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You Only THINK You Know How to 'Electric Slide': Choreographer Contemplates Lawsuit

Choreographer Ric Silver Orders Misrepresentations of Electric Slide Taken Off Internet

By Donna Talarico, published Feb 20, 2007
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Are you doing the Electric Slide wrong? NPR this morning reported that according to the dance's choreographer, most are.

Ric Silver, a singer-songwriter, choreographer and accountant says that wedding guests, Bar Mitzvah attendants and dancers at other social events are leaving out a few steps of the Electric Slide. Because of this, Silver says he has hired a lawyer and is considering a suit to protect the artistic integrity of his dance.

Silver told NPR's Renee Montagne this morning that the original dance has 22 steps and today, the version that seems to have been passed on only has 18. Silver chose 22 steps because his birthday is on the 22nd day of the month. Silver says that actors in movies have done it wrong. Ellen has done it wrong on her TV show. He added that Joe Pesci, in The Super performed that real version of the Electric Slide.

"I realize that this incorrect version of my choreography has been around for some 27 years," Silver wrote in an email to sent to a user, "and it seems pointless to try and correct it at this time but because of the legal ramifications, my lawyers have suggested that I take this approach."

Currently, Silver is ordering ordinary folks who have placed video snippets of the Electric Slide online to remove the video. His requests are justified through the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Under the DMCA, rights-holders can claim to services, like YouTube or MySpace that user-uploaded content infringes their copyrights.

Silver said in a statement on YouTube, "Any video that shows my choreography being done incorrectly is being removed. I don't want future generations having to learn it wrong and then relearn it as I am being faced with now because of certain sites and (people) that have been teaching it incorrectly and without my permission. That's the reason I (copyrighted) it in the first place."

(The Electric Slide is only one of a slew of DCMA claims YouTube has received as of late. Viacom has ordered over 100,000 videos to be removed.)

 
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You Only THINK You Know How to 'Electric Slide': Choreographer Contemplates Lawsuit

Ric Silver's Electric Slide copyright.

Credit: Ric Silver

Copyright: Ric SIilver

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Takeaways
  • The Electric Slide has 22 steps, not 18. Three steps got lost somewhere.
  • Ric Silver's day job is as an accountant. This means he can count the wrong steps!
  • The Electric Slide is copywrighted
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spot while doing a triple turn in the air, fell and tore his cartilage ending his career at age 28. What wonders might this man have given the world had it not been for this fateful night. How many of you know The Robot, Techtronik, Breakdancing and the only squaredance created in the last 50 years - The Texas 'Silver' Star that premiered on the CMA awards show in 1989. Who knows what this man might have given the world had he not been struck down that night.. My hat goes off to this man and I believe he deserves our gratitude and thanks for the wonderful dances that he gave us in his short but amazing career.

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Posted on 04/13/2008 at 8:04:12 AM

 
In 1909, the laws governing copyright of choreography was such that only a ballet that told a story was acceptable but because of dancers like Jose Limon, Martha Graham, and the like, the laws changed in 1976 but did not take effect until 1978. The Electric Slide, which was created as a dance piece for professional dancers and performed at the club VAMPS owned by Steak & Brew who opened the club in 1975 as a nightclub for Professional Dancers stating that there were many dance clubs in New York for people to go to but no clubs for dancers to have for their own - a space where professional dancers could let loose. Mr. Silver, a professional dancers who had just become a member of the Larry Richardson Dance Company, was asked to create the dance to premiere at the club and teach it there until the club decided to open it's doors to the general public and one of the patrons brought a drink onto the dance floor, spilt it and Mr. Silver jumped in the air in a triple spin and landed on the

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Posted on 04/13/2008 at 8:04:51 AM

 
correction: *too much time (I hate when people misuse to, too, and two and I just did, crap!)

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Posted on 02/28/2007 at 11:02:00 AM

 
Oh, wow. I guess there is a little to much time on his hands!

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Posted on 02/28/2007 at 11:02:00 AM

 
Wow, no love for mr. Silver. I say rock on Mr. Silver the Electric Slide should be done correctly!

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Posted on 02/25/2007 at 3:02:00 PM

 
This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard.

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Posted on 02/21/2007 at 4:02:00 PM

 
Three words for Ric ...GET A LIFE! Thanks, DST, for writing something to brighten my otherwise drab day.

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Posted on 02/21/2007 at 1:02:00 PM

 
Can the Macarena be next? Personally I think anyone still doing the Electric Slide SHOULD be sued..so maybe he has something there.

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Posted on 02/21/2007 at 6:02:00 AM

 
WOW!

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Posted on 02/21/2007 at 4:02:00 AM

 
He has lost it. I don't know anyone that thinks about getting fined when they go out dancing. I wonder if you modify the name to something like the electrical slide if you can still be fined. In movies and major public displays I can see him getting annoyed but really its not like he looses anything if I totally mess it up in my living room. Interesting article, who'd a thought

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Posted on 02/20/2007 at 10:02:00 PM

 
Oh geez now I've heard it all. I've never done it and well if he wanted to make sure it was done right he should have started doing something about it years ago. Not sure what kind of copyright law this would fall under but I know that if you have a copyright that you know is being violated and do nothing about it for a certain amount of time then you lose copyright to it. Like if I knew hundreds of people were using a name I had copyrighted like "Playboy" for example and never attempted to contact them to stop I would eventually lose that copyright for lack of enforcing it. Notice since Google bought YouTube everyone is going crazy on them. They should have done the transaction on the down low.

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Posted on 02/20/2007 at 8:02:00 PM

 
You can copyright dance moves? Wow. People do Michael Jackson's little "EEEE HEEE!" all the time. He's not suing anyone. Well, ok. They probably were doing it up until about 1995. lol.

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Posted on 02/20/2007 at 7:02:00 PM

 
This is quite comical in a good way, and also in a slightly sad way... Thanks for the great reporting and for giving me a chuckle. :D

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Posted on 02/20/2007 at 6:02:00 PM

 
Thanks, Rebecca! I was surprised when I saw it on the front! Yay! I actually just got engaged and I think I'll ban the Electric Slide from the reception now! ; )

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Posted on 02/20/2007 at 6:02:00 PM

 
I can't tell you the last time I did the electric slide. I don't go to many weddings and when I do go out dancing, it's line dancing but we don't do that dance.. Now Clarence Carter.. hee hee. Great Job Donna getting on the front page!

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Posted on 02/20/2007 at 6:02:00 PM

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