Orange Justice is a dance move that gained popularity as part of the video game Fortnite Battle Royale.[1] It is characterized by its energetic, exaggerated arm and leg movements, and it became a cultural phenomenon within the gaming and social media communities.[2][3]
 Orange Justice dance | |
| Genre | Video game dance |
|---|---|
| Inventor | "Orange Shirt Kid" |
| Year | 2018 |
| Origin | Fortnite Battle Royale |
Origins
editThe origin of Orange Justice can be traced back to a dance submission by a young boy known as "Orange Shirt Kid" during the Fortnite BoogieDown Contest in early 2018.[1] The contest, held by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, invited players to submit videos of their dance moves for a chance to have them included in the game as emotes.[1] The user Kid_Fortnite12 performed the shirt in an orange shirt.[1] In the submission video, he called it "The Random".[4] Despite not winning the contest getting 23rd place, Orange Shirt Kid's dance gained widespread popularity due to its unique and humorous movements.[5] It lead to a community campaign that started on a Reddit Fortnite page that promoted "Justice for Orange Shirt Kid".[1] On Twitter, the hashtag #JusticeForOrangeShirtKid trended.[6] A Change.org petition was created to convince Epic to add the dance.[7]
Adoption in Fortnite
editFollowing a strong community push and the viral nature of the dance, Epic Games added Orange Justice to Fortnite Battle Royale as a reward for players who reached tier 26 of the Season 4 Battle Pass.[8] The inclusion of the dance was largely 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.[1]
Dance description
editThe dance involves a series of rapid, exaggerated movements starting with the dancer bending their knees and pumping their arms in a criss-cross pattern.[5][9][10] This is followed by a shrug and a clap above the head.[5][9][10]
Reception and legacy
editOrange Justice became one of the most recognizable dances in Fortnite, contributing to the game's cultural footprint.[citation needed] It has demonstrated the influence of player-driven content in modern video games and how community engagement can shape the development and content of a game.[11] It has inspired memes, parodies, and dance challenges.[12] Michelle Obama performed the dance in one notable instance.[13][14][15]
Lawsuit
editIn 2019, Rachel McCumbers, the mother of "Orange Shirt Kid" filed a lawsuit against Epic Games for "unauthorized misappropriation", essentially claiming that the company was monetizing the emotes without adequate credit or consent.[4][16] This follows other suits from Alfonso Ribeiro, rapper 2 Milly, and Backpack Kid who all filed similar suits.[4][7] The plaintiff pointed out the dance was named "Orange Justice" rather the original name "The Random".[7][16] The attorney for the plaintiff attempted to obtain registration for the Orange Shirt Kid's dance.[16] The plaintiff case notably did not mention that the dance move was submitted as part of a contest which granted Epic Games use of it.[16][17] Furthermore, in the United States, simple, unchoreographed dance moves are not protected under copyright law.[17][18]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Streissguth, Tom (2023-08-01). Epic Games: Makers of Fortnite and Gears of War: Makers of Fortnite and Gears of War. ABDO. ISBN 978-1-0982-7678-2.
- ^ Marshall, Wayne (2019). "Social Dance in the Age of (Anti-)Social Media". Journal of Popular Music Studies. 31 (4). University of California Press: 3–15. doi:10.1525/jpms.2019.31.4.3. ISSN 1533-1598.
- ^ Nwogu, Chi (2019-06-01). "Embracing the Power of Gaming in Education: Substance, Engagement, and Flow". Information Today. 36 (5). Information Today, Inc.: 19–21. ISSN 8755-6286. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b c "Orange Shirt Kid is the next person to sue Fortnite for using his dance". TechSpot Forums. 2019-01-15. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b c Feldman, Brian (2019-02-19). "How a Viral Video of Cybergoths Presaged the Emote Dance Craze". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Arif, Shabana (2019-01-15). "Fortnite: Orange Shirt Kid's Mom Joins Ranks of People Suing Epic Over Dances". IGN. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b c Crecente, Brian (2019-01-14). "Mom of 'Fortnite' Superfan Orange Shirt Kid Sues Epic Over Use of His Dance". Variety. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Iain Wilson (2018-05-11). "Fortnite Season 4 - all the Battle Pass skins, emotes, harvesting tools, gliders, and more". gamesradar. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b "How to Do the Orange Justice Dance from Fortnite". wikiHow. 2019-01-21. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b "Cross the Midline". nedbreaks.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Alexander, Julia (2018-05-01). "Fortnite's 'Orange Shirt Kid' gets justice after new dance added to game". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ "Orange Justice". Know Your Meme. 2018-04-28. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Zhao, Christina (2018-12-13). "Michelle Obama Performs Fortnite 'Orange Justice' Dance". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ Deerwester, Jayme (2018-12-14). "Watch: Michelle Obama does Fortnite 'Orange Justice' dance". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ "Michelle Obama does the Fortnite 'Orange Justice' dance with Santa". ABC News. 2018-12-14. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b c d Bogre, Michelle; Wolff, Nancy (2020-11-25). The Routledge Companion to Copyright and Creativity in the 21st Century. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-33106-3. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
- ^ a b Kain, Erik. "The 'Orange Justice' Kid's Mom Is Suing 'Fortnite' Creator Epic Games -- She Doesn't Have A Case". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Bagley, Ross M (2019-05-04). "You Stole My Dance Moves: Copyright Lawsuits over Choreography against Creators of Fortnite". American Bar Association. Retrieved 2024-05-26.