They brought the gay to ‘America’s Best Dance Crew,’ but were criticized when the guys didn’t dance “like guys”
A post shared by Fanny Pak (@thefannypak)No matter where you were 15 years ago today, Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” was inescapable.
The lead track off her 2008 album E=MC² reached its #1 Billboard peak on April 12, 2008, cementing its legacy among her most successful singles ever.But for a certain subsection of gays—this writer included—”Touch My Body” will forever be associated with Fanny Pak, the queer-friendly dance group who performed the number on the second season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew.Before we dive deeper into this Time Warp, we’ll give you a chance to watch Fanny Pak cut it up to the Mariah hit because it goes hard:As you might remember, America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC) was a reality competition series that premiered 15 years ago—feel old yet?—featuring dance crews from around the world.Its first season was such a hit for MTV that it immediately returned to for a second run in June of ’08, bringing 10 new crews into the fold, including our beloved Fanny Pak.The Los Angeles-based dance team took its name from the fashionable ’80s accessory, and dressed accordingly in colorful, flashy apparel.
Fanny Pak was also something of an anomaly on ABDC in that they were a mixed-gender crew.And, though it was never plainly stated on the show, their vibes were extremely gay.
Need further proof? For their first-week performance—where crews were able to pick the song they would dance to—Fanny Pak went with Kylie Minogue’s “Speakerphone” (a non-single from her ’07 album, X).A post shared by Fanny Pak (@thefannypak)Need we say more?But more than fashion and song choices, there’s something to be said about the queer sensibility that Fanny Pak brought to the show.
