What is the Luddy?

It’s the dance move that has been sweeping the internet. Created by the YouTube star Ludwig, the “Luddy” is derived from his name and is equal parts silly, fun, and easy to learn.

While Ludwig said in a recent video that the dance has existed for around 10 years or so, it didn’t become popularized until TwitchCon this past month when the budding Twitch creator Kai Cenat posted a clip of Ludwig that went viral.

Speaking with some of his friends prior to TwitchCon, Cenat and his friends implied that Ludwig looked like he couldn’t dance well. And when the two ended up at the FaZe Clan TwitchCon party together, Ludwig felt the need to show off his signature move.

Following TwitchCon, Ludwig was laughed at for the move. But those laughs quickly turned into everyone trying the Luddy out for themselves to varying degrees of success. And nearly a month later, the sensation has only grown.

How did Ludwig create the Luddy?

Ludwig recently admitted that his signature dance move wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment movement. Instead, it’s a move that he has long been known to do dating all the way back to his high school days when he was a theater kid.

He said in a video posted to his main YouTube channel that he and a friend would do the move as a distraction tactic for friends who were trying to act.

“I created this dance move in high school along with my friend Nick Paige when we were in theater to distract backstage who were on stage actually doing the play,” he said. “We were hoping that maybe our dance moves would make them laugh, and it would make us laugh. Little did I know this dance move would quickly take over the world.”

How to do the Luddy

The basic arm movement of the Luddy is what draws in the eyes of viewers, but Ludwig points out that the key to the dance move is actually in your legs.

While the Luddy’s arm motion is a simple 270-degree rotation of an extended arm, the quick leg pivots with each arm rotation are what make the dance move something special.

According to Ludwig, a dancer must keep their body turned facing the direction of their hand that is making the swinging motion. As they raise their hand, dancers should pivot their heels back and forth, landing back into place at the top and bottom of the arm swings.

“It’s all about the pump,” Ludwig said. “The heels always have to land on the right for every swing, at the peak of the arm swing, at the bottom of the arm swing. Everybody can do the arm swing … but you’ve got to make sure you got the hips and the heels out to the right on every single up and down rotation.”

Ludwig, of course, does the dance move exclusively with his right arm. If someone wanted to do the dance left-handed instead, they would just mirror that explanation.