Judson Laipply


Judson Laipply is an American internet celebrity from Bucyrus, Ohio. He served as the state president of The Ohio Association of Student Councils from 1993 to 1994. He is best known for his performance in the "Evolution of Dance" viral video clip, which became one of the most famous YouTube videos ever and was the most-viewed YouTube video over three time periods from May 2006 to October 2009. He has worked as a public speaker since 2000. For a brief 21 day period from June 12, 2006, to July 3, 2006, his YouTube channel was the most subscribed YouTube channel, which made him the first male individual channel to officially hold the honor.

"Evolution of Dance"

In 2003, Laipply originally performed "Evolution of Dance", at which time it consisted of 12 popular dance songs of the late 20th century. In the video which was later uploaded to YouTube on April 6, 2006, he is seen performing various dance moves on stage with a spot light pointing at him in under 8 minutes. At that time, it was rated on YouTube as:
  • #1 Most Viewed All Time Video on YouTube.com
  • #1 Top Rated Video on YouTube.com
  • #3 Most Discussed Video on YouTube.com
It has since been surpassed by other videos.

Songs in "Evolution of Dance"

"Evolution of Dance 2"

The "Evolution of Dance 2" video, the sequel to the video sensation "Evolution of Dance" was released on December 17, 2008, as part of a national viral marketing campaign.
SongArtist/WorkDuration Released
"I Got You "James Brown0:10–0:301965
"My Girl"The Temptations0:30–0:391964
"Proud Mary"Ike & Tina Turner0:39–0:501971
"The Hustle"Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony0:50–0:551975
"Hokey Pokey"Ray Anthony0:55–1:091950
"Shout"The Isley Brothers1:09–1:201959
"Tequila"The Champs1:21–1:301958
"I'm Gonna Be "The Proclaimers1:31–1:381988
"Pump Up the Jam"Technotronic1:38–1:561989
"I'm Too Sexy"Right Said Fred1:56–2:111992
"Electric Boogie"Marcia Griffiths2:11–2:311989
"My Lovin' "En Vogue2:31–2:421992
"Tootsee Roll"69 Boyz2:43–2:561994
"Cha Cha Slide"DJ Casper2:57–3:162000
"Lean Back"Terror Squad3.16–3.232004
"Here It Goes Again"OK Go3:23–3:322006
"London Bridge"Fergie3:32–3:422006
"Crank That "Soulja Boy3:42–4:002007
"Shout"
The Isley Brothers4:00–4:021959
"I'm Too Sexy"
Right Said Fred4:02–4:051992

"Evolution of Dance 3"

This was announced by Judson on June 16, 2010; he stated that it was in its early stages and that it was too early to give any details. In a YouTube comment he claimed he was trying to incorporate much older music and possibly include a second dancer. It was uploaded in April 2016, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of "Evolution of Dance".
SongArtist/WorkDuration Released
"Johnny B. Goode"Chuck Berry0:05–0:131958
"Time Warp"The Rocky Horror Picture Show0:14–0:361975
"Born to Hand Jive"Sha Na Na0:36–0:561978
"Beat It"Michael Jackson0:56–1:131983
"Sweet Child O' Mine"Guns N' Roses1:13–1:301988
"Vogue"Madonna1:30–1:381990
"Hanging Tough"New Kids on the Block1:38–1:481988
"Rollin'"Limp Bizkit1:48–2:042000
"It's Not Unusual"Tom Jones2:04–2:201965
"Peanut Butter Jelly Time"Chip-Man & The Buckwheat Boyz2:20–2:312005
"Hips Don't Lie"Shakira2:31–2:412006
"Cupid Shuffle"Cupid2:41–2:542007
"Wobble"V.I.C.2:54–3:132008
"Stanky Legg"GS Boyz3:13–3:192008
"Single Ladies"Beyoncé3:19–3:312008
"Moving Like Berney"ISA3:31–3:382010
"Party Rock Anthem"LMFAO3:38–3:432011
"I'm Sexy and I Know It"LMFAO3:43–3:482011
"Call Me Maybe"Carly Rae Jepsen3:48–3:552011
"Gangnam Style"PSY3:55–4:062012
"Wrecking Ball"Miley Cyrus4:06–4:222013
"Watch Me"Silento4:22–4:292015
"Hit the Quan"ILoveMemphis4:29–4:372015
"Hotline Bling"Drake4:37–4:522015
"So Long, Farewell"The Sound of Music4:52–5:041965

Popular culture

In December 2007, Judson appeared in an advert on the BBC for the 'dance season' during the Christmas Holidays. "Evolution of Dance" was #1 on the show Rude Tube hosted by Alex Zane and Laipply was interviewed on the show. Judson was also featured in the music video for Weezer's song "Pork and Beans" along with several other Internet celebrities.
In February 2010, the video was used as a question reference on the game show Jeopardy! in the 2010 college championships. In "The Delivery" episode of The Office, Andy Bernard does the dance sans music as a way to distract Pam from her contractions. In 2011, Judson also appeared on Tosh.0, hosted by Daniel Tosh. The video has been parodied numerous times on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon through variations such as "Evolution of Mom Dancing" or "Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing" among others.
He did another video, called "The Evolution of the Touchdown Dance", which included memorable NFL touchdown dances, like "The Ickey Shuffle", Joe Horn's cell phone celebration, and famous celebrations from Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.
In December 2015, he appeared in YouTube's annual YouTube Rewind.