Clara joins "Harlem Shake" craze

Offaly has joined the internet craze that is the “Harlem Shake” and it’s the talk of the town this week in Clara. The staff of Knight’s Supermarket on Oratory Road in Clara put their version of the “Harlem Shake” together with help from a few friends after the shop closed its doors last Tuesday evening.

The man behind the idea - Darren Fitzpatrick - told the Offaly Independent he didn’t expect the thousands of views the clip has attracted on video sharing website YouTube and said every second customer comes into the supermarket talking about it now.

A “Harlem Shake” lasts approximately 30 seconds. It begins with one person dancing alone to Baauer’s song “Harlem Shake” for 15 seconds, surrounded by people not paying attention or perhaps even unaware of the dancer. The video then cuts to a crowd dancing scene, with dancers wearing crazy costumes or using strange props.

“We’d seen loads of videos and decided it’d be a bit of craic,” 21 year old Darren, who has worked in Knight’s for four years now, said. After getting agreement from the shop manager, Darren and just under 20 of his colleagues and friends got to work on Tuesday evening last at 8pm. Fellow Clara man David Newman stepped up to the plate as the initial solo dancer in the clip that was recorded with a digital camera. He was then joined by others wearing Hallowe’en costumes and in one case cling film.

Recording the clip took just under an hour, Darren said, while editing it later took just ten minutes. He uploaded the effort to YouTube the same night at about 11pm, and by Wednesday morning it had already attracted 1,500 hits. Since then thousands more have viewed the video.

Reaction to the hijinks have been positive so far, with customers all having a giggle at it. “They’re saying the laughs they’re getting from it are unreal,” Darren said. “They said the whole town is talking about it.”

You can see the clip by searching for 'Harlem Shake Knights Supermarket Clara Edition' at www.youtube.com or click on the video below.

http://youtu.be/q3oVudWcau0