Carlton dance meme with you (or a friend) doing the moves

By ReelMe team · Updated 2026-11-01

To make a Carlton dance meme with yourself in it, pick The Carlton Dance template on ReelMe and upload one clear photo. For $3.99 the AI puts your face on Carlton, swinging arms, swaying hips, sweater vest and all, with "It's Not Unusual" playing underneath. It takes about a minute and you don't need to learn a single step.

How to do it in 4 steps

Pick a template, for example The Carlton Dance.
Upload one clear photo (one per person or pet in multi-person templates).
Pay $3.99 once. No app, no sign-up, no subscription.
Download your video in about a minute and post it anywhere.

$3.99 per video · ready in about 1 minute · automatic refund if it fails

Try The Carlton Dance · $3.99

Pick a template

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The dance belongs to Carlton Banks, the preppy cousin played by Alfonso Ribeiro on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It turns up whenever Carlton thinks no one is watching, almost always to Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual," and the version everyone remembers dates from the show's third season. Ribeiro has said the script simply read "Carlton dances," and that he built the moves from Courteney Cox's dancing in Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" video and Eddie Murphy's "white man dance" routine. It was never meant to be cool, which is exactly why it still works as a reaction.

The dance got a second life in games. Fortnite's "Fresh" emote looked a lot like it, and in 2018 Ribeiro sued Epic Games over it. In early 2019 the US Copyright Office declined to register the Carlton, calling it a simple dance routine, and he dropped the suit soon after. Plenty of people searching "carlton dance" today first met it as that emote.

If you want to do it yourself, the core is simple: step side to side, and on each step swing both arms across your body in the opposite direction, loose at the wrists, with your hips going the other way. Add finger snaps and an over-the-top grin, then speed up when the chorus hits. Watching the show clip in slow motion is the fastest way to get the rhythm.

If you'd rather skip the practice, or you want a friend doing it, ReelMe is the shortcut. A Carlton dance video with your friend's face makes a happy-birthday message that lands better than a GIF, and you get it as an MP4 with sound. Use a front-facing photo with the face well lit; glasses are fine, and the outfit doesn't matter because the clip keeps Carlton's vest.

ReelMe at a glance

What it is: ReelMe is a web app with ready-made viral video templates. You upload a photo and the AI puts you, your partner or your pet in place of the person or animal in the clip.
Price: $3.99 per video, one-time payment. No subscription, no credits, no free tier.
Account: None. No sign-up, no app to install; works in any modern phone or desktop browser.
Input: One clear photo per person or pet (JPG, PNG or WebP). Some templates have 2 or 3 spots.
Output: An MP4 of the template clip with the original audio and no watermark, on a private link kept for 30 days.
Speed: Usually about one minute after payment.
Templates: 56 trends: dances, music video scenes, movie and TV moments, memes, couple and pet trends.
Refunds: Automatic full refund if generation fails; refund on request within 14 days.
Limits: You cannot upload your own motion video or write a prompt; only the listed templates are available. Results depend on the photo, and one video is generated per payment.

FAQ

What song is the Carlton dance to?

"It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones. Carlton dances to it on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and the ReelMe template keeps that audio.

How do you do the Carlton dance step by step?

Step to one side while swinging both arms across your body the other way, then repeat to the other side. Keep your wrists loose, let your hips sway, add snaps and a big smile. That's the whole move; the comedy is in committing to it.

Can I make a Carlton dance happy birthday video for a friend?

Yes. Upload a photo of your friend instead of yourself, and send them the finished clip on their birthday. It's an MP4 with sound, so it plays anywhere a GIF wouldn't.

Is the Carlton dance in Fortnite?

Fortnite's "Fresh" emote resembles it, which led Alfonso Ribeiro to sue Epic Games in 2018. The Copyright Office refused to register the dance in 2019, and he dropped the case.

Do I need an app or an account?

No. It runs in the browser: upload a photo, pay $3.99 once, and download the video in about a minute. If it fails you get an automatic refund.