Videoclip Evolves Into Internet Hit

"Evolution of Dance" Turns Comedian Into Internet "It Boy"

(AP)  Judson Laipply isn't afraid to bust a move.

Laipply, a 30-year-old comedian/motivational speaker from Cleveland, is — as he puts it — that guy at the wedding "out there dancing with everybody and having fun."

Now, he's cutting a rug as the "It Boy" of the Internet.

Laipply's video clip, "Evolution of Dance," taped at one of his speaking engagements, has been viewed more than 18 million times on the video Web site YouTube since April. In the clip, his combination of a nerdy-guy persona and his hot dance steps — he covers everything from Elvis' 1950's hip-bopping to today's flashy hip-hop moves — makes for an hilarious six minutes.

As a self-described "inspirational comedian," Laipply blends motivational speaking with comedy to "No. 1, make them laugh; No. 2, make them think." Four years ago, he began closing many of his appearances at colleges, high schools and corporations with the unusual dance medley, which became a crowd favorite.

"I sat down one day and mixed some music and came up" with the original version of the dance, he told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

"I went out and did it once, and it went over really well, and I thought, 'This is hilarious,"' he recalls.

After friends asked him to post a clip of it onto his Myspace.com page, Laipply obliged, also uploading it onto YouTube.com, which allows users to post videos for sharing. It now holds the record as that site's most-viewed video ever. The television world has taken notice — on Tuesday, he is scheduled to perform a shorter version on NBC's "Today" show.

How does he explain all the dance fever?

"It's one of those things where no matter how old you are, you almost can always find something within (the video) that resonates with you," Laipply said. "I have e-mails from families who've said, 'I was watching it, I'm 65, my daughter was watching it, her daughter was watching it and we were all laughing and loving it.'"