“Harlem Shake” Gets Miners in Trouble

Posted on Mar 23, 2013

If you're an avid YouTube viewer, you probably know all about “Harlem Shake,” a rambunctious dance popularized by the Brooklyn musician known as Baauer. The Harlem Shake has become so viral in real life that there's been a recent mini-boom in impromptu Harlem Shake videos. This has included students in high schools, employees in respectable businesses, etc., all doing the Harlem Shake in unison and posting the results on YouTube.

Some authorities and employers, though, don't look very kindly on the Harlem Shake. According to Billboard Magazine, a group of Australian miners recently lost their jobs after they posted a video of themselves doing the Harlem Shake deep underground, wearing their safety gear. To quote from the story:

Mine owner Barminco considered the stunt a safety issue and a breach of its “core values of safety, integrity and excellence,” according to a dismissal letter cited by the paper. The letter noted that Barminco would not allow the dancing workers “to be subcontracted by Barminco at any site domestically and globally”...[however], it's not clear from the video what safety issues are raised. The dancing miners wear helmets, but five are shirtless. The sacked worker told the newspaper that shirts had been removed to ensure the Barminco name did not appear in the video.

Add this Australian mining incident to a recent Harlem Shake tribute being investigated by the FAA, in which a group of passengers in flight got up to perform this dance in unison!

Are you a business in the DC area that wants to promote your goods and services on YouTube? Don't delay! Contact the YouTube video marketing professionals at Gearshift (703-962-1270) for a free consultation today.

Read More About “Harlem Shake” Gets Miners in Trouble...