Everything Parents Need to Know About The Floss Dance

If you hear the words "The Floss Dance" and your mind immediately goes to oral hygiene, you're not alone. But you may very well be a parent who's a bit out of the loop on the latest dance trend that kids and teens are positively in love with. Like dabbing before it, kids are psyched to master The Floss Dance. Here's the scoop on the popular move.

Who Invented The Floss Dance

The earliest instance of the dance showing up on the internet was back in 2014 in this clip from JStuStudios on YouTube.

But typically, credit for the trending dance goes to Instagram star Russell Horning, aka The Backpack Kid, a 16-year-old from Georgia who now boasts 1.7 million followers. The teen, who's known for his deadpan expression when he dances, did the move in a video shared on August 18, 2016, and the clip quickly wracked up tens of thousands of views.

How The Floss Dance Went Viral

Although The Backpack Kid's move was a hit on Instagram, it was a slow build for him—and his Floss Dance—to reach internationally beloved status. Katy Perry tapped him to perform alongside her and other talented drag queens and club-going dancers to "Swish Swish" on the season finale of Saturday Night Live back on May 20, 2017. The Kid caught viewers' attention, and just two days later, Inside Edition published a video interview with Backpack Kid, which has garnered 42 million views in just over a year.

How You Do The Floss Dance

Obviously, just watching The Backpack Kid or imitators on YouTube do the move isn't enough. Kids and teens wanted to break down the move, learn it, and master it. Here's the basic how-to for The Floss Dance, according to The Sun:

1. You'll want to make sure you're swinging your hips in the opposite direction to your arms, which are in two fists.2. After swinging your arms to one side, keeping them straight, you then move one arm behind your back, and bring it back out in front.3. Your hips are swinging from side-to-side with each beat.4. You then swing your arms out to the other side and repeat the same moves.5. Start slowly, and then increase your speed as you get more confident.

And since The Backpack Kid's SNL appearance, several instructional videos have gone viral.

Check out some of the most beloved clips of The Backpack Kid (recently!), regular kids, celebs, pro athletes, and even Spiderman doing the move.

They can't get enough of it, and neither can kids. But the attitude among Generation Z seems to be that parents should avoid doing it at all costs and maybe stick to what they know ... The Macarena, Electric Slide, or Hammer Time, anyone?