# Where does the Y.M.C.A. dance come from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345 "2001-08-27T16:45:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/1 "2001-08-27T16:45:55Z")
I’ve never seen The Village People actually do the over-the-head spelling motions. So where did this dance originate, and why does everyone know it? Was it performed by The Solid Gold Dancers? Started by cool disco club kids and spread to suburbia? Downloaded into our brains out of the spiritus mundi? All in the interest of anthropoligical study and intellectual discourse, of course. ---
**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/2 "2001-08-27T16:47:00Z")
sigh…anthropological, to save you nitpickers the trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/3 "2001-08-27T17:20:47Z")
Erm, what makes you think the Village People _didn’t_ do the dance? Just because you haven’t seen it yourself doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, after all. I have vague recollections of seeing the Village People do the YMCA schtick either in an early video or on SNL during the late 70s. However, I’ve been actively trying to forget it for the last 20 years, so my memory may not be 100% reliable. ---
**Author:** ![Skelji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Skelji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skelji)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/4 "2001-08-27T17:34:46Z")
I’d like to know why the NY Yankees’ grounds crew does the YMCA dance (during the 5th inning when they drag the basepaths). I recall seeing the Village People do it. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/5 "2001-08-27T17:37:17Z")
I think the [Village People](http://www.villagepeople-official.com/homeindx.html) (or their choreographers) did create the dance. From [YesterdayLand](http://www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/music/mu1062.php): > [@](#): > > 1979 was the biggest year yet for the Village People. They scored their all-time biggest hit in the form of “Y.M.C.A.,” another horn-driven disco smash that celebrated the titular meeting place for macho men. The band promoted the song with a dance routine that featured hand-signals that illustrated the letters of the title. This caught on at discos around the world and has since become a part of pop-culture folklore. Anytime the song is played on a dance floor, it’s a safe bet that several people will do the “Y.M.C.A.” hand-signals. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/6 "2001-08-27T17:39:32Z")
And what exactly do you think [**Spiritus Mundi**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=3074) has to do with it? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![magdalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@magdalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magdalene)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/7 "2001-08-27T18:48:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dire Wolf \* > \*\*I’d like to know why the NY Yankees’ grounds crew does the YMCA dance (during the 5th inning when they drag the basepaths). > > I recall seeing the Village People do it. \*\* Thanks for clearing this up guys. I saw people do it at a Cubs game and wondered “why the hell does everyone know this dance?” ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/8 "2001-08-27T18:58:36Z")
I saw the Village People do the dance when they performed at A Taste of Minnesota, three or four years ago. Oh, and Minnesota tastes batter-fried, in case you were wondering. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/9 "2001-08-27T19:05:38Z")
ya know I had managed to bury this particular era, why did you wanna go dig it up like that? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-y-m-c-a-dance-come-from/78345/10 "2001-08-27T19:35:49Z")
I saw the Village People… no… wait… A FREIND OF MINE saw the Village People a couple weeks ago and told me about it later. \ Carrying on… They gave instructions to the audience on proper YMCA form. They said to tell people that they got it “straight from the horses’ mouth.” In particular, when doing the “M”, bring your fingertips together in front of you… do not touch the top of your head or your shoulders. Also, when doing the “C”, bend to your left, not your right. If you screw up the “Y” or the “A”, you’ve got issues. On second thought, perhaps MY FRIEND has more serious issues for (1) having gone in the first place; and (2) admitting it.