The Evolution Of The Orange T-Shirt Dance

The Orange Justice dance craze started with a viral video of a boy known as Orange Shirt Kid who submitted a video of his dance moves to a competition run by Fortnite. Although he didn't win, his video was a fan favourite that went viral, leading to a community campaign for Justice for Orange Shirt Kid. Eventually, Epic Games added the move to Fortnite Battle Royale as a reward for players who reached tier 26 of the Season 4 Battle Pass.

The Fortnite BoogieDown contest

The Fortnite #BoogieDown contest was held by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, in early 2018. The competition invited players to submit videos of their dance moves for a chance to have them included in the game as emotes. The contest attracted thousands of applicants, including a young boy known as "Orange Shirt Kid", who performed his dance in an orange shirt and sweatpants.

Orange Shirt Kid's dance was characterised by energetic and exaggerated arm and leg movements. In his submission video, he called the dance "The Random". Although his moves were unique and humorous, Orange Shirt Kid did not win the contest, placing 23rd. However, his dance gained widespread popularity within the Fortnite community, who started a campaign for "Justice for Orange Shirt Kid" on Reddit and Twitter.

The campaign led to Epic Games adding Orange Shirt Kid's dance to Fortnite Battle Royale as a reward for players who reached tier 26 of the Season 4 Battle Pass. The dance, now named "Orange Justice", became one of the most recognisable dances in the game, contributing to its cultural footprint. It inspired memes, parodies, and dance challenges, and was even used to promote fitness among youth.

The inclusion of Orange Justice in Fortnite demonstrated the influence of player-driven content in modern video games and how community engagement can shape the development and content of a game. It also sparked discussions about the creation and ownership of dance moves, with Orange Shirt Kid's mother, Rachel McCumbers, filing a lawsuit against Epic Games for "unauthorized misappropriation".

The role of the internet in dance popularity

The "Orange Shirt Kid", despite not winning the competition, caught the attention of the Fortnite community with his energetic and humorous dance moves. The power of the internet community was evident as they rallied behind the "Orange Shirt Kid", starting a campaign on Reddit and Twitter with the hashtag #JusticeForOrangeShirtKid. This viral campaign gained momentum, and eventually, Epic Games added the "Orange Justice" dance to Fortnite, coining it an "internet sensation".

The inclusion of the "Orange Justice" dance in Fortnite contributed to its popularity, as the game's massive player base was now exposed to the dance. The internet, specifically social media platforms, played a crucial role in spreading the dance beyond the game. Platforms like TikTok, with their ability to share and remix content, further propelled the dance's popularity, leading to endless performances and variations of the "Orange Justice" dance.

The impact of the internet on dance popularity is undeniable, as seen with the "Orange Shirt Kid" phenomenon. The internet provides a platform for users to showcase their creativity, connect with others, and spread trends globally. It allows for rapid dissemination of information, with dance videos and memes reaching a wide audience in a short period. Additionally, the interactive nature of the internet facilitates community engagement and user-driven content, as seen with the Fortnite competition.

Orange Shirt Kid's influence

The "Orange Shirt Kid" is a young boy who submitted a video of himself dancing in an orange t-shirt to the Fortnite BoogieDown Contest in early 2018. Although he did not win the contest, placing 23rd, his dance became a viral sensation and was eventually added to the game as an emote. The dance, characterized by energetic and exaggerated arm and leg movements, became known as "Orange Justice".

The Orange Shirt Kid's influence can be seen in several ways. Firstly, he created a unique and memorable dance that caught the attention of the Fortnite community and became one of the most recognizable dances in the game. His dance was so popular that it sparked a community campaign for "Justice for Orange Shirt Kid", with a Change.org petition gathering over 11,000 signatures. This led to Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, adding the Orange Justice emote to the game as a reward for players who reached Tier 26 of the Season 4 Battle Pass. This decision was seen as a response to the strong support from the Fortnite community, who felt that the Orange Shirt Kid's dance deserved to be included in the game.

Secondly, the Orange Shirt Kid's influence can be seen in the impact he had on popular culture. The Orange Justice emote inspired memes, parodies, and dance challenges, and was even used to promote fitness among youth. Additionally, it sparked discussions and raised questions about the ownership and credit of dance moves in the digital age. The popularity of the Orange Justice emote also led to the creation of other emotes in Fortnite, with the game adding dance moves such as the Milly Rock ("Swipe It") and the Carlton dance ("Fresh").

The Orange Shirt Kid's influence extended beyond the virtual world of Fortnite and into the physical world. The Orange Justice emote was performed by people at gatherings such as middle school dances, family weddings, and any large gathering of youth. It became a cultural phenomenon within the gaming and social media communities, with people recreating the dance and sharing it on platforms such as TikTok. The Orange Shirt Kid's mother, Rachel McCumbers, also filed a lawsuit against Epic Games for "unauthorized misappropriation", claiming that the company was monetizing the emotes without adequate credit or consent. This lawsuit brought attention to the complex issues surrounding the ownership and credit of dance moves in the digital age.

Overall, the Orange Shirt Kid's influence can be seen in the lasting impact he had on Fortnite, popular culture, and the broader discussion of dance ownership and credit in the digital age. His unique and memorable dance moves inspired a community of players to rally behind him, and his influence extended beyond the game itself, leaving a lasting mark on popular culture and the way we think about dance in the digital age.

The dance's addition to Fortnite

The addition of dances to Fortnite has been a notable feature of the game, with players able to make their avatars perform a variety of moves. In 2018, Fortnite held the #BoogieDown or BoogieDown contest, inviting players to submit videos of their dance moves for the chance to have them included in the game as emotes. The competition amassed thousands of applicants, with the winner's dance move set to be added to the game.

One particular entrant to the competition, a boy known as "Orange Shirt Kid", who performed his dance in an orange shirt and sweatpants, stood out to the Fortnite community. Despite not winning the competition, placing 23rd, his energetic and humorous dance moves caught the attention of players, who started a campaign for his inclusion in the game. A Change.org petition was launched, and the hashtag #JusticeForOrangeShirtKid trended on Twitter.

Following the strong community push, and the viral nature of the dance, Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, added Orange Shirt Kid's dance to the game as an emote under the name "Orange Justice". It was added as a reward for players who reached tier 26 of the Season 4 Battle Pass. The dance involves a series of rapid, exaggerated movements, including bending the knees and pumping the arms in a criss-cross pattern, followed by a shrug and a clap above the head.

The addition of "Orange Justice" to Fortnite was a significant moment, with the dance becoming one of the most recognisable in the game and contributing to its cultural footprint. It demonstrated the influence of player-driven content in modern video games and how community engagement can shape a game's development and content. "Orange Justice" inspired memes, parodies, and dance challenges, and was even used to promote fitness among youth. Notably, Michelle Obama performed the dance.

The Orange Justice lawsuit

The Orange Justice dance move gained popularity as part of the video game Fortnite Battle Royale. It is characterized by its energetic, exaggerated arm and leg movements, and it became a cultural phenomenon within the gaming and social media communities.

The dance can be traced back to a young boy known as "Orange Shirt Kid", who submitted a video of himself performing the dance during the Fortnite BoogieDown Contest in early 2018. The contest, held by Epic Games, invited players to submit videos of their dance moves, with the winner's dance to be included in the game as an emote. While Orange Shirt Kid's dance, which he called "The Random", did not win the contest, it gained widespread popularity due to its unique and humorous movements. This led to a community campaign on Reddit and Twitter, with the hashtag #JusticeForOrangeShirtKid trending, and a Change.org petition created to convince Epic to add the dance to the game.

Following the strong community push, Epic Games added the Orange Justice dance to Fortnite as a reward for players who reached tier 26 of the Season 4 Battle Pass. The inclusion of the dance was seen as a response to the support from the Fortnite community, who felt that Orange Shirt Kid's dance deserved a spot in the game.

In 2019, Rachel McCumbers, the mother of Orange Shirt Kid, filed a lawsuit against Epic Games for "unauthorized misappropriation", claiming that the company was monetizing the emotes without adequate credit or consent. The lawsuit alleged that Epic Games copied the dance move and a catchphrase from Orange Shirt Kid's video but did not credit or seek his consent to use, display, or reproduce the content. The lawsuit was filed by the same law firm representing other creators who claimed that Epic Games had profited from their original creations by selling emotes in Fortnite.

The outcome of the lawsuit is not known, however, some commentators have noted that the dance move was submitted as part of a contest that granted Epic Games use of the content, and that simple, unchoreographed dance moves are not protected under copyright law in the United States.

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