The "Harlem Shake" Unites New York

We all thought that "Gangnam Style" was the newest thing to hit the airwaves, but out of the blue the "Harlem Shake" re-invents itself as the newest craze that completely took over.

It's all over the place, from blogs, Facebook, Twitter and everywhere else online as some try to avoid it, it is almost impossible, until you finally give in and check it out.

Depending upon your mood, it might be less than 35 seconds of your life that you would be glad that you took the time to stop and see what the craze is all about.

Created by a New York City-based producer Baauer, the video "Harlem Shake" during the first 15 seconds, a single person wearing a mask or helmet dances along to the song while others around him act normal.

Then seconds later, the beat drops and all hell breaks loose. Everyone dances around in every way shape and form, many dressed in costumes or masks, while using random props. This craze took over the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Currently, there are thousands of "Harlem Shake" videos uploaded on YouTube every single day, just searching for it will turn up over 100,000 results. Many New Yorkers are giving into the meme and posting their own videos.

However, there is a minor downfall to this chaotic dance style and the numerous people associated with the dance: It's no surprise that the commotion is causing some problems.

Forest Hills High Arrest

A senior at Forest Hills High School in Queens was recently arrested for trying to organize a "Harlem Shake" flash mob that got way out of hand. School officials found out about the event and tried to stop it before it started, but on February 15, hundreds gathered in the school's lobby at 9:30 a.m. while school employees and the 17-year-old alleged organizer, Arnis Mehmetaj, tried to get everyone to calm down. The police were called, and the student was promptly taken in, charged with disorderly conduct, and given a desk appearance ticket. In addition to his arrest, he was suspended from school for five days.

Schools Around NY

A search through YouTube will bring up several schools around New York who did their own versions of the "Harlem Shake." Stuyvesant High School posted a 30-second video in which they did the dance on the escalators, Hunter College High School did the dance on the front steps, and the Bronx School of Science did theirs in the wet yard of their school. High schools aren't the only ones getting in on the trend. Some Fordham University students got in on the craze by dancing half-naked in the snow in front of their school, and students from New York University danced away in Washington Square Park.

Times Square Harlem Shake

Two filmmakers -- Edward Sturm and Michael Sorace -- wanted to do their own take on the "Harlem Shake" and put the word out for people to gather in Times Square. You can see where this is going, right? On February 12, about 300 people showed up on the TKTS steps, but the NYPD gave them the boot. The gathering moved nearby, where cops shut them down yet again, but not before there were two takes done. And so the Times Square "Harlem Shake" video was born. The YouTube video is nearing 3 million views to date.

Some are hoping that the craze dies off as quickly. But there's no doubt there's going to be many more videos done before that happens. As this craze unites the New York and the Country, everyone is doing it, it's a positive thing as it allows people to laugh, dance, create and for some it's even a method to loosing weight.  It all depends on how you look at it, young, old, black, white to even professional news casters are doing it.

If you haven't discovered the "Harlem Shake," you are missing out on 35 seconds of fun, fun, fun.