Friday night, about 11 P.M. – Emory junior Pat, as we will call her, was lucky enough to pass by freshman residence hall Longstreet-Means (LSM) on her way to a pre-game. She felt an acute need to raise her eyes to see what was disturbing her peripheral vision. What she saw was worthy of a quick Instagram-ing.
“Why are those people in third south floor twerking in the windows? What is up with the flashing colorful lights and the big ‘TWERK PARTY!!!’ sign?”
“Third southerners” were merely enjoying one of their usual Twerk Fridays, a tradition that started on their second Friday on campus. On that momentous night, three of the freshman residents on the floor were casually listening to music and talking in one of the rooms, when they decided to move the discussion, and the music, into the hallway: a random decision that lead to some unexpected results.
Soon, the three were dancing in the hallway windows. They liked the view, so they remained up there. Other floor-mates started joining them one by one, until the hallway window could not accommodate everyone. The party had to move to the study lounge, now known as the twerk lounge, where more window room was available. People kept filing in until the lounge was filled with genuinely entertained twerkers. Meanwhile, Hamilton Holmes residents looked puzzlingly from across the twerk lounge. More Instagram-ing happened.
“The Twerk Friday tradition started off the night when my floor-mates became my family,” College freshman AJ Torres, one of the founders of the Twerk Friday said.
During this glorious weekly ritual, according to Torres, residents put some “ratchet” music on and dance unfettered in the windows, waving at and entertaining passers-by, who many times complete the trek to the third floor in order to join the party.
“It’s also a totally cool way to clean the windows,” College freshman and third south floor resident Parker Ellison said.
“Twerk Fridays… That’s what I am, I can just be myself,” College freshman Virginia Spinks, a LSM third south floor member and Twerk Leader said.
Next time you find yourself walking by Longstreet Means Residence Hall on a Friday night, look out for the large “TWERK FRIDAY!!!” sign. That is the sign of a good time.
– By Loli Lucaciu
Photo courtesy of Loli Lucaciu
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
I feel super hopeful about the future.
I don’t like this article. No more articles about twerking.
http://gif-central.blogspot.com/2012/04/michael-scott-no.html
I find it very troubling that the Wheel’s staff approved this article. The “twerking” fad is all about commodofication of black culture and works primarily to reproduce stereotypes and white supremacy by decoupling perecived aspects of black culture from the power relations in which they reside. I don’t expect that Miley Cyrus knows why this is problematic, but I do expect college students at an elite college to have some knowledge of why this is troubling. Dear Wheel: Please stop. This is not cute or a joke. It is injurious to people and has real consequences. Please have some of your writers explore the effects that microaggressions and subtle racial harrassment have on people’s bodies.
lol twerking is not a white guy standing while a girl twerks her booty…. no one ever said anything about white domination or watever the heck you were talking about…. stop making everything into a racial perspective its just a sexual dance
You define twerking as “culture?”
^this article never approves of twerking it is just saying it’s happening and gives the perspectives of the people doing it…… chill