A Perhaps Unplanned 2024 Video Of A White American Man Dancing The "Percolator" Revived Interest In That 1992 Black American Created Dance - Part IV

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part IV of a four part pancocojams series about the Percolator dance.

This post showcases two YouTube videos of Sam Sanchez, a White mane from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped while he was on a cruise in 2024 performing the Percolator dance. That video taping was perhaps without his foreknowledge. 

Selected discussion thread comments from those YouTube videos are included in this post. Most of those selected comments focus on the following two issues:

1. how Sanchez did/does the Percolator dance and whether those moves are authentically the way that some "old school" Chicago dancers performed the Percolator

2. the influence-if any- of race/ethnicity in discussions about why the video clip of Sam Sanchez's Percolator dance went viral in the United States. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/why-are-some-african-american-social.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents opinions about why African Americans  (within the same period of time and/or during later periods of time)* have the same name for social dances that are performed differently depending on what city, or part of the same city, or state/region in the United States that the dancers live/d in. 

*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.

****
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/two-videos-of-what-some-people-claim.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That 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. The second video in that post showcases a man hyping (cheering on) his mother doing a dance that is purportedly the percolator at her birthday.

That post also presents selected comments from the discussion thread of Showcase video #2. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/african-americans-in-2007-in-2019-doing.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos with selected comments from the discussion thread of Showcase Video #2.  

****
The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Sam Sanchez and 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. 
-snip-
On Dec. 11, 2025 Sam Sanchez published a YouTube instruction video entitled "How to hit the Percolator | @itssamsanchez". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSbwzFs1uWw .
Here's the summary of that video:
"Ready to finally learn how to Hit the Percolator the RIGHT way? In this tutorial, I break down the steps so you can hit it clean every time. Whether you’re learning it for a party, TikTok, or just for fun, this video will have you dancing in minutes."
-snip-
I believe that there has always been more than one "right way" to do the Percolator. And even if there were only one right way to do this dance, I  think that Sam Sanchez thinks much too highly of himself that he could instruct people how to do the right moves for this dance.   

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
Part II, III, and IV of this pancocojams series showcases some examples of what the video publishers and some of the commenters in those videos' discussion thread allege is the Percolator dance. 

Some YouTube videos of African American social dances and some commenters in discussion threads of those videos use the terms "old school" or "new school" to refer to how those dances were performed and/or are performed at the time those videos were published.

It's difficult to showcase YouTube examples of  "old school" and "new school" versions of the Percolator dance. Two reasons for this difficulty is that 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.

With regard to the Percolator dance, "old school" means the way that dance was performed when it first was created in 1992, or the way that dance was performed in the 1990s to around 2000.

The meaning of "new school" with regard to the Percolator dance is more difficult to define since the dance styles that were "new" when that video what was filmed or taped were "old" when those videos were published on YouTube.

What those videos document is that there were (and there continues to be) multiple ways that the percolator was/is danced. Also, there was and still is a lot of disagreement about what dance moves are actually the Percolator dance. 

**
The lack of consensus about what constitutes the percolator's dance is 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.   

****
SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
I'm showcasing the video that was published in 2025 first because that is the video that began the public's interest in Sam Sanchez dancing what is alleged to be the Percolator.

SHOWCASE VIDEO #1- Guy is dancing the percolator on a yacht!

@BVIRAL, March18,  2025
-snip-
Here's some selected comments from the discussion thread for this YouTube video short (numbers are added for referencing purposes only).  

https://youtube.com/shorts/ImNbdGo3x9w?si=UB_-ei-bSCmKQfQA

2025

1. @EryckDavis170
"Well I know who's the show stopper. The rest of them should have stayed in their seats."

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2. @angiadiamonte4632
"He dances weird lol"

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3. @CELERYLAWN
"This looks like a great time"

**
4. @NicoleMorgan
"Is it me, or is he the only guy in the place? 😂"

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Reply
5. @elitetrainerjay2737
"Looks like a singles night , usually always more women than men"

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6. @SpartanWarrior4545, 2026
"why is it all women? We need more context for this video. I wonder if he is one of the ship staff, like a booze cruise maybe."

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7. @MaryHastings-g4m, 2026
"no he's not the only man they  show  some men throughout but he probably the only one that's bold enough to get up and dance"

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8. @antoinettelabaeka4353
" still have no clue how this Chicago sh-t* made it all the way to Fort Lauderdale FL and my sis was the best at perculating lol."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this discussion thread comment.

****
2026

9. @BrianJohnson-du6pj
"Bruh is killing it!!!"

**
10.@Harleyquinn9191
"Josh gone do it everytime"

**
11. @darnellusmc3362
"Must be from the mid-west with that foot work, not to mention the song period lol. He was getting it"

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12. @loriann4365
"That's a BopMore club mix"

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13. @weewee1948
"Shimmied his way to the cool kids side of the room 🕺🏼"

**
14. @peteantonio1601
"he been dancing for a while, he too good,"

** 
15. @SandyCandy-vu7wh
"Josh left them in a room filled with smoke baby!❤️‍🔥👏👏👏☺️😜"

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16. @RootinTootinShootinGeechie
"LMAO!!! This is Bob from HR (video that went viral) grandson.😂"

**
17. @catchthisbuck
"Yeah he's definitely invited to the cookout!"

**
18. @joemoe05
"In this world of chaos right now this made me smile so hard🎉❤"

**
19. @LakeshaLuckey-b3e
"This Chicago for you!!"

**
20. @AldermanFredCDavis
"This is like the Leo DiCaprio wedding reception dance scene in, "Wolf of Wall Street".  I could watch this on a loop.....ALL.  DAY.  LONG!"

**
21. @jencoffee4013
"Next stop? Hollywood!🎉😂"

**
22. @BeachBall102
"Great moves! You know he was popular during this cruise. Looks like a fun time!"

**
23. @danab333
"Bro broke all prejudices, stereotypes, and proved we're one race The Human Race with in minutes. My guy!!"

 **
24. @christophergee109
"Let me guess you want to invite esau to the cookout now.smh"

**
25. @Cythefireguy
"He's invited lmao"

**
26. @jaywholoveseveryone1721
"This ain't the Detroit percolator."

**
27. @BettyOoop
"Helllll YEAH BRAD… dewww yo shi 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾"

**
28. @timeisnow777
"Won home boy of the night award. 😂"

**
29. @clarencecole6679
"Invited to cookout"

**
30. @1timeloved
"Hype him up"

**
31. @nikkie7513
"Ayeeeeee!!!"

**
32. @Jaxire1421
"Alright Percolating Parker....❤❤❤"

**
33. @figi9
"That boy from Chicago!!! Percolator!! Foot Work!! Invite this man to the cookout! #welcome"

**
34. @allbeit
"he got swag"

**
35. @loriann4365
"Dont know how many times I watched this and shared! Invite this man to a BopMore event and let him dance for the City!!!

**
36. @AntonioJoseAngarita
"🔥🏆❤️🥰#Preach!!!🥰❤🏆🔥

🔥🏆❤️🥰#Respect🥰❤🏆🔥

🔥🏆❤️🥰#Family🥰❤🏆🔥

🔥🏆❤️🥰#MuchLove🥰❤🏆🔥

🔥🏆❤️🥰#Legendary🥰❤🏆🔥"

**
37. @Amariiiiie
"All those TikTok videos came in handy."

**
38. @JoeC287
"This has to be The Odyssey (boat) in Chicago"

**
39. @tye-dronetyepo35
"He Family now 😁🤣😁🙏🏾"

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40. @Dollbaby4849
"We as Super Melanin people always go out of our way to make other people feel appreciated and when the tables are turned they find ac way to call the police and say we interrupted their event or either didn’t have permission to be there"

**
41. @QueenMaryMinistries
"When Brad can actually dance🎉"

**
42. @eleasesanchious1034
"Connor is going all the way off!!!! 😂😂😂 y’all wasn’t ready!!"

**
43.  @AbstractDreamz
"White chocolate for sure"

**
44. @alexbroking9252
"I don’t remember this.

We danced this differently in Jersey"

**
45. @Happygirlsmatter
"I smiled so hard watching this"

**
46. @BeautifulMorning-dl6nl
"I love this❤"

**
47. @ggoddess112
"Gotta b from bmore 😂"

**
48. @theflyent7106
"His girlfriend like can't take him anywhere he always extra as hell"

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49. @DiabolikalFollikles
"You know he practiced in the mirror for a zillion years to get it right. That’s dedication. Git it boy."

**
50. @LovelyQ86
"The thing about our peeps is we don't care about the color of the skin all about positive respect peace and happiness when we come together in every color to enjoy ourselves..

 **
51. @BaileyHale-x2r
"He dance better than everybody up in there now what yall gotta say about that😮😂😂😂😂😂"

**
52. @MaverickMediaYT
"I need y'all to act like you seen yt people dance before. I love it every time the same way, it's just not new and I'm tired of y'all inviting people to a fake cookout over this 😑"

**
53. @40boyzdream
"My  boy got this one move"

**
54. @Butterfly5335-s5d
"Lord Have Mercy,  This Child Sure Enough Can Dance! .. WOW! . Love Watching Him Move!  💕💕💕💕👌👌👌"

**
55. @Tina-qp7py
"They love him. He’s a very good dancer."

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56. @gemArsen
"1 & 2 & 1 & 2 & 1 & 2. Now git it, git it, git it. Dude's making all the aunties lose their minds. He's got moves though. I ain't gone lie."

**
57. @tressafuhs3997
"Thought he was going to rip those shorts! 😂"

**
58. @rakeyamcclain7565
"LIL BUDDY AIN'T COME TO PLAY AROUND 🕺"

**
59. @danniellejohnson448
"Is this the same guy that crashed another 80th birthday party too?"

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60. @BooRadleyIII
"I swear it’s the same dude 😭"
-snip-
Click https://youtube.com/shorts/RpfO70Y06R0?si=r6bJ-tBNBAmnXPYL for an example of that YouTube video short entitled "BROS ENERGY IS INFECTIOUS!! CRASHED AN 80 YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY PARTY AND THEY LOVED HIM FOR IT! published by @Jeff Thrasher Speed Bag on April 20, 2026. Everyone who is shown in that party appears to be Black and that man does indeed look like Sam Sanchez although he isn't named in the few comments that are found at this time in that video's discussion thread.

**
61. @JoseVazquez-ut5gy
"We need more of this! This is great!"

**
62. @MrVLC1972
"Look there’s nothing like a white dude who can move to the beat and look like he’s been at the cookout before.  😂😂😂"

**
63. @joemoe05
"In this world of chaos right now this made me smile so hard🎉❤"

**
64.  @BooRadleyIII
"If there's one thing Frat Boi Steve knows how to do it’s Percolate 😂"

**
65. @teejr73
"I'm glad people know it’s time for the percolator!"

**
66. @emeraldc.8796
"He is beyond impressive, love him.

✝️🙏🏽🙏🏼🌟🎶🌟🎵🌟🫶🕊

~60+ yr old lady"

**
67. @JerseySoCal82
"Went from Brad to B-rad in 20 sec 😂."

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Reply
68. @joemoe05
"My boy was Bradicalized.... Now dip baby dip....🎉"

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69. @hipsterdoggo7604
"All the aunties liking him 😅😂"

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70. @lancecolbear1281
"Josh from accounting showed out!!"

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71. @wellfedosfed
"yall cant percolate with josh he gon smoke you everytime 😭💀"

 **
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72. @gp8203
"Bro cuttin UP!😂😂"

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73. @TeeCee-h1s
"😆🤣😂

 With the only moves

    he learned from

         YouTube

   And he is so sure of

          himself"

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74. @triciatrammell713
"@TeeCee-h1sThat’s what I wanted to say but I couldn’t get my words together 🤣🤣🤣Then when he tried to change his moves it wasn’t workin😂"

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75. @jaysdsworldd
"you know everyone gave him crazy nicknames after that"

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76. @shawwtypimp
"White flame"

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77. @alfredopomales7286
"White chocolate 😂"

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78. @itseasytolearn
"As a mixed dude (moms black, pops white) white chocolate is definitely the one you want to hear"

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79. @IAMMYGOD.5858
"Vanilla lightening"

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80. @mdizzle3580
"White smoke"

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81. @melissam325
"Now this is how it should be 🙌 everybody having a good time TOGETHER!!!!!

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82. @lobsternc5706
"It's him! It’s the percolator!" days ago

**
83. @dannyhernandez2203
"Looks like a small boat ride on Lake Michigan in Chicago. (Which it is.)"

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84. @Toneselee
"He cute but he didn't do the actual dance❤"

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85. @NatashaNolan-hq2rd
"His dancing sucks 😂✌️"

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86. @marcusfields8443
"Stop cheering him on please you guys are making it worse. Because he going to try to battle a real one and get his feelings hurt"

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87. @Hookemtocookthem
"Great to see everyone getting along and enjoying life !"

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88. @lvasquez44
"I believe this is one of the City Cruises Chicago - Signature Brunches at Navy Pier. He looks like Sam Sanchez and is well know for doing a good percolator! You go boy!!! ⛴️🕺"

**
89. @allenjohnson5159
"Chicago perc and bmoe id different orebperc is faster"

**
90. @FrecklyBangers
"House Music!  ❤️❤️❤️"

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - We found the percolator guy from the viral video!

WGN News, Jul 3, 2024

Sam Sanchez recently went viral with his Chicago dance moves.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eupCob7JpnM
-snip-
Here are selected comments from the discussion thread for this YouTube video, with numbers added for referencing purposes only.

Notice how some commenters wrote that Sam Sanchez did a Chicago version of the Percolator and other commenters wrote that the dance that he did wasn't the Percolator at all.

2024

1. @claudiasmith039
"Congrats to him but what kills me is we as black people being doing this since its being created from us. But when they take our style its acknowledge as great, unbelievable 👏"

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Reply
2. @actionanimations4879
"The news is highlighting him because he's a unicorn doing it lol"

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3. @jamecia90s
"Wow, when they do it it's a big thing but we been doing this for decades"

**
4. @kennyo673
"doing what? dancing!! if it happens frequently that when he dances he pulls crowd then whys there on one video? they only recorded it once? do you know how many drunk guys at parties do this? this isn't making sense."

**
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5. @actionanimations4879
"@kennyo673  Look at him. Look at the crowd. If there was a pack of lions and there was a zebra hunting within that pack of lions. You would be like that's crazy. It's not that he could dance. It's that you would never expect someone like him to be able to do any of that. It's no different than if you saw some kid in a gym built pretty thin and looked a bit geeky in a gym full of people that look incredibly muscular. Then he benches 300 pounds. That's the shock factor people have. Its just like how everyone focused on The Weatherman from American Ninja Warrior or the viral Dad that knows how to break dance in his 70's or the other News Anchor who is popular on Tik Tok for dancing. It's all about seeing someone you did not be able to expect to do something actually doing it. If he looked like a typical dancer no one would have cared. Yet he looked like he would be better at golf than actually dancing and that's why he went viral."

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6. @gemstar3824
"I think it's because black folks are expected to be naturally gifted dancers and it's highly uncommon to see a white fella that's not terrible at it."

**
7. @AnAdorableWombat1
"Y’all need to grow up! Take it as a compliment."

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8. @beardedbeast9606
"Exactly!!! I’ve been saying this for the longest. It’s highly praised and rewarded when others do it."

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9. @Mythicalniceguy
"Maybe you should stop trying to segregate people. Sounds racist"

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10. @amirahel8199
"What brings me joy is when I see these Gen Z’s and Millennials loving the music and dances from the older generations.  🥰"

**
11. @Marqgtfoh
"Ima say it  .. he went to a black church"

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12. @briana14333
"Right! He describes it as “active.” I know what that’s code for🤭"
-snip-
This comment refers to Sam Sanches's comment in that television interview that when he was growing up he attended a church that was "active."

**
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13. @TizzTv, 2026
"@briana14333  lmfao when he said that i was like ok i feel you bro, because he paused a lil bit"

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14. @satwilliams
"It shows 😅🕺"

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15. @YourFriendlyLocalArsonist
"He's doing the Percolator, that's a dance move from warehouse raves, not Black church."

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14. @Marqgtfoh
"​@SupportYourLocalArsonist  Its a cookout dance in my generation 😂"

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15. @YourFriendlyLocalArsonist
"@Marqgtfoh I'm glad you guys are keeping it alive. Back in the day this was something you did at illegal parties in abandoned buildings lol I'm happy to hear people have kept it relevant."

**
16. @lmars
"We were doing this at school dances in Milwaukee 92/93 and on. I even seen this at a day party in Chicago last year. S/O to him though this made me smile. 😁"

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17. @RicochetMuse
"Right, we been doing this for decades. Both versions of it"
-snip-
The words "both versions" in this comment probably refers to the two versions of the Percolator in Chicago: the Westside version and the Southside version. There are a number of purported versions on YouTube of the way people in the Westside [of Chicago] did the Percolator. I haven't come across any versions to date of how people in the Southside [of Chicago] did that dance. Please share any links to online videos of the "old school" Southside Chicago way of doing the Percolator if you are aware of any videos. Thanks!

**
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18. @skyofthelivingdead
"Ok, want a cookie? This song hasn’t been relevant in decade, the guy is helping bring it back."

**
19. @Tha1NonlySan
"Oh he definitely absolutely 100 percent always raise around black people in the Midwest, I’m from Milwaukee, we are neighbors to Chicago, and I grew up doing all these dances. He is doing the Chicago percolating & footwork FOR SURE!!"
-snip-
"He" in this comment refers to Sam Sanchez.

**
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20. @TowDow3, 2026
"so there's different versions?"

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21. @Tha1NonlySan, 2026
"@TowDow3 Yes. The Midwest does it the original way, similar to this. The east coast has a totally different version, like, a bucking hop."

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22. @TJ-0826, 2026
"@Tha1NonlySan  I'm just now seeing this in my feed. I love this guy's energy and foot work. Wow. Do they do it different on West coast? Seattle Tacoma here"
-snip-
That comment was written in September 2026 and  is the last comment in that sub-thread as of October 15, 2026.

**
23. @Jawwaad1111
"Yeah. This was Baltimore club music in the early 90s"

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24. @YourFriendlyLocalArsonist, 2025
"​@Jawwaad1111 This comes from house music in Chicago a whole decade before it was in Baltimore."

**
25. @MusicloverX88
"Wasn’t phased at all by his dancing. I’m like I’ve been seeing this since the 90s?"

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26. @rawsportstv23
"Black kids been doing this forever no news interview nothing smh"

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27. @phatplates
"It's a normal every day thing for us, when they do it it's historic you have to understand"

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28. @1Skorpia
"Its the footwork for me - i was waiting for it🤣😁"

**
29. @JusSaiyan-o6n
""We been doing this for decades" so has he, guys. So has he lol. It's not about who started it, nowhere in this interview did he say he invented that dance. So stop crying. It ain't that deep. He's not "taking it away" from black people. Enough already."

**
30. @WDW100Yrs
"Sweet kid, not his fault since he wasn't alive in the early 90s when this hit the club scene, but he's definitely not doing the percolator lol 😂😂 we've literally been doing this for thirty years lol

But he has a great personality, obviously a love for dance, and I bet if he knew the real moves to the percolator he'd probably be good at it!! 😊"

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31. @deekid311, 2025
"He actually IS doing the percolator, the RIGHT way. Mainly the arm movements. He's doing it exactly how the originator of the song/dance did it."

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32. @GodzillaKingOfDaMonsters
"Hes doing it wrong anyway   smh"

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33. @djbhe
"Just because he's non black it's a big deal. Stop it!👋"

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34. @1Skorpia
"Mexicans in the hood were jacking it up and rolling  our ankles with the footwork😂"

**
35. @michellehernandez2840
"I'm from Chicago, the home of house music. I was doing the percolator as a toddler in the early 90s."

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36. @BeautifulSpirit777, 2025
"@michellehernandez2840 I’m rom Newark and we have been doing it since the 90’s as well. However this is not the actual dance🤷🏾‍♀️"

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37. @MrBaskins2010
"It’s time for the percolator! Gotta see that video of shawty falling thru a glass table circa 2008. Sam Sanchez invited to the cookout"

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38. @TheFreshPrinceOfSaiyans
"Why does everyone in this comment section live in misery? Just enjoy positive shit and keep your negativity outta here. 😤"

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39. @deekid311, 2026
"TONS of haters in the comments and it's ridiculous. From the comments about him appropriating black dances to "he's not even doing it right", I'm TIRED. Just shut up already, like- 😮‍💨"

*
40.@bodaciousandunapologetic6209
"I saw his video on TikTok too, he's invited to the cookout 😊."

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41. @queencupcake09
"You are the only one to invite him because all the others of your kind are jealous and triggered in the comments."

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42. @carolinablue5150
"Did everything but the percolator."

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43. @theboogieman76-g1t
"Man please I was doing these dances back in the 90s. when white ppl show a little rhythm on camera it goes viral😂"

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44. @plopez8688
"Ain't nothing new here. Can't have nothin'. There's nothing to see here, folks. 🤦🏽‍♀️😂"

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Reply
45. @queencupcake09
"Explain yourself? What was there to have?"

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Reply
46. @GuitarHalo2, 2026
"Must be a slow news day..."

****
2025

47. @BruceGuidotti
"I knew this cat was from Hammond or the south suburbs. 😆"
-snip-
from AI Overview
“Hammond, Indiana is officially part of the Chicago metropolitan area, though its status as a direct "suburb" is often debated because it sits across state lines in Indiana.

“Hammond directly borders the southeast side of Chicago and is roughly 20 to 25 miles from downtown Chicago (the Loop), making it closer to the city center than many Illinois suburbs like Arlington Heights."...
-end of quote-

**
48. @YourFriendlyLocalArsonist
"This dance move originated in warehouse raves in Chicago in the mid 80's. You were late to the party."

**
49. @babybop6048
"​why is he on the news for a dance blk ppl have been doing for years like it's new or something?"

**
50. @BeautifulSpirit777
"But he didn’t actually do the dance"

**
51. @brandonholloman6835
"He got skills !!!"

****
2026

52. @PerfectlyCromulentHandle
"This song takes me straight back to the roller rink in the 90s"

**
53. @bluetrailerproductions7488
"People complaining about how he'a white doing a dance and he gets attention and yadda yadda yadda. Why does everything always have to involve race and skin color and who got the spotlight. Let the man live. He's spreading the joy of the lord and living his best life and happy as possible."

**
54. @Rosie-rx1
"This is cute 🕺🏾 & I loved it, but …. When white (or white passing) people take something from African American culture , other white people LOVEEEE IT… & so do black people. We don’t hate, we’re the most inviting people ever.. even after all we’ve been through.. & still go through from racist white people. BUT then, we get zero recognition 🤔 & somehow STILL we be the most hated group of people. Very mind boggling. It’s so clear that they’re just intimidated by us, that’s all it’s ever been. So they do what they can to try to put us down & keep us down. Also, this is nothing towards the guy dancing… it’s towards all the hype & reactions from people"

****
This concludes Part IV of this pancocojamsseries.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Are These 2010 And 2016 Dances The Percolator Or Some Other Dance/s That Claim To Be The Percolator? Part III

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part III of a four part pancocojams series about the Percolator dance that was first created in Chicago, Illinois in 1992.

This post showcases two YouTube videos of African Americans performing two social dances that allegedly are versions of the Percolator. The 2010 showcase videos was published by Cajmere (aka Green Velvet) who composed and recorded "Percolator" in 1992

Selected comments from Showcase video #2 are included in this post.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/why-are-some-african-american-social.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents opinions about why African Americans  (within the same period of time and/or during later periods of time)* have the same name for social dances that are performed differently depending on what city, or part of the same city, or state/region in the United States that the dancers live/d in. 

*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.

****
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/two-videos-of-what-some-people-claim.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That 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. The second video in that post showcases a man hyping (cheering on) his mother doing a dance that is purportedly the percolator at her birthday.

That post also presents selected comments from the discussion thread of Showcase video #2. 

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-probably-unplanned-2024-video-of.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos of Sam Sanchez, a White male from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped in 2024 performing a dance that is allegedly the Percolator while he was on a cruise. Selected comments from these two videos are included in that post.

****
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. 

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
Part II, III, and IV of this pancocojams series showcases some examples of what the video publishers and some of the commenters in those videos' discussion thread allege are the Percolator dance. 

Some YouTube videos of African American social dances and some commenters in discussion threads of those videos use the term "old school" or "new school" to refer to how those dances were performed and/or are performed at the time those videos were published.

With regard to the Percolator dance, "old school" means the way that dance was performed when it first was created in 1992, or the way that dance was performed in the 1990s to around 2000.

The meaning of "new school" with regard to the Percolator dance is more difficult to define since the dance styles that were "new" when that video what was filmed or taped were "old" when those videos were published on YouTube.

What those videos document is that there were (and there continues to be) multiple ways that the percolator was/is danced. Also, there was and still is a lot of disagreement about what dance moves are actually the Percolator dance. 

**
It's difficult to showcase YouTube examples of  "old school" and "new 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.     
These showcase videos are presented in chronological order with the oldest published video given first.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 - CAJMERE - PERCOLATOR (REWORKED '10) from the "IT'S TIME" album out now!



Green Velvet, Aug 12, 2010

The composer of this song Green Velvet (whose previous screen name was Cajmere) begins dancing at about 1:06 in this video. Other dancers are shown shortly thereafter.
-snip-
Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tONaUyVXHCY

Comments are turned off.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 -Time for the percolator.

@rochellepryor8908, May 30, 2016
-snip-
Here are some comments from this video's discussion thread. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

Notice the commenters' differences of opinion about whether this dance is the Percolator or not. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/UakCCjA1aCI?si=2jDe4ZgH53jQ0joh 

2017

1. @nicolekane897
"Awww get it girl that's what I'm talking about"

**
2. @AntHardaway4
"u killed that lmao"

****
2018

3. @campbellcampbell8268
"Chicago got the real move it's time to settle this Thanksgiving Chicago gone post Michigan post see who's the best"

**
Reply
4. @BPD1586, 2022
"Neither got anything on Baltimore..."

**
Reply
5. @kc-jv1rn, 2023
"@BPD1586 ummm. The originators are always better than the duplicates"

****
2019

6. @OGKennyLee
"That's Katrina! Stephanies daughter!"
-snip-
This is what a woman in this video keeps on shouting. 

****
2020

****
2021

****
2022

7. @WR-qf6co
"This is not the perculator"

****
2023

8. @RoLee705
"What song is in the background?"

**
Reply
9. @mauriciotamez1699, 2025
"green velvet  percolator"
-snip-
Cajmere, the composer/recording artist for this song changed his screen name to "Green Velvet".

**
10. @BenjaminCruz-s9j
"Heyyyy it’s time for the perculator whhattttt CHICAGO in da house !!!!!"

**
11. @marksampson-130
"Aaaayyyyyy"

**
12. @tangicoleman3306
"What peculator is that"

**
13. @tangicoleman3306
"Naw I’m sorry that’s not the percolator and I’m from Chicago …we got 2 percolators the west side and the south side and that ain’t neither 😆😂🤣"

**
Reply
14. @40EntrepreneurDrive
"I'm glad someone hollered out Michigan because we definitely do our dances with a little bit different flavor. Looking up the song and thinking about my childhood in Pontiac 😊"

**
15. @torreyjones6791
"Okay everybody I am from Chicago, and back in the day from 1990 to 1996 I was with a group call House of mattax & another group called U5U juke dance group we was Chicago Street dancers. And I'm telling you right now ladies and gentlemen what she's doing is not the PERKULATOR!!!!"

**
Reply
16. @cyberlycans4191, 2025
"But the beginning is definitely. I'm from Chicago through and through 79th and Cottage 120th and Halsted and the way she starts the percolator is absolutely one of the ways many people used to do it back in West Pullman"

**
17. @torreyjones6791
"Sorry that's not the percolator"

**
Reply
18. @tangicoleman3306
"@torreyjones6791 I just said the same thing we don’t percolate like that 🤣🤣😂"

**
Reply
19. @Dre0924, 2024
"@torreyjones6791 : Watched several "percolator" videos in the row now, and read quite a few comments. You the very first person to say what I was thinking all along. That ain't the percolator I remember. And we (Chicago) had two of 'em."

**
Reply
20. @katrinabrown6811, 2024
"I think she just dancing. Cause I am from Chicago danced in Parade's when I was coming up and this not the "Perculator dance" and I am 46yrs old and still Know all my home town dances of the (Chi) and this aint itttt. But thumbs up to whatever she is doing which look like a mixture of the "slide' 🤷🏾"

**
Reply
21. @cyberlycans4191, 2025
"I'm from Chicago Born and Raised on 77th and Essex and 120th and Halsted and the way she starts the percolator was very common there, really weird to me that so many people are saying that's not the percolator I remember"

**
Reply
22. @NKAB4, 2025
"@torreyjones6791 so am I &nd that’s not at all…I don’t know what she was doing 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️…"

****
2024

23. @djtommyboy100
"That is DEFINITELY not the PERCOLATOR,  not CHICAGO style….. But girl you have some damn good moves, work it ❤"

**
24. @5822huron
"Definitely ain't from chicago"

**
25. @Mr.Burton37
"Stop it jersey been doing this for god know how long"

**
Reply
26. @ktj1220, 2025
"The percolator originated in Chicago from a Chicago DJ back in '92"

**
Reply
27. @NKAB4, 2025
" @Mr.Burton37 I’m sure they have however it originated from Chicago…"

**
28. @lawrencelawrence8553
"She said it like she realized that was Stephanie's daughter off the moves. I guess Stephanie used to cut a rug or two back in the day 😂😂"
-snip-
"Cut a rug" is an old African American phrase that means "do social dances, especially do those dances very well"

**
29. @ef-12restrt38
"I remember going to school and near the entrance there were a group of girls listening to the song and percolating.

Now my mom was dropping me off and she saw these girls because she was listening to percolator on the radio driving up. So she looks out the window and she sees these Middle School age girls percolating and she just rolls down the window and says "hey what the hell do you think you girls are doing, sitting out here trying to percolate you're not even old enough to drink coffee, let alone percolate it. Cut that out before I tell y'all moms" so they just run away and my mom kicks me out of the car and she says I better not see you out here doing the percolator. Of course I'm like I'm not I'm a good girl I won't do that.😂."
-snip-
This comment reflects the history of the Percolator being considered a "nasty" dance or at least a dance that could be done in nasty ways. As such, it wasn't considered a dance that "good girls" did. 

**
30. @leroystover1062
"Time for the perkalater classic house, NEWARK, PATERSON, NJ 😅😊"
-snip-
"Percolator" is part of the House genre of music.

****
2025

31. @moongoddess238
"That’s the percolator idk what they doing now even though I like the new moves but the original was eaten"

**
32. @user-qt314pyt
"This song is Chicago House Cajmere aka Green Velvet. We had dances to it as well and I promise you heard it at parties before anyone anywhere. Then it spread to other parts of the country and world. This is one of the dances but not one of the Chicago dances. The song is Chicago House though. Chicago made and cultivated the song."

**
33. @daoneforutonv7445
"So coming from the South I’ve seen different versions of this dance.. never knew which one was correct tho"

**
34. @schmidtmatthias7146
"Magic Feeds 😍💥

I love your Oldscool “ Moves 🔥🔥🥷🏾❤️‍🔥🔥🔫"

**
35. @jojol7769
"But that ain’t it! I’m from the west side unless that’s the south side percolator but get it Gurl"

**
36. @forever39
"That's not how you do it...I guess us chicagoians is different"

**
37. @GeorgiaRice-v2m
"😂😂😂😂😂 laughing out loud that is not how you do the percolator stop it".

****
This concludes Part III of this pancocojamsseries.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Are These 1993 And 2019 Dances The Percolator Or Some Other Dance/s That Claim To Be The Percolator? - Part II

Edited by Azizi Powell

Lasted revision - October 16, 2026

This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series about the Percolator dance that was first created in Chicago, Illinois in 1992.  

This post 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.

This post also showcases a film clip of that television series that allegedly shows some African Americans doing the Percolator dance. A second dance of what is purportedly the Percolator  is also showcased in this pancocojams post. 

This post also presents selected comments from the discussion thread of those two showcased videos.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/why-are-some-african-american-social.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents opinions about why African Americans  (within the same period of time and/or during later periods of time)* have the same name for social dances that are performed differently depending on what city, or part of the same city, or state/region in the United States that the dancers live/d in. 

* 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.

****
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/african-americans-in-2007-in-2019-doing.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos with selected comments from the discussion thread of Showcase Video #2.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-probably-unplanned-2024-video-of.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos of Sam Sanchez, a White male from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped in 2024 performing a dance that is allegedly the Percolator while he was on a cruise. Selected comments from these two videos are included in that post.

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. 

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTES
This pancocojams post and Part III of this pancocojams series showcases some examples of what the video publishers and some of the commenters in those videos' discussion thread allege are the Percolator dance. 

Some YouTube videos of African American social dances and some commenters in discussion threads of those videos use the term "old school" or "new school" to refer to how those dances were performed and/or are performed at the time those videos were published.

With regard to the Percolator dance, "old school" means the way that dance was performed when it first was created in 1992, or the way that dance was performed in the 1990s to around 2000.

The meaning of "new school" with regard to the Percolator dance is more difficult to define since the dance styles that were "new" when that video what was filmed or taped were "old" when those videos were published on YouTube.

What those videos document is that there were (and there continues to be) multiple ways that the percolator was/is danced. Also, there was and still is a lot of disagreement about what dance moves are actually the Percolator dance. 

**
It's difficult to showcase YouTube examples of  "old school" and "new 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'm showcasing the two videos of the Percolator that are embedded in this post based on their visuals and (even more that the visuals themselves) based on these comments that I have selected from 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.) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMEDZnM_TZE&t=59s

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. @jpenn311, 2011
"@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. @Jude300c
"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. @josetrujillo2392
"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 😍"

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3. @Setschosen090
"That was the most Brutal Perculation I have ever seen. I got nothing on that. Repsect."

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4. @parenthoodparables
"Yeaaaaa she threw dooooooown 🙌☺"

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Reply
5. @TheCharlaB, 2025
"Now this is the percolator I grew up on"

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2020

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2021

6. @veronicamcdowell2371
"That's the percolator"

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7. @tonyaglenn2116
"She was getting it in. Movin better then them young people. They better be lucky she didn't hit the slits."

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8. @stampdouglas1461
"See gettin it... "Westside Percolator"
-snip-
"Westside Percolator" = the way the percolator was danced in Chicago's Westside.

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9. @mrfixit8312
"Chi-Town westside baby"
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2021

10. @quielaivory9104, 2022
"Go momma go with her bad self!! she wasn’t playing as she tearing up the dance floor."

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11. @SavvyCarla
"Yessss she did that 🔥🔥🔥🔥"

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12. @lashawndaruffin9632
"Go Mama)))!!! She was getting it!!! That's how it's done!!! Yaasss!!"

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2022

13. @ToccaraLHyde
"Waiting on the split"

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14. @raerae3455
"yes mama show how we used to do it"

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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. 😂😂"

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16. @fairygamer77
"this sista snapping!!!. my love from West side Chicago. woot. 😍😎😎😎"

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2023

17. @desmondstrose8582
"She ate it up"

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18. @heymisswest
"She killed it"

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19. @WDW100Yrs
"I give her credit for her effort and energy but that's NOT the perulator lol!"

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20. @johnharrison5098
"go hed mama.... get low on dey azzzzz🥰🥰🥰🥰"

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21. @QuandriaLaunese
"Mother not playin wit y’all…. Westside, ChiTown 🙌🏽🥰"

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2024

22. @bgknowable
"That last part—those Perc Chi girls always got us MN girls. Still ain’t😊😂 mad."

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2025

23. @janicecoleman8239
"I love the fact that her son is her biggest cheerleader. You go Son. ❤😂❤"

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This concludes Part II of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visitingpancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Why Are Some African American Social Dances With The Same Name Performed Differently By African Americans In Different United States Cities, States, or Regions (with a focus on the Percolator Dance)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a four part pancocojams series about the Percolator social dance that was created in Chicago, Illinois in 1992.

This post presents opinions about why African Americans  (within the same period of time and/or during later periods of time)* have the same name for social dances that are performed differently depending on what city, or part of the same city, or state/region in the United States that the dancers live/d in. 

The "Percolator" social dance is used in this post and in this pancocojams series as an example of this custom.

* 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.    
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/two-videos-of-what-some-people-claim.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. That 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 "The New Show", a 1990s Detroit, Michigan television dance series that featured African American teens and young adult dancers. A 1990s fim clip from that tv series is one of that post's showcase videos. Selected comments from the discussion thread of those two showcased videos.

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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/african-americans-in-2007-in-2019-doing.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos with selected comments from the discussion thread of Showcase Video #2.  

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/10/a-probably-unplanned-2024-video-of.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos of Sam Sanchez, a White male from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped in 2024 performing a dance that is allegedly the Percolator while he was on a cruise. Selected comments from these two videos are included in that post.

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The content of this post is presented for historical, and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. 

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DISCLAIMER
The statements that are given in this post from AI Overview may be inaccurate in whole or in part.

Please add to this subject by sharing your views on this subject in the comment section of this pancocojams post. Thanks!

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QUESTION AND RESPONSES ABOUT THIS SUBJECT

Source #1
 This AI Overview write-up is the result of my October 13, 2026 Google Search query: "Why do Black people in different United States cities have social dances that they perform differently than those dances are performed in other United States cities and regions?" (This AI Overview is given without citations.)

"AI Overview
Black people in different U.S. cities and regions have unique social dances because these movements grow out of localized community traditions, regional music scenes, and specific neighborhood identities.

Regional Music and Culture

• Local Soundtracks: Cities develop distinct musical subgenres—like bounce music in New Orleans, go-go in Washington, D.C., or house music in Chicago. Dances naturally evolve to match the specific tempos, drum patterns, and rhythms of local radio stations and neighborhood parties.

• Community Spaces: Juke joints, block parties, and local dance shows (like D.C.’s Teenarama) served as incubators where teenagers and adults tested, modified, and perfected signature steps.

Historical and Social Roots 

• Improvisation as Identity: African-American social dance is a living, community-driven language rather than top-down choreography. While a region agrees on the core baseline of a style (like Chicago Steppin or D.C. Hand Dance), individuals express personal and neighborhood identity through cadence and flow.

• Preservation of Belonging: Historically rooted in survival, resistance, and joy under systemic oppression, creating localized dance styles allowed communities to forge distinct spaces of dignity, healing, and cultural autonomy."
-snip-
This concludes that AI Overview results.

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Source #2:
 This AI Overview write-up is the result of my October 13, 2026 Google Search query: "Why do Black people in different United States cities have different versions of specific dances?" (This AI Overview is given without citations.)

"AI Overview

Black people in different U.S. cities have different versions of specific dances because regional music scenes, local community spaces, and the historical segregation of Black communities allowed unique styles to evolve independently.

Why Regional Dance Variations Exist

• Local Music Evolution: Cities developed distinct musical subgenres—like Go-Go in Washington, D.C., Bounce in New Orleans, or Detroit techno and hip-hop. Dancers naturally adapted their movements to match the exact tempo, heavy bass, or rhythm of local sounds.

• Geographic Isolation and Migration: During and after the Great Migration, Black Americans settled in tight-knit urban neighborhoods. Limited interaction between distant cities (before mass internet and social media) meant that a basic step traveling from Chicago to Atlanta or Baltimore would be remixed with local flair.

• Community Gathering Spaces: Local institutions—such as D.C.'s teen dance showcases, Chicago house clubs, or Baltimore juke joints—served as testing grounds where local youth added unique flourishes, hand placements, or footwork to distinguish their neighborhood or city.

• The Tradition of Improvisation: Rooted in West African dance traditions, Black vernacular dance places a high value on personal style, polyrhythms, and improvisation (making up steps on the spot). Dancers are encouraged to put their own signature spin on a baseline move rather than copy it rigidly.”
-end of write up-

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Source #3
 This AI Overview write-up is the result of my October 13, 2026 Google Search query: "Why are there so many versions of the Percolator dance?" (This AI Overview is given without citations.)

"AI Overview

 There are so many versions of the Percolator dance because it relies on heavy improvisation, regional sub-styles, and personal interpretation rather than a single set of rigid rules.

Roots in Improvisation and Energy

• No strict choreography: The dance originated in the early 1990s Chicago house music scene, tied to Cajmere’s (Green Velvet) track "Coffee Pot (It's Time for the Percolator)". From the start, it was designed as an energetic, fluid motion mimicking a bubbling coffee pot rather than a locked-in routine.

• Focus on feeling the beat: Dancers traditionally emphasize a rhythmic bounce, torso rolling, and fast footwork, but how intensely or loosely you execute those movements depends entirely on individual style.

Regional and Generational Shifts

• Geographic variation: While the authentic move is deeply rooted in Chicago's South Side and West Side house culture (with purists often critiquing out-of-town adaptations), different regions like Baltimore, Detroit, and various Southern scenes adapted the high-energy vibe to fit their local club styles.

• Social media trends: When the dance went viral on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, digital creators stripped away local context, creating simplified or altered versions—such as basic shoulder pops or specific line-dance adaptations—that anyone could easily copy.

This video compares old school and new school dance styles, showing how the Percolator and other underground movements evolve across generations:

https://www.tiktok.com/@itssamsanchez/video/7430890843982056734
Old School vs New School
Which style do you prefer?
@ItSamSanchez, 2024-10-28
Chicago"
-snip-
This concludes that AI Overview write-up.

Visit Part IV of this pancocojams series for a focus on Sam Sanchez and his performance of the Percolator (or the dance that he refers to and some commenters in his videos refer to as "the Percolator".

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Source #4
From https://www.facebook.com/ComedianTRaySanders/videos/the-percolator-dance-originated-in-chicago-emerging-from-the-citys-vibrant-house/4163600447303754/ "The Percolator Originated In Chicago"... by Comedian T-Ray Sanders, January 17, 2026
"The Percolator dance originated in Chicago, emerging from the city’s vibrant house music scene in the early 1990s, famously linked to Cajmere’s (Green Velvet) iconic track “Coffee Pot (It’s Time for the Percolator)”. It’s a fluid, repetitive dance mimicking a bubbling percolator, embodying Chicago’s creative and communal dance culture, with distinct South Side and West Side styles.

Key Details:

Origin City: Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Music: Tied to the 1992 house music classic “Coffee Pot (It’s Time for the Percolator)” by Cajmere (Green Velvet).

Style: Fluid, rhythmic, and repetitive movements that simulate a coffee percolator’s bubbling action.

Cultural Impact: A defining move in Chicago’s underground house scene, showcasing its DIY spirit and individuality.”
-snip-
"DIY”= "DO IT YOURSELF"

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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.