9 Celebrities That Are Keeping Twerking Alive

You might have thought the days of twerking were behind us, but you couldn't be more wrong. While the dance has been popular online since the mid-2000s, it really hit its stride in 2013, when it became so popular due to stars like Miley Cyrus and Beyoncé performing it on stage and in their videos that it was Oxford Dictionary's runner-up Word of the Year. Sure, twerking's origins go back to West Africa, but that hasn't stopped the western world from embracing and appropriating the trend, as problematic as that may seem. And though you probably thought the sun had set on twerking in 2015, you couldn't be more wrong — and Wayne Brady proved it on Let's Make A Deal this week, as the game show celebrated 1,001 episodes.

Frankly, I can't wait to see the back end (so to speak) of twerking. It's been overdone and completely misappropriated and frankly, not too many people look good doing it. However, I'm a free spirit and I like to let others express themselves freely, as well, so if twerking is how they do it, I suppose I'll just have to get on board. After all, there are plenty of celebrities who won't let twerking die, and why should they?

Here are 7 celebrities who are keeping twerking alive, for better or worse.

Rihanna

Can anyone twerk quite like Rihanna? She doesn't need an excuse to do it, either — she'll do it in music videos (like above), on stage, while on vacation... everywhere. And thank God! Isn't your life incomplete without it?

Beyonce

Another QUEEN in every way, especially when it comes to twerking. Beyoncé is one of the originators of the dance — even back in 2005, she was singing about it in 'Check On It', singing "dip it, pop it, twerk it, stop it, check on me tonight". And we certainly have been checking on her. Get yours!!

Amber Rose

I don't want to repeat myself over and over again, but come on — could you not watch Amber Rose twerk in a dressing room while trying on new clothes over and over again? Twerking takes style... and, you know, a butt, which I sorely lack, so I can appreciate a nice derriere when I see one.

Harry Styles

Twerking isn't just for the ladies — the guys can get in on it, too. Obviously, Styles was twerking for comedic effect, which is slightly unfair to how SERIOUS you need to be to do it well, but I suppose we need to give him kudos for attempting it.

Kim Kardashian

If anyone's a prime candidate for twerking, it would seem like Kim Kardashian is it. She's only done it once (that we know of), but like most other things in her life, we were lucky that it was caught on camera — and, to get a bit meta, caught by E! and sister Kendall Jenner.

Iggy Azalea

As one of the most popular rap artists at the moment, it's only natural that Iggy Azalea would try twerking from time to time, and that she does. She twerks on stage and in her videos, so obviously she's feeling pretty good about the move's longevity.

Nicki Minaj

This is another instance of twerking that pretty much renders me speechless with admiration. The coordination! The butt cheek movement! I stand in awe.

Helen Mirren

Possibly the best twerker there is, Helen Mirren went there while accepting the Hasty Pudding award at Harvard University in early 2014, and I thank the heavens every day that I was alive to see it.

Watch Wayne Brady twerk in celebration on Let's Make A Deal below:

Images: Getty Images (1), Giphy (5)