Alfonso Ribeiro Explains The Two Inspirations For The ‘Carlton Dance’ And Now It Makes Complete Sense

The next time you’re at a wedding, ask someone to show you The Charleston. They’ll probably be clueless. Then ask them to show you “The Carlton.” They’ll nail it.

The Carlton Dance is a part of human culture. The weird, awkward, two handed swing with a pelvic shake made famous by Alfonso Ribeiro on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air is probably more recognizable now than actual dance moves.

In a recent interview, Ribeiro explained the origins of the dance. It was basically all his idea, since the script only called for “Carlton dances.” So Ribeiro improvised and drew inspiration for Carlton’s moves from two places — Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark video and Eddie Murphy’s Raw.

So this…

plus this..

equals…

Yeah, that’s not unusual.

[via GQ]