The current season of “Dancing with the Stars” has been filled with both questionable casting choices and incredible dances, but none have reached such viral popularity as former NFL player Danny Amendola and his professional partner Witney Carson’s contemporary during Dedication Week.
While dancing to a mix of “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors, Amendola lifted up Carson by one of her legs while she arched her back, in one incredible, fluid motion that quickly went viral on social media. Even I had to admit how outstanding it was while watching it live that night.
As with most viral dances and dance moves, recreating the move quickly became popular on TikTok. While there have been a handful of successful attempts, mostly from other professional dancers or athletes, there have also been many more unsuccessful ones from amateur dancers. These unsuccessful attempts usually end humorously, with either the man falling to the ground or dragging the poor woman off screen, but some have also ended with injuries.
Surgeons started warning against attempting the move, nicknamed “Operation Archer” by Carson, as not having enough core strength to execute the move could potentially cause injuries to the hips, legs and even spine. Even TikTok eventually added a disclaimer to videos attempting it, stating that the dance may cause injuries and that it should be tried at one’s own risk.
Even after Amendola and Carson released a video instructing people on how to perform the move correctly, without risk of injury, I can’t help but feel this is a symptom of a bigger problem.
Yes, we can all recognize when a dance move looks cool, but not all of us can recognize whether said move should be attempted or not. As far back as 2022, and possibly even farther as well, there have been warnings about attempting viral TikTok dances if one is not properly trained to do so; this article mentions injuries from both a “Footloose” inspired move and choreography based on “WAP” by Cardi B.
Despite not having a TikTok account, I’ve even been guilty of trying and failing cool dance moves, mostly from K-Pop songs–though thankfully, the worst I ever took was a tumble to the floor.
If you’re going to recreate a complex dance move on TikTok, I would first step back and wonder if it looks like it might be dangerous to perform, especially if you’re not a dancer. As mentioned above, dancing in general requires a ton of core strength to maintain your frame and balance, and that’s not even getting into whatever else the routine might require.
If you’re still feeling like attempting it, don’t do it in an empty room where it’s just you and your camera: Have a friend nearby in case the worst happens and you get injured. It may look “less cool,” but you’ll at least have someone around if something goes wrong. Wearing loose-fitting clothes that allow for ease of movement will also help prevent split seams and torn muscles.
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