Phil deems the performance “inappropriate.” Somehow, this is a promotion for Trident gum.Īpril 10, 2010: A group of 7-year-olds create controversy with their provocative version of the routine. The Lows June 3, 2009: Six months after Justin Timberlake did it on SNL, Joe Jonas posts an agonizing, four-minute parody on YouTube.ĭecember 23, 2009: Anthropomorphic all-girl CGI chipmunk trio the Chipettes perform the number (1:35) in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.Īpril 20, 2009: One-hundred dancers gather in London’s Piccadilly Circus for a “Single Ladies” flash mob. “I said, ‘You should do this,’ and she did it,” he says, waving his hand (2:23). March 29, 2010: “You’re not a single lady.” In five words, a father devastates his 3-year-old son.įebruary 19, 2010: “I actually created that dance,” Jay-Z tells the BBC’s Jonathan Ross. September 23, 2009: On Glee, William McKinley High School’s football team distracts their opponents with the “Single Ladies” choreography, then scores the game-winning touchdown. To prove it, he briefly flashes the hand-wave (go to 7:14). January 18, 2009: Two days before his inauguration, Barack Obama tells Beyoncé that he’s done the routine for his family. The sketch co-stars Beyoncé, perplexed as to why three dudes have been cast as her backup dancers. The Highs November 15, 2008: Justin Timberlake dons a black leotard on SNL for the first-ever “Single Ladies” parody. As millions adjust to this strange new world, Vulture looks back at the leading dance craze of the 21st century: the highs, the lows, the Liza Minnelli. After enduring nearly two years of nonstop tributes, parodies, lip dubs, and flash mobs, one understands why the singer might decide that, in the words of her husband, she’s off that.

Beyoncé is reportedly retiring her hand-waving “Single Ladies” dance routine, effective immediately.

Flashmob beyonce single ladies