Alfonso Ribeiro didn’t simply stumble into tv historical past — he choreographed his manner there with two phrases scribbled on a script and an entire lot of inventive genius.
The actor’s portrayal of Carlton Banks on “The Recent Prince of Bel-Air” led to popular culture’s most enduring memes, and a long time later, Ribeiro’s nonetheless breaking down precisely how these iconic dance strikes got here to be.
Seems, the key sauce to the notorious Carlton dance concerned a “Boss,” a comedy legend, and a dedication to show that dorky doesn’t imply untalented.
The 54-year-old performer just lately shared the total story behind Carlton’s unforgettable routine in a dialog with Parade journal, pulling again the curtain on a inventive resolution that may outline his profession.
‘I’m a Black Man That’s Not Dancing for You’: Alfonso Ribeiro Talks Individuals Asking Him to Do the Carlton Dance
When the script merely instructed “Carlton dances,” Ribeiro discovered himself at a crossroads, tasked with bringing one thing particular to the display screen whereas staying genuine to a personality who defied simple categorization.
“The script stated, ‘Carlton dances.’ After which it was like, ‘What’s it going to be? What’s the track?’” Ribeiro advised Parade.
The Bronx-raised actor, who described himself as a “hip-hop child,” had already established himself because the cool character in reveals like “Silver Spoons,” starring on Broadway as “The Faucet Dance Child,” and even in a Pepsi Cola business with Michael Jackson, earlier than touchdown the position that may make him a family identify.
Ribeiro drew his main inspiration from an unlikely supply: Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 music video for “Dancing within the Darkish.” The second when a younger Courteney Cox jumps onstage and dances with Springsteen, also referred to as “The Boss,” turned a foundational aspect of what would finally turn out to be the Carlton dance.
Hoy cumple 61 años Courtney Cox, y hay que recordar que antes de ser nuestra queridísima Mónica Geller en “Associates (1994)” y Gale Weathers en “Scream (1996)”, bailó “Dancing at the hours of darkness (1984)” con Bruce Springsteen.
Siempre fue una grande♥️🙌 pic.twitter.com/7wJiFmNBcq
— Cinefilia Cult (@cinefiliacult) June 15, 2025
Springsteen’s signature strikes, mixed together with his earnest power, offered precisely what Ribeiro wanted to craft one thing memorable.
The actor studied how Cox and Springsteen moved collectively in that video, absorbing the passion and unself-conscious pleasure that radiated from each body. He noticed potential in translating that very same spirit into Carlton’s world, the place being real mattered greater than being historically cool.
However Springsteen wasn’t the one affect shaping these legendary strikes. Eddie Murphy’s hilarious impression of how white folks dance in his standup particular “Uncooked” offered the second key ingredient.
Ribeiro checked out Murphy’s intentionally awkward actions and acknowledged comedy gold.
He referred to as it “the corniest dance on the planet,” which made it excellent for what he had in thoughts. The mixture of Springsteen’s infectious enthusiasm and Murphy’s satirical comedy created a components that was each humorous and unusually spectacular.
The routine made its official debut throughout a season 3 episode of “The Recent Prince of Bel-Air” set to Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Uncommon,” cementing a historic tv second followers nonetheless can’t cease quoting.
Que nunca quede en el olvido. Carlton’s Dance 😂 pic.twitter.com/82EfQqbRVX
— Nostalgia82 (@Nostalgia822) July 12, 2022
What separated this second from typical sitcom comedy was Ribeiro’s insistence that Carlton be greater than a one-dimensional nerd.
He needed to create somebody who may do a corny dance whereas nonetheless being a superb dancer, who may sing corny songs whereas nonetheless being a superb singer. The character didn’t want to suit into the inflexible “tremendous corny or tremendous cool” binary that dominated that period.
“On the time — particularly within the early ‘90s — it was like, you have been both tremendous corny otherwise you have been tremendous cool, proper? And there was nothing in between,” he defined.
Ribeiro challenged the belief that dorky mechanically meant untalented or uncoordinated. He questioned why the nerdy character couldn’t possess rhythm, bodily abilities, or athletic potential in unconventional methods.
“I stated, ‘Wait a minute, I used to be the cool child on “Silver Spoons.” I used to be the cool child on quite a lot of the issues that I’ve executed prior to now. Unexpectedly, I’m the nerdy, dorky man. However why does the nerdy, dorky man needn’t be cool one other manner? And what can these methods be?”
Most followers on Fb agreed that “He’s all the time been an excellent dancer,” noting that Riberio’s “work ethic is so palpable within the present.”
One other stated, “Dude elevated the character of Carlton Banks past anybody may’ve ever imagined. He’s an enormous a part of the present’s success. He’s not solely the ladder for Will Smith but additionally the primary piece if [it] was wanted. Uncle Phill was additionally one other one like him.”
The Boss himself even weighed in on his oblique contribution to tv historical past. Throughout a November 2022 look on “The Tonight Present Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Springsteen was proven side-by-side footage evaluating his strikes to Ribeiro’s interpretation.
Whereas joking that his youngsters discovered his dancing “ridiculous,” the rock icon acknowledged the connection. Fallon insisted Springsteen’s strikes seemed cool, calling it his dance because the “New Jersey shuffle, whereas admitting, “My dancing is fairly embarrassing.”
The legendary performer admitted there was “undoubtedly some affect there, main,” confirming what followers had suspected for years. The change highlighted how artwork conjures up artwork in sudden methods, with Springsteen’s spontaneous second in a music video finally shaping a sitcom character’s identification.
Ribeiro had shared comparable insights again in 2015 when discussing how the dance originated. He defined to GQ that these two phrases on the script — “Carlton dances” — basically gave him carte blanche to create one thing particular.
It was his first time listening to Tom Jones’ music, and he wanted to improvise strikes that may really feel genuine to a personality who was subtle, barely out of contact, but undeniably proficient in his personal manner. The dance turned a grasp class in character improvement and a reminder that pleasure, when distilled into motion, transcends any single definition of cool.
Social media continues to have fun the routine, with numerous recreations and tributes preserving the strikes alive for brand new generations. Although Ribeiro has expressed combined emotions about continuously being requested to carry out it, the cultural impression stays plain.
What began as inventive inspiration from Springsteen and Murphy reworked into one thing totally its personal, a testomony to Ribeiro’s expertise and imaginative and prescient.
