Every so often a dance craze comes along that sweeps the world wide web like wildfire. The latest craze called the The Tony was inspired by Pelicans basketball player Anthony Davis, his twin robot and rapper Big Freedia.
Standing at 6’10” tall, some might assume that The New Orleans Pelicans power forward might be a bit gangly or awkward dancer, but it is quite the opposite. Davis in fact, is known for such smooth moves that a smooth dancing robot called Tony-Bot was created in his image.
Earlier this month Davis posted an add on Craiglist in search of a personal assistant. His query was soon followed by a Redbull add introducing Tony Bot to the world. Created to be Davis’s assistant/stand-in, the feisty robot is credited with helping to create a better work-life balance for the popular athlete by assisting him with day to day tasks from doing interviews, endorsements and of course coming up with trendy dace moves. Tasks like steal spotlight from Davis, take over all star weekend and create dance craze are listed as top priorities for the dancing robot at the end of their music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bddQMXacBj0
The Tony dance tutorial courtesy of mkeresh.
The music video was the brainchild of Fuse TV host, also known as the Queen of bounce BigFreedia. After first seeing Tony-Bot’s freestyle dance moves, and the excitement he caused in the streets that she was inspired to create a song and dance based on the robot that everyone could do. Also donning Davis’s #23 jersey, Tony-Bot, Big Freedia and Anthony Davis form an unstoppable trio as they show the world how to do the ever so catchy Tony-Bot dance in their music video.
Featuring a combination of basketball inspired moves that Davis is known for doing up and down the court, like the killer crossover, dribbling and of course shooting, the series of steps are fun, simple and can be performed by most anyone. The video also features ordinary people stopping to join the dance craze in the streets, at home and even unlikely locations like the dry cleaners. In just one week it has been featured on a number of television shows and has become a viral sensation. If you haven’t caught the dancing bot bug yet, check it out and join the fun!
“The Tony” music video. Courtesy of Big Freedia TV.
