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Why the world made hygiene fun
With the coronavirus, Covid-19, currently forcing all of us to say at home, we thought we’d take a look at some hygiene-themed dances from around the globe.
In essence, washing our hands doesn’t rank highly on many people’s list of exciting activities, but it doesn’t have to be that way. We’ve compiled a list of videos which promote the merits of washing our hands and will be scoring them on the criteria below.
The Scoring Criteria!
Marks will be given out of 10 for:
- Cleaning Technique – How well are the hands actually washed and does the video make us think, “Now THOSE hands are clean”
- Entertainment Value – Does the video invoke a reaction in us (e.g. laughter, intrigue etc.). Essentially, would we share it with a friend to invoke a similar reaction in them? We’ll be looking at characters, concept, execution and more!
- Choreography Complexity – This covers how hard the choreography is, usage of formation, staging and stuff like that
- Choreography Execution – How well the movements are executed. Generally.
- Relate-ability – Do we connect with the people and message?
- Memorability – This is the most important factor. Will we REMEMBER how to wash our hands from this video?
At the end of each breakdown, we will give a combined score out of 60. If you want to find out who won, you can get straight to the final table here.
1) The ‘Official’ Corona dance – Vietnam
Vietnamese health officials created an animated video called ‘Ghen Co Vy’ which, loosely speaking, means ‘Jealous Coronavirus’. This was picked up by native choreographer, Quang Dang, and he created the dance above.
Through the power of Tik Tok, this dance about preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses, erm, went viral! Around the planet, as we speak, people are posting their responses to Quang’s video. We have to give props for well-deserved 3 million views and counting. Here are the scores:
- Cleaning Technique – 7/10. Some great interlocking of fingers, usage of palms and thumb-wringing. Marks are lost due to the dance being so good that our focus was definitely on getting the choreo clean (see what we did there?). Also, there is a bit too much touching of face and clothes, hah. Solid overall
- Entertainment Value – 7/10. Two good-looking boys from Vietnam – what’s not to like? Quang’s expression and usage of the Milly Rock and Janet Jackson, endear him to the public at large, and this makes us feel good.
- Choreography Complexity – 10/10. Complex enough for ‘the dancers’ and clear enough for ‘the general public’. Great use of dynamics, musicality and formation. We love it!
- Choreography Execution – 9/10. Upper bodies in sync!
- Relate-ability – 7/10. Good energy and a ‘dance is fun’ vibe
- Memorability – 7/10. Even if we can’t remember the choreography the hand motifs are pretty clear and easy to recall
- Total 47/60
2) The hygiene dance that touched the world – Japan (Hot Pick!)
Released in 2009 on the second annual Global Handwashing Day, this video is something special.
From the outfits to the catch, short phrases, we can see why 80 countries worldwide participated in this initiative. Thank you, UNICEF Japan and choreographer, Kaiji Moriyama, for this delight! Half a million views from a video posted 11 years ago, ain’t bad at all. Here’s the scores:
- Cleaning Technique – 10/10. From beginning to end, all bases are covered in this video. Digits, wrists – the lot. Also, he shows us the soap bar and the environment LOOKS super clean which is reason to smile 🙂
- Entertainment Value – 10/10. If you are not entertained by Kaiji’s expressions, the ‘Showowowowaaa’ rinse lyrics and the adorable cameo of the two little kids, we don’t know what else you could ask for. And the tune is catchyyyy 😀
- Choreography Complexity – 5/10. Apart from remembering the order, this choreo is designed for the children of the world to copy, so is pretty simple.
- Choreography Execution – 10/10. Clean.
- Relate-ability – 10/10. Easy to connect with the Kaiji, the kids and the message. This is supported by the clear ‘Global Handwashing Dance’ logo at the beginning.
- Memorability – 9/10. The outfit, song, and clearly defined movements make this a winner. The focus was always about the hands.
- Total – 54/60.
3) The Tik Tok HipHop hygiene dance – US
Now THIS is on trend. Lil Nix releases a song called literally, ‘Corona Virus’, and Tik Tokers worldwide catch the spirit. This one won’t go away any time soon, so post your video nowww!
By the way are YOU following us on social media? Get to it also hit our Tik Tok ‘BBetterLDN’
Here come the scores:
- Cleaning Technique – 1/10. At least there’s a couple handclaps in the dance, but nothing related to actual cleaning.
- Entertainment Value – 7/10. This was a hard one to score. The dance is only about 12 seconds long and each clip has its own charms. Effectively, you CAN be entertained, but might have to look through a few vids to find one that resonates. Song has bounce, though!
- Choreography Complexity – 7/10. As Tik Tok dances go, this one is about average. However, like most popular dances on the platform, the moves appear to be recycled from other dances like ‘Renegade’. For the average person, though, this may take some concentration to figure out.
- Choreography Execution – 6/10. There’s a lot of videos out there of varying quality, so can’t really score this much higher.
- Relate-ability – 7/10. Tik Tok is still a pretty niche platform for most people older than 24. If you’re not really into dance or 13 years old, it may be hard to relate to what’s going on.
- Memorability – 4/10. Another hard one to score. We may remember the moves and the ‘aloha’, but not how to wash our hands correctly.
- Total 32/60.
4) The hygiene dance known as the ‘Swine Flu Skank’ – UK
“Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”! Ah, that slogan never sounded so good. This initiative, championed by the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK was picked up by JStar and Pilot of Uproar and the Swine Flu Skank was born! When Swine Flu struck in 2009 we could relay on this dance to get us through. Who knew ‘grime’ and ‘hygiene’ could be so in sync?! 🙂
- Cleaning Technique – 5/10. More of a preventative measure than a cleaning technique, with movements this clearly defined, you can’t go wrong.
- Entertainment Value – 6/10. Once you’ve heard the chorus a couple of times and copied the movements, that’s kind of it. Some nice jamming and a feel good vibe throughout AND you get a look at London.
- Choreography Complexity – 3/10. A bit of repetition of the 3 moves and you’re there.
- Choreography Execution – 7/10. Hard to get this wrong.
- Relate-ability – 7/10. Shot in real-life scenarios which connect us to the everyday. Solid.
- Memorability – 8/10. In a summary of the points above, the message definitely sticks!
- Total – 36/60
5) The hygiene dance inspired by Michael Jackson – US
The Jefferson University Hospital team really went all out in this video. The original song, the feature character, the dance routine – it’s all there. Importantly, though, so is the handwashing technique. We want to know your favourite part of this one ^_^
- Cleaning Technique – 9/10. In essence, this was really concise and was only missing some wrist action. The subtitles with the close-up shots made this extremely easy to follow, and we applaud the execution
- Entertainment Value – 9/10. Although it takes a while to get going, the staging, characterisation and set pieces are magic. Great camerawork and the lead character in this video make it super watchable. Subtitles so that you can also sing-a-long make this a treat for people of all ages and the ‘meme-potential’ is massive with this one.
- Choreography Complexity – 7/10. Some iconic movements with a range of directions and levels.
- Choreography execution – 7/10. On the whole the staff manage this well!
- Relate-ability – 8/10. The characters are easy to relate to and likeable. Only thing missing is a couple kids
- Memorability – 8/10. This is strong. The section at 2:50 clearly explains how hands are washed and the song will stay in your head for sure.
- Total – 48/60
6) The hygiene dance with production budget – China
In 2018, to support the World Health Organisation (WHO) World Hand Hygiene day, the committee of hospital infection control of Shaanxi, China collaborated with Infection Control Plus to hold a “Creative hand hygiene video contest” in China’s mainland. More than 100 healthcare facilities took part and here’s a winner for you.
- Cleaning Technique – 8/10. Good movements repeated, if also broken up by the flow of the video.
- Entertainment Value – 6/10. In spite of some great editing and concepts (I mean, she pulls a plane out of the sky!), we found the overall feel of the video only fairly entertaining. The song DOES bump, though.
- Choreography Complexity – 5/10. Simple and clean.
- Choreography Execution – 8/10. Generally in sync.
- Relate-ability – 8/10. Likeable characters who change from ‘everyday people’ into medical staff. We love that.
- Memorability – 8/10. Super clean movements, clearly presented.
- Total – 43/60
7) The ‘sexy’ hygiene dance – Indonesia (Hot Pick!)
The staff of RSUD Noongan in Indonesia present us with something special. The hip movements, the face reveals – this one is a great watch and probably the dance we MOST want to be part of 😀
- Cleaning Technique – 9/10. With perhaps only the wrists missed, if you follow this technique your hands WILL be clean. Did you notice how they turn off the tap with the elbow? Magic!
- Entertainment Value – 9/10. Warm spirits, great music, some actual dance skills and an intelligent graduation of the hand-washing process. What we love most about this one is how it makes us feel
- Choreography Complexity – 7/10. With the changes of formation, limb isolation and solos, this is a real piece. At the same time, the moves are not too complex for us to do.
- Choreography Execution – 9/10. Another high score. The solos, formation changes and changes of direction appear well rehearsed and they LOOK like a group
- Relate-ability – 7/10. Unfortunately, many of us will not get the opportunity to dance outside in the Indonesian sun
- Memorability – 8/10. Strong score here as while the dance is enjoyable to watch, there is also a strong focus on hand hygiene throughout
- Total – 49/60
8) The hygiene dance that warms your heart – US
The staff at Somerset Medical Center, New Jersey, give us that warm feeling inside. An original song set to the melody of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by The Bee Gees, is an artistic triumph, even though we sometimes struggle to make out the words. We had to include this clip because of the diverse mix of people present and their relationships with one another.
- Cleaning Technique – 7/10. The guys with the surgical masks really lead the way here, as they wash up to their elbows! We applaud you. The majority of staff don’t go quite as in-depth with the technique, but the message still hits.
- Entertainment Value – 6/10. Actually pretty watchable with good spirits all round and some serious hip movement from several staff members. We’re impressed!
- Choreography Complexity – 4/10. In this video the choreo and hygiene don’t really cross paths that much, but there IS some hand-wringing and some nice Night Fever moves to copy.
- Choreography Execution – 6/10. It’s not banged out, but that’s not the point 🙂
- Relate-ability – 9/10. Everyone in this video could be someone in our family or a friend, ha.
- Memorability – 4/10. Some nice moments, but we probably won’t remember how to wash our hands properly
- Total – 36/60
9) The Horror hygiene dance – Malaysia
The ladies of General Intensive Care Unit HKL in Kuala Lumpur, start us off with a scare, but the video soon turns out to be pretty harmless.
- Cleaning Technique – 10/10. All boxes ticked on the cleaning technique and zones covered. Top marks!
- Entertainment Value – 6/10. Compared to many others on this list, this video was pretty sedate, but that intro catches the attention and the second song has bounce
- Choreography Complexity – 7/10. Solid with nice transitions and formations. Also, extremely focused on the hand cleaning technique
- Choreography Execution – 7/10. Solid overall
- Relate-ability – 6/10. Hard to connect with but fine
- Memorability – 7/10. You can definitely remember how to wash your hands from this video
- Total – 43/60
10) The hygiene dance you can definitely copy – US
We have love for original songs, especially when they’re as catchy as this one. What will dawn on you quickly, though, is that the security guards are the stars of this video. You have been warned! Props to the staff from St John’s Hospital in Illinois for this one.
- Cleaning Technique – 6/10. Varied across all characters although the message hits home
- Entertainment Value – 6/10. The security guards make this video
- Choreography Complexity – 4/10. Easily managed and paced for all abilities
- Choreography Execution – 5/10. Consistent throughout
- Relate-ability – 9/10. A likeable, diverse mix of characters
- Memorability – 6/10. More due to the song message than the hygiene dance, we will remember to ‘Do the right thing’
- Total – 36/60
11) The hygiene dance for ACTUAL dancers – Canada
The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) from British Columbia presents a hygiene dance we can really get into. Great soundtrack and serious dancers make his a standout video in our group. But how did they score?
- Cleaning Technique – 7/10. Hands and arms are covered, but there’s also a lot of clothes touching which goes against the process
- Entertainment Value – 8/10. Solid watch and some nice expression. It’s kind of a dance ABOUT hand washing, rather than an all out tutorial
- Choreography Complexity – 10/10. Levels, solos, lifts, cannon and solid technique. Yes!
- Choreography Execution – 9/10. You always understand what’s happening and where to look. Clean.
- Relate-ability – 6/10. Pleasant characters and proper dancers
- Memorability – 7/10. Some strong motifs here to help us remember what to do
- Total – 47/60
Hygiene Dance final scores!
| Video | Cleaning | Ent. Value | Complex. | Execution | Relate | Memorable | Total |
| Corona | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 47 |
| UNICEF | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 54 |
| Tik Tok | 1 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 35 |
| Swine Flu | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 36 |
| Wash ‘Em | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 48 |
| China | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 43 |
| Sexy Hygiene Dance | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 49 |
| Stayin’ Alive | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 36 |
| Horror Hygiene | 10 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 43 |
| Do the right thing | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 36 |
| PHSA | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 47 |
What we discover from this table is that the UNICEF video from Japan is both entertaining and educational, with a total score of 54. Kudos to all of the artists featured here as the message of conscious hygiene is clearly very important. We had NO IDEA there was so much out there before researching this!
We hope you have found this post entertaining while you are in quarantine and please be sure to share wit ha friend. If you try any of the dances featured, let us know!
Did you catch the spirit reading this? Here’s 7 reasons you should try dance in 2020. Enjoy!
