Fortnite has already infiltrated every aspect of youth culture, so why not the gym class? Classes of kids as young as 12 years old are participating in a Fortnite-themed dance class that teaches them how to mimic the victory animations from the insanely popular battle royale game.
The dance classes are currently available at over 30 gyms in the UK, according to a report by the Huffington Post.
https://twitter.com/FreeMemesKids/status/1033800643901878274
The classes are hosted mostly by the David Lloyd gym outlets (think the UK’s version of LA Fitness) and challenge teens and younger kids to learn every dance emote from the game. They start with easier moves, like the “best mates,” “jubilation,” and the “wiggle.” Then things get harder with the floss and the robot.
By the end, the kids are expected to perform all the dances in one big medley.
The internet, perhaps the biggest purveyor of Fortnite memes and jokes, had no shortage of hot takes for these pre-teens getting their “hype dance” on.
https://twitter.com/xrboy1/status/1033801056512290816
imagine holding a child in ur womb for 9 months for them to one day ask u: "mommy, can u put me in the Fortnite dance class"
— lexxarie 🌙🌸 (@lexxcchi) August 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/DimitriAleksei/status/1033890862571417600
But plenty more people are psyched to see kids getting some genuine exercise, no matter how dorky they look. Speaking for myself, I’d rather learn something I saw in a video game than have to do the Cha-Cha Slide or square dance ever again.
Completely agree. They’re being active and having fun doing it. So they’re mimicking a video game, so what? https://t.co/MUEXePTN0y
— Susan Arendt (@SusanArendt) August 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/RobertEvatt/status/1034086286129278976
I get that "haha fortnite dance class" sounds cringy on paper but its literally a class for kids to have fun that relates to their interests and keeps them active and healthy… its not that deep.
— loubert 🕺 (@almostgoth) August 26, 2018
https://twitter.com/sabssume/status/1033777836342030337
A 2017 report by Statista says that children ages 8-11 spent about 10 hours a week playing games, and children ages 12-15 play about 12 hours per week. A 2017 report by the BBC, citing a study by Public Health England and Disney, says that by the final year of primary school, just 17 percent of kids achieve the minimum recommended amount (60 minutes) of daily physical activity. A 2016 report by the NHS says that just 23 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls between the ages of 5 and 15 meet the recommended level of activity.