(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WOBBLE")
V I C: (Singing) Oh.
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
DJs and MCs are working their way through the December party circuit, finding that magic mix of songs and games to coax us onto the dance floor. Chris Schultz is a DJ in Rockville, Maryland. His entertainment company, Unique Dreams, goes to corporate events, proms, bar and bat mitzvahs, office parties and more. And Chris will not let you hide by the punch. Chris Schultz, welcome to the program.
CHRIS SCHULTZ, BYLINE: Hi, Ayesha.
RASCOE: What type of ideas do you kind of throw out to get people moving?
SCHULTZ: All right. So kids, anyway you can break the ice with them fast - games, contests, even just the hype new stuff that's on the radio or whatever that they like. Any type of interaction, any way you can get them to just be kids, get off their phones and enjoy the atmosphere that they're in, you've already won. Adults are a little bit different. Sometimes we'll suggest, like, little mini, like, "Minute To Win It" challenges or company trivia contests or lip sync battles - whatever - at a holiday party or corporate that could just break the ice. Once the ice is broken, and sometimes it's with a couple drinks...
RASCOE: (Laughter) Then it gets going.
SCHULTZ: Once they loosen up, it's pretty easy then.
RASCOE: Party hosts now, they seem to hire people not only to DJ, but also to dance and to lead other people in dances. Who are these people?
SCHULTZ: We call them motivators, crowd-hype people. I would say they have a multitude of different jobs. But essentially, these are just fun, energetic, not shy people ready to mix it up. 'Cause OK, so, Ayesha, you ever been to a party and let's say you're just chilling. We're hanging out. Nobody's on the dance floor.
RASCOE: Yeah, yeah.
SCHULTZ: If one of these hype people goes to the dance floor and is just being silly and doing their thing, it's going to encourage other people. People are like, oh, it's not an empty dance floor anymore.
RASCOE: Yeah, yeah.
SCHULTZ: And if this hype person can grab three or four people, well, now it's begun.
RASCOE: Are there line dances that we need to, like, brush up on this year? Are people still doing the Wobble? I mean, Boots on the Ground was huge. Oh, my goodness. Are people still doing that?
SCHULTZ: I thought Boots on the Ground was going to be a hit, and everyone was going to go to it. It's a little bit harder of a dance.
RASCOE: Yes. It is. Yeah.
SCHULTZ: The ones that tend to stand the test of time so far, it's the Wobble. It's the Cupid Shuffle. It's the Cha Cha Slide. I don't really see the Electric Slide as much anymore, but it's funny...
RASCOE: (Laughter).
SCHULTZ: ...Because there was - oh, gosh. I'm going to remember the name of the song in a minute, but there was just a song that came out recently that everyone was doing the Electric Slide to. The song popped in my head, girl. It's "Little (ph) Boo Thang."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIL BOO THANG")
PAUL RUSSELL: (Singing) Girl, you my lil' boo thang, so I don't give a hoot what your dude say. Girl, I know.
RASCOE: Oh, yes. Yes.
SCHULTZ: That had people doing the Electric Slide up and down the place. I couldn't believe it. I was like, OK. And I love the song. So, like, all right, we're going to go for it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIL BOO THANG")
RUSSELL: (Singing) Tell 'em I'm, tell 'em I'm next.
RASCOE: OK. We - that was a big hit in our house as well. OK. They weren't doing the Electric Slide to it. But what songs are you, like, playing constantly this year? What are the big hits?
SCHULTZ: With kids, especially 12, 13, it changes weekly. At one point, especially around Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar was red hot.
RASCOE: What about "KPop Demon Hunters"?
SCHULTZ: That song is fire right now - "Golden." Like, the kids are fired up with it.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN")
EJAE: (As Rumi, singing) Now I'm shining.
RASCOE: That's Chris Schultz. He's a DJ and CEO of Unique Dreams, an entertainment company in Rockville, Maryland. Thank you so much for talking with me.
SCHULTZ: Thank you so much, Ayesha. I really appreciate your time today.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOLDEN")
EJAE, AUDREY NUNA AND REI AMI: (As Huntr/x, singing) We're going up, up, up. It's our moment. You know together we're glowing. Going to be, going to be golden. Oh, up, up, up with our voices. (Singing in Korean). Going to be, going to be golden. Oh, I'm done hiding. Now I'm shining like I'm born to be. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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