I’m always intrigued when an important element of a subculture makes its way into the mainstream. We’ve seen this happen in comic book culture with the popularity of superhero blockblusters. Neon, a staple of rave wear, is trending in fashion. And whether you like it or not, dubstep is here to stay (thanks Skrillex).

I think the pattern from subculture to mainstream attention is something like this: a subculture creates a unique trend, whether it be a dance, fashion statement or storytelling technique; this in turn becomes a defining feature of that community; some celebrity then embraces said trademark and it is now associated as a part of their pop culture identity; hipsters everywhere bemoan that they knew about whatever this thing is “before it got popular.”

Somehow all of this leads to Miley Cyrus twerking in a unicorn suit.

I talked to my friend Marcus Miller about the origins of twerking in bounce. Marcus, who mixes beats as Blvck Lite, has been making music since his teen years. He’s a walking encyclopedia of hip-hop culture, so I decided to pick his brain about bounce. In his own words:

“The first and most important things to know about bounce in my opinion are the foundation tracks. The first one is “Drag Rap” also known (mostly in the south) as Triggaman [released by the Showboys in 1986].

The track itself is from a New York rap group who had little success on the East Coast, but once the record traveled down south, it did exceedingly well. It’s sampled in most bounce songs to some degree with many traditional tracks just being parts looped over and over.”

Who Sampled does a good side-by-side of the original track and how its beat has been used in other tracks here.

The infectious bounce beat can now be found in tracks from high profile tracks from Three 6 Mafia and the Ying Yang Twins. Even Beyonce’s “Get Me Bodied” can be traced back to the Triggaman rhythm.

To go even deeper, let’s talk about “sissy bounce.” You could say sissy bounce is a sub-genre of a subculture. It’s made up of queer artists in New Orleans such as Katey Redd, Big Freedia, Messy Mya and Magnolia Shorty. Tragically, the latter two artists have both recently died from injuries sustained by the area’s gun violence.

Sissy Bounce is important because it’s one of the first times transgender artists have found a platform in rap music. Bounce music has never been afraid to push the boundaries of sexual content, making it the perfect launch pad for a discussion about gender.  The beats of sissy bounce are no different from regular bounce music, the difference being in lyrics and how the artists perform. You might not expect to see a 6’2 transgender artist wearing size-14 stilettos at a rap performance, but in New Orleans it’s an important part of the shared experience that is bounce. If only the rest of the nation could be more open minded (we’re looking at you Postal Service fans).

Just watch the music videos of any of the artists listed above and you can get an idea of the intense high energy of bounce music. Tracks usually include the Drag rap sample, lyric repetition, and a call and response between the artist and listeners. Artists demand their fans to “bop it,” “shake it” and “work it.” Bounce fans respond by dropping it low, shaking their hips and moving with the beats in the fashion of what we now refer to as twerking.

The dance craze found its way to the Internet in 2009 when three dancers in Atlanta posted a video of them twerking to Soulja Boy’s “She Got A Donk.” Those women are now the YouTube sensation known as “Twerk Team.” Not only do they have more than 150 videos uploaded, but also they have started touring and are even working on their first mixtape. This gave rise to a number of other twerk teams. From my count, Chicago has at least four established twerk teams, although I haven’t been to any performances.

Bounce artists have taken responsibility for this dance craze, with Big Freedia being crowned as the movement’s Queen of Bounce. Check out her video for “Y’all Get Back Now” and just try to argue with that label.

And you can bet she had a few choice words about Miley’s performance and obsession with the style. She told Jezebel she thinks the artist was “going too far. She’s trying to twerk, but don’t know how to twerk. It’s become offensive to a lot of people who’ve been twerking and shaking their asses for years, especially in the black culture.”

Marcus also discussed how the dance relates areas of the Big Easy’s African American community:

“I would make note of twerking’s relationship to African dance traditions that were retained due to the unique cultural blend of the area and the relative autonomy of certain Maroon populations and multi-racial people in the area.”

This is not the first time an urban dance phenomenon has gained attention. Tight Eyez brought the California-based style of krumping to national attention when he competed on MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew.” The Dougie originated in Dallas, but became a YouTube sensation after Cali Swag District uploaded their video for “Teach Me How To Dougie” in 2009.

So why is it that twerking is the only dance to have a listing in the Oxford Online Dictionary, an entry that was made just one week after Miley’s performance? It can be argued that this 20-something white woman is now the reason the world knows about twerking.

Miley’s a young pop star who hails from the country music industry and the Disney Channel. Has she ever been to bounce performance? Does she know who Katey Red is? Reports say that she spent some time in New Orleans in 2010, so it’s completely possible. But from the way the media reacted to her performance, it looks like she might need to educate herself more on the cultural history of her dance move of choice before she hits the stage again. Maybe then people will stop accusing her show as a “minstrel performance.” Ouch.

To me, the dance reflects the fun but aggressive energy of bounce music. Like many genres of hip-hop, bounce music is interactive. Twerking is a way for listeners to connect to the genre’s artists and fellow fans. Relating to a stranger over the shared knowledge of a dance move is exciting, so it’s no wonder the bounce community embraced it.

It’s exciting to see the dance grab the attention of the American public, if maybe for the wrong reasons. I’d love to see Big Freedia on the stage at the VMAs, and I think it’s up to the public to make that happen soon. If anything, I hope that more people see this as an opportunity to dig deeper in the underground bounce movement. If the end result of Miley’s performance is that these artists see more attention and success because of the media’s hype, then I can’t really be too mad at her. According to DJ Jubilee, this is in fact happening.

So there you have it, the brief and wondrous history of twerking. Think you have the moves to compete with Twerk Team or unicorn Miley? There are more than a few How To Twerk videos floating around YouTube if you want to try it out. Just please, don’t catch yourself on fire. And stay away from foam fingers. And Robin Thicke. And when in doubt, just step back and let the masters show you how it’s done.

Paige Pritchard recently moved to Chicago to pursue her journalism career. She stays busy covering the city’s vibrant food scene for Chicago Magazine, although she still doesn’t really understand the cronut. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys reading zines and daydreaming about the Shedd Aquarium. Find her work on the magazine’s website or tweet her @peapodpritchard; she’d love to hear from you.