgknowable
"That last part—those Perc Chi girls
always got us MN girls. Still ain’t😊😂 mad."
****
2025
23. @janicecoleman8239
"I love the fact that her son is her
biggest cheerleader. You go Son. ❤😂❤"
****
This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.
Thanks for visitingpancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
