Adriana V. Lopez

Is the Chiki Chiki dance the new Macarena?

Brace yourself: Though you may have survived La Macarena, prepare yourselves for the Chiki Chiki dance, a Spanish joke-song that's climbing the international dance charts. It falls into the “Reggaeton-light” category of music and is sung and performed by the character, Señor Rodolfo Chikilicuatre.

Should you be attending a Latin festivity and they should happen to play the Chiki Chiki, don’t sweat it, the dance is broken up into four simple steps: 1) El Breaking Dance 2) El Cruzadito 3) El Michael Jackson 4) El Robocop.

Here's the Youtube link for your first Chiki Chiki lesson.

Rodolfo Chikilicuatre has hairdo like Elvis, a bean pole physique and a voice as fresh as an old geezer. Chikilicuatre is supposedly an Argentine or South American immigrant living in Barcelona who likes Reggeaton and mumbles his words. El Chiki Chiki first appeared on Spanish television in February as a comic sketch by cast member David Fernández on the popular late night talk show Buenafuente. A show whose eponymous Catalan host Andreu Buenafuente, is as charming and sardonic as the States’ David Letterman. The comedy act’s song, meant as a quick laugh, soon became as overplayed as the hit of the summer. So popular, that Fernández entered the Eurovision competition as Rodolfo Chikilicuatre last weekend and won Spain’s vote to represent it in the intense pan-European pop song contest to be held in Belgrade in May. This of course infuriated the other contestants who are as fierce and driven as the characters from Fame.

Though even the uncoordinated can tackle the dance, the lyrics are little harder to decipher but worth the listen since their steeped in pop culture. As if Mr. Chiki Chiki  weren’t provocative enough, a flamboyant Latin American immigrant shaking his booty during the height of the Spanish Presidential elections where immigration was at the forefront of debates, the song also pokes fun at heads of state: A reference to King Juan Carlos’s infamous “¿Porque no te callas?” (Why don’t you shut up?”) hissed at Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a nod to Chavez himself for liking the chiki chiki, as well as the two recent Presidential candidates Mariano Rajoy (Popular Party) and the second term winner President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (Socialist Party).

The Spanish are showing the world their funny side, while acculturating to their new wave of Latin American immigrants. Everyone is dancing the Chiki Chiki these days and looking very silly doing it, together.

Will you?

Posted by Adriana V. Lopez on March 11, 2008 | Comments (2)