The Fancy Like Dance That Has Sparked a Viral Movement
Country singer Walker Hayes was feeling a little bit of pandemic boredom last June when he and his 15-year-old daughter Lela decided to turn it into a viral sensation by making a TikTok video to his song “Fancy Like.” Within a week, the father and daughter’s video had passed half a million views, and soon copycat videos from pop stars and actors exploded on TikTok and other social media.
Hayes wrote the song on his new EP, Country Stuff, with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins and Shane Stevens, and it was conceived during their writing session chat about how people often see music stars with huge mansions and private jets and don’t picture them enjoying the regular things in life, such as date nights. It was Jenkins who coined the term “Fancy Like” during their conversations, and he says it’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek response to those misconceptions.
As a result, the dance has become a TikTok hit and millions of people around the world are dancing to it. YouTubers have shared tutorials for the moves, and a number of celebrities — including Sadie Robertson, RaeLynn, Lil Nas X, Morgan Wallen, and more — have recreated it on social media.
The best fancy like dances take cues from the original video, but personalize it by incorporating their own personality and style. Typically, they wear twin feather bustles, leggings or breech cloth with side tabs (and often bells just below their knees), Icelandic sheep hair or “goats,” moccasins, a roach rocker and beaded cuffs and headbands.
