Largest Harlem Shake

American indie rock duo Matt & Kim (aka Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino) organized the largest Harlem Shake – based on Baauer’s (USA, b. Harry Rodrigues) 2012 single “Harlem Shake” and inspired by the internet meme that went viral in February 2013 – when they persuaded a 3,344-strong crowd to dance maniacally at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Houston Field House arena in Troy, New York, USA, on 11 February 2013. A 30-second video showing Johnson dancing along to “Harlem Shake” with a box on his head at the empty venue, followed by the duo and their audience boisterously freestyle dancing to the track, was posted on YouTube on the evening of the show and attracted more than 350,000 views in the first 24 hours and eight million views in the first week as the dance craze swept the internet. The figure of 3,344 paying audience members was verified by Kevin Patrick, Matt & Kim’s manager, in an e-mail on 20 February 2013: “3344 paid at that show. I don't know exactly how many were in the building once you include guest list, staff, bands/crew etc.... maybe 3500/3600.” In mid-February 2013, it was reported that more than 4,000 new Harlem Shake videos - shot at various locations - were being uploaded to YouTube each day. The Harlem Shake is a dance that dates back to Harlem, New York, from 1981. YouTube personality Filthy Frank (real name unknown) popularized the dance when he posted a video in which he and three friends danced the Harlem Shake - accompanied by Baauer’s track of the same name - on his DizastaMusic (Japan) channel on 2 February, after which the template was spoofed thousands of times. Although precise sales figures were unavailable at the time of writing (20 February 2013), Baauer’s “Harlem Shake” (the soundtrack to each uploaded Harlem Shake video) made the upper reaches of music charts worldwide in February 2013, including a No.3 debut in the UK on the chart dated 23 February, to become the fastest-selling single from an internet meme. iTunes reported modest first-week sales of 12,000 units for the single, which then climbed to No.1 on 17 February. It is also the first crowd sourced music video, according to the Official Charts Company.