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.

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 __ for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos that focus on Sam Sanchez, a White (or White passing Latino) male from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped in 2024 (without his foreknowledge) performing the Percolator dance while he was on a cruise. The first showcase video in this pancocojams post is a television interview of Sam Sanchez and the second video is from the YouTube channel that Sam Sanchez subsequently launched after that Percolator video went viral. In that video Sanchez instructs viewers how to do the Percolator. 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"

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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 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️…"

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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 15, 2026

This is Part II of a four 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 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 __ for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos that focus on Sam Sanchez, a White (or White passing Latino) male from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped in 2024 (without his foreknowledge) performing the Percolator dance while he was on a cruise. The first showcase video in this pancocojams post is a television interview of Sam Sanchez and the second video is from the YouTube channel that Sam Sanchez subsequently launched after that Percolator video went viral. In that video Sanchez instructs viewers how to do the Percolator. 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 😍"

**
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.

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.

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.

*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 performed anywhere in the United States since the early 2000s, but particularly those versions that have been performed since the 2020s. 

****
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. 

Click __ for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post showcases two YouTube videos that focus on Sam Sanchez, a White (or White passing Latino) male from Chicago, Illinois who was videotaped in 2024 (without his foreknowledge) performing the Percolator dance while he was on a cruise. The first showcase video in this pancocojams post is a television interview of Sam Sanchez and the second video is from the YouTube channel that Sam Sanchez subsequently launched after that Percolator video went viral. In that video Sanchez instructs viewers how to do the Percolator. Selected comments from these two videos are included in that post.

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. 

****
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!

****
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)  
 
These online sources are presented in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.

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.

****
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-

****
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".

****
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"

****
This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

Differences Between Google Translation Page's Results And YouTube Translation's Results For Some Xhosa To English YouTube Discussion Thread Comments

  

Amagqira aseCofimvaba,

Lakha Pato, Aug 1, 2019
-snip-
Google translate's translation of this title:  "Traditional healers from Cofimvaba"
-snip-
information about "Cofimbaba" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cofimvaba
"Cofimvaba is a town in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.[2]

 Location

The town is on the R61 road 79 km east of Queenstown on the route to Ngcobo.",,,
-snip-
Xhosas are the largest ethnic population in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of a traditional Xhosa (South African) dance.

In addition, this pancocojams post provides information about the Xhosa word "amagquirha" that is part of the title for this showcase video. This post also provides information about the Xhosa word camagu" that is found in a number of comments in this video's discussion thread. 

My editorial notes are given about the reason why I'm publishing this post.

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, cultural,  folkloric, religious, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in this showcase video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE XHOSA WORD "AMAGQUIRHA"

From AI Overview
"Amagqirha (singular igqira) are traditional Xhosa healers, diviners, and spiritual leaders in South Africa.

 Role and Practices

 • Spiritual Connection: They communicate with ancestral spirits (izinyanya) through dreams and rituals to guide and heal community members.

• Healing and Diagnosis: They treat physical and emotional illnesses using traditional medicines, herbs, and spiritual counsel.

• Divination: They can "smell out" negative spiritual forces or social disharmony during gatherings and seances (intlambo).

 Cultural Significance

 • Attire: Healers often wear distinct traditional clothing, frequently featuring blue and white garments, beaded necklaces, and headwear during ceremonies."...

****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE XHOSA WORD "CAMAGU"
From AI Overview

"Understanding Camagu Meaning in Xhosa Culture

Camagu is a traditional Xhosa expression that translates to "let it be so," "be honored," or "I give thanks," and it is used primarily during spiritual or ancestral communications.

Core Meanings and Uses

Spiritual Affirmation: It acts as a sacred prayer, agreement, or blessing, similar in spirit to saying "amen" or affirming a spoken truth.

Gratitude and Respect: It expresses deep thanks and humility, often said in response to a blessing, a ritual, or an ancestral sign.

Gathering Attention: Clan leaders or speakers use the word at the start of traditional speeches to demand respect and focus from the audience.

Opinions on Facebook are mixed regarding whether Camagu can be directly equated to the word "amen," with some seeing them as functional equivalents in prayer, while others emphasize that Camagu carries a unique, culture-specific vibration tied to indigenous spirituality and ancestral heritage."

****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE

I'm African American who unfortunately only speak and read English. Because I'm interested in learning about African cultures, I've come across a number of YouTube discussion threads -such as the one for the video that is showcased in this pancocojams post-whose comments are mostly written in a non-English language. (Almost all of the comments in the discussion thread for this particular video are written in IsiXhosa (Xhosa).

I became familiar with Google's translate page some years ago and routinely use it for translating non-English words and phrases that I come across in YouTube discussion threads. I continue to use that Google translation page instead of  the translation feature that is included on YouTube.

According to AI Overview "YouTube officially rolled out its native comment translation feature on September 13, 2021.

Prior to the wide release, Google began testing the feature with YouTube Premium subscribers as an experimental tool in August 2021. The update integrated Google Translate directly into the Android and iOS mobile apps, allowing users to translate comments into their preferred language from over 100 supported languages with a single click"...
-end of quote-

In spite of the fact that "the update integrated Google Translate directly into [YouTube]", unlike Google Translate, YouTube's translation feature doesn't identify the language that is used in the comment being translated (an omission that deprives people like me from the opportunity to learn some words and phrases in the language that is being translated.  
 
Also, even though both of these translation features are identified as being "Google", I've often found' significant discrepancies between the results that I receive from the Google translation page and the results of YouTube's Google translation feature.

Since I don't know these languages that are being translated, I can't be 100% sure if  Google Translate  is totally accurate. However, it seems to me that Google Translate's  results seem to more often fit the content of the videos that I'm watching than YouTube's translation feature. 

Which leads me to the video that is showcased in this pancocojams post and that video's discussion thread.
 
I came across the YouTube video that is showcased in this post while "surfing" YouTube (randomly looking up YouTube videos) for examples of groups of South Africans performing traditional South African dances. When I came across this particular video, I thought that the dancers were Xhosa based on my limited knowledge about the dancers' attire and dancing styles. However, I wasn't sure about that until I looked up the translations of those videos' titles (on Google translate).  I also didn't know the language source or meanings of certain words in that video's discussion thread (such as the word "camagu").

After watching that YouTube video, I glanced at its discussion thread to see if someone there had identified what the title of the video meant and to see if someone had identified which language was being used by the commenters in that discussion thread. When I didn't find any answers in my cursory read on that discussion thread, my next step was to do a Google search of the title of the video. That Google search led me to AI Overview which provided a translation for that title. That translation and the rest of that AI Overview confirmed that the video in question is from South Africa's traditional Xhosa culture.

After I learned that information I returned to that video's discussion thread and noticed that a number of its comments included the word "camagu". I queried AI Overview about that word and again returned to the YouTube discussion thread to actually read its comments. At first I tried to use YouTube's built in translation feature. However, I quickly became dissatisfied with its results and instead started using d the Google Translate feature.

A case in point is a comment from that YouTube video's discussion thread that is given as example #23  in this pancocojams xompilation:

@SamkeleQelani, 2026
"Camagu awlele"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Peace be upon you."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"The cat is not sleeping"
-end of quote -

I decided to publish a pancocojams post that includes the Google Translate results and the YouTube translate results in case people who may be confused by or frustrated with the YouTube translation results may think that Google Translate gives the same results (It usually doesn't).

Check it out!    

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS SHOWCASE VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD

(with numbers added for referencing purposes only)

The link to this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9OmmgxjLUE

The link to Google translate's feature:  https://translate.google.com/?sl=xh&tl=en&op=translate

YouTube's translation results for these selected comments are given in italics for highlighting purposes only. 

2020

1. @lilithasotondoshe8226
"intle le ntlombe iyavuma"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"This gathering is wonderful; it is a success."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"This girl is beautiful, she agrees."

**
2. @mgxajisithembele9269
"Camagu bantwana  bethongo  kwakukhutshwa  uMpinga  apha  e Qolweni  Emcambalaleni"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Greetings, children of the ancestors; Mpinga was brought out here at Qolweni, Emcambalaleni."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"The children of the tribe were being released from Mpinga here in Qolweni Emcambalaleni."

 **

3. @xolilemgijima6009
"Ingoma yimpilo inene....camagu"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Music is truly life... blessings."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"The song is truly life....awesome"

**
4. @nomsaqezu7568
"Ndacinga umama wam, yho mhlaba uyafihla, Ndzaba"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
 "I thought of my mother—oh, the earth conceals so much—and I was overcome with emotion."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"I thought of my mother, oh world, you hide, I'm sorry"

**
5. @khanyisilejakeni2235
"Wooow ndasuka ndacinga kude Camagu maCofimvaba senza kanje pha kuthiwa🥁🥁niyandigulisa"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Wow, that really got me thinking—kudos to the people of Cofimvaba for doing things this way; you guys are amazing!"
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Wow, I just thought, Camagu, the Cofimvabas, we're doing this because they say 🥁🥁 you're making me sick."

**
6. @zanelemfecane2692
"Kwatsho kwathi xibilili emphefumlweni philile le ntlombe"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"This gathering stirred the very soul."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"That's when the soul felt refreshed and alive."

**
2021

7. @thabisasopangisa2607
"Yini yini yini nobangela ndamcela"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"What exactly is the reason I asked him/her?"
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
What is it and why did I ask him?

**
8. @thabisasopangisa2607
"Tsiiii abakulomama awhuuu tshisaaaaa"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Wow, this mother is absolutely sizzling hot!"
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Hey, they're not like that, oh, they're so cute"

****

2022

9.@binjanaphumeza5996
"Khumbule Khaya mdukwadini"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Remember home, you wanderer."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Remember Khaya in the family"

**
10. @vuyisekamtututu2425
"Ndivuka ngayo qho kusasa 😊 yipapa yam yasekuseni"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"I wake up to it every morning 😊 it's my morning porridge."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"I wake up to it every morning 😊 it's my morning papa"

****
2023

11. @iamkhanyasakawuli
"Yazi singamaqaba kula Cofimvaba 😂"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)Google translation from Xhosa to English:
"You know, we are traditionalists here in Cofimvaba."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"You know, we are the ones who are the worst in this Cofimvaba 😂

****
2024

12. @ThandiweElizabeth-y3r
"Camagwini zindlondlo"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Greetings, esteemed elders."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"The sea is full of life."

**
13. @Nomasakhe
"Bayeza nangoku Camagu Bantwana Bethongo ndavakala ndicinga Lindelwa cc wam"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"They are still coming—Camagu, Children of the Ancestors—and I found myself thinking of you, my sister Lindelwa."
 -snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"They are still coming, Camagu, Bantwana, Bethongo, I heard them thinking, "Wait for me, CC."

**
14. @abenathisamela4745
"kuyanqulwa camagu"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Worship is taking place; peace and blessings."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Prayer is being prayed for."

**
15. @NtombomziSigege
"Camagu Bantu bethomgo ndilapha ekapa ndisuka ecofimvaba"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Greetings, people of my roots; I am here in Cape Town, having come from Cofimvaba."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Camagu People of Thomgo, I am here in Cape Town from Cofimvaba."

**
16. @Amos-md1cq
"Amagqirha esixhosa la nyaniso"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Xhosa traditional healers confirm this truth."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Xhosa traditional healers confirm this truth."

**
17. @lu1740
"Aw!!ndiwazi enje ke awakuthi  nangengoma nangesinxibo amaqgirha"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Oh! I recognize traditional healers by their songs and their attire."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"Aw!! I know how they are, both in song and in dress."

**
18. @phelisamalveki
"Ndicelu buza esisdlokolo sifumaneka phi?"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"May I ask where this headgear can be found?"
-snip-
YouTube's Google translation to English:
"May I ask where this dish is found?"

****

2025

19. @NobesuthuEuphonia
"Camagu mntomdala ❤wowww ndatsho ndaphila nkosiyam"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Blessings, elder... Wow, I truly feel alive—thank you, Lord."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English:
"I'm sorry, old man ❤wowww I said I'm fine my lord"

**
20. @NobesuthuEuphonia
"Camagu mntomdala ❤wowww ndatsho ndaphila nkosiyam"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Blessings, elder... Wow, I truly feel alive—thank you, Lord."
 -snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English:
"I'm sorry, old man wowww I said I'm fine my lord"

**
21. @lamlamduma4516
"Aziba ayaphi lamagqirha anje camagu"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"One wonders where such traditional healers go—may there be peace."
 -snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English
"Where do these doctors go?"

**
22. @SithandiweNkuhlu
"Manga ke amaqgirha esiwaziyo"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"These, then, are the traditional healers we know."
 -snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English
"These are the tricks we know."

****
2026

23. @SamkeleQelani
"Camagu awlele"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"Peace be upon you."
-snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English:
"The cat is not sleeping"

**
24. ThandiweNtoyakhe
"Ndiyabatanda ngalawa wakudala Lana atsho ngesingqi esinesdima kuvuke umoya❤❤"
-snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"I love those old-school songs; they are delivered with such a dignified rhythm that they stir the soul. ❤❤"
-snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English:
"I love those old songs. Lana sings with a dignified rhythm that lifts the spirits❤❤"

**
Reply 25. @samorambambi4164
"Bayombela straight. Benza ezasembo straight" -snip-
Google Translate (from Xhosa to English)
"They dig straight. They make straight swords"
-snip-
YouTube's Google translate to English:
"They dig straight. They make straight holes."

****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visiting comments are welcome.