BELMONT, MA – In an effort to protest recent budget cuts that defunded their school’s music program, students at Belmont Middle School have come together to create a heartfelt video featuring them performing popular Fortnite dances with sad facial expressions.
The 4-minute video, which has gone viral across social media, shows large groups of crestfallen students flossing, doing the worm, dabbing, and performing other choreographed emotes from the popular video game Fortnite set to emotional piano music as they stare dejectedly into the camera.
“We wanted to showcase our musical abilities and demonstrate why cutting our music and arts funding will be so devastating,” said eighth grader Chris Rogers, who organized the protest video. “Even though Fortnite dances aren’t really music, they’re the closest thing we know since all our music classes got cancelled, taking away our only creative outlet.”
The emotional video has been praised for bringing awareness to the students’ plight through the powerful contemporary medium of viral dances. In several sections, students can be seen getting teary-eyed while performing the “hype” emote or crying openly while doing “the renegade” in perfect sync, their raw passion shining through.
“You can see the genuine heartbreak in these kids’ eyes as they ‘shoot’ and ‘wiggle’ without any instruments or sheet music,” said education advocate Lisa Sanchez after watching the protest video. “This is a tragic byproduct of today’s short-sighted educational budget cuts. Kids are so desperate to hold onto real music classes that they’re reduced to dancing silently in gym shorts just begging for the arts to be saved.”
Many observers noted that the students synchronized their sorrowful, melancholic flossing perfectly on the downbeats, elevating the video to a high-level artistic statement. However, not everyone was moved by the display. Critics pointed out that the protesting students could have used their time to practice actual instruments rather than battle pass emotes.
“I know taking away music programs is awful, but I’m not sure goofy viral dances are the best replacement,” said performing arts teacher Michelle Davis. “Though I do admire their spirit and commitment to the bit—they clearly rehearsed for hours.”
In the end, the school board ultimately reversed its decision to cut music class funding after watching the video, won over by the power of Fortnite dances to inspire student activism. At press time, the newly refunded school orchestra was working on an ambitious rendition of the Fortnite theme song.
