If you were one of the countless people who checked out Wednesday, chances are the dance scene stood out in a major way. After the episode’s release, a glimpse at social media showed so many viewers trying to recreate the epic moment. In mimicking Jenna Ortega’s steps, fans might not know the more profound history behind the moment.
Here are some details you may not have known about the rich history behind the Wednesday dance.
The Addams family has always loved to dance
The original Wednesday dance wasn’t a viral moment, but it left a lasting impression on audiences. It was featured in The Addams Family season 2, episode 29, called “Lurch’s Grand Romance.” Wednesday does her part in trying to help Lurch woo a love interest by trying to teach him some trendy dance moves. The results are a sweet scene full of moves that fit the April 1, 1966 air date.
Jenna Ortega choreographed Wednesday’s dance scene herself in just a few days
In an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jenna Ortega shared the story of how it came about that she would choreograph the scene.
“[Tim Burton] came to my trailer about two days before we shot it and said, ‘Hey Jenna, so I know you said you wanted to choreograph this yourself.’ He was like, ‘I know you got it, you’ve been working on it, I’m not even worried about it. I trust you.’ And I said, ‘Oh, yeah. You know, it’s all so good.’”
Ortega took the task of choreographing the dance seriously, but she hadn’t been working on the scene prior to the conversation with Burton.
“I’m not a dancer. I don’t do any of that. I have no experience in that field,” she explains.
As a result, “I didn’t sleep for two days. I watched videos of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Denis Lavant in Beau Travail. I found archival footage of goth kids dancing in clubs in the ’80s. Lene Lovich. Nina Hagen. And then, on the day, I thought, ‘All right, let’s see what happens.’”
The song that plays during the dance is The Cramps’ “Goo Goo Muck”
The song sets the perfect tone for the song, which plays as the normally statuesque character starts unleashing the dancer within. While it might not be familiar to everyone watching, Ortega was excited by the selection, telling Fallon that The Cramps are “one of my favorite bands.”
Ortega filmed the scene while sick with COVID
The actress tested positive for the virus during the day she was set to film the dance and pushed ahead despite feeling unwell.
@netflix Jenna Ortega and the cast of Wednesday react to the iconic Wednesday dance scene ft. the Goo Goo Muck song. #WednesdayNetflix ♬ original sound – Netflix
She explains, “It’s weird. I never get sick, and when I do, it’s not very bad–I had the body aches. I felt like I’d been hit by a car and that a little goblin had been let loose in my throat and was scratching the walls of my esophagus. They were giving me medicine between takes because we were waiting on the positive result.”
COVID protocols had to be followed after the positive test was confirmed. Because of that, Ortega didn’t get a second chance to film the scene she was hopeful about.
“I asked to redo it, but we didn’t have time,” she told NME. “I think I probably could have done it a bit better.”
There’s a nod to “Thriller” within the dance
Editor Jay Prychidny’s contribution to the dance was some Michael Jackson-esque moves at the beginning of the sequence. “[Ortega’s] movements were inspired by ‘Thriller,’ and I was obsessed with ‘Thriller’ when I was a kid,” Prychidny told SyFy.
“That was definitely the inspiration for me in starting the way it does — just holding on her face with the choreography starting off-camera…that definitely for me is a reference to how the ‘Thriller’ dance starts.”
TikTok put their own spin on it by setting the choreography to Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary”
@ladygaga BLOODY WEDNESDAY #fyp ♬ original sound – heyy
The choreography has become one of many to skyrocket on TikTok. Along the way, it was paired with different eerie tracks, including Lady Gaga‘s “Bloody Mary.” The pop star herself got in on the fun, leading the surging trend to grow increasingly viral.
@lindseystirling #wednesdayaddams #dance #tour ♬ original sound – heyy
@dream_team_house #wednesday #wednesdayaddams #wednesdaydance #jennaortega ♬ original sound – heyy
@besperon Replying to @anna8o8maui Happy Wednesday!!! Love this dance so much! 🖤 (dc: @Jenna Ortega) @Netflix #wednesdaydance #wednesdayaddams ♬ Goo Goo Muck – The Cramps
@zavidova9 inst: pryanichek9 #wednesday #wednesdayaddams #wednesdaydance ♬ Goo Goo Muck (From “Wednesday Dance Scene”) – Geek Music
@derekhough Wednesday vibes on a Saturday night #wednesday #wednesdayaddams #dance @Hayley Erbert ♬ original sound – heyy
@nianaguerrero i am OBSESSED with that dance scene!! jenna really killed it as wednesday fr 😭😭🖤
♬ original sound – heyy
@happykelli Enid convinced Thing and Wednesday to do a tiktok 😁💅 #wednesdayaddams #enid #results #dance #results w/ @Kausha Campbell dc: @Jenna Ortega ♬ original sound – heyy
@the.navarose help i can’t stop doing this dance #wednesday ♬ original sound – heyy
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