The Smooth Criminal dance trend, danced by you and a friend

By ReelMe team · Updated 2026-11-01

The 2026 Smooth Criminal dance trend is a duo routine, so the ReelMe template for it, Smooth Criminal Duo, takes two photos: yours and a friend's. Pay $3.99 and about a minute later you both do the hat flick, sharp arm swings, glides and kicks on the remix audio, perfectly in sync, without rehearsing.

How to do it in 4 steps

Pick a template, for example Smooth Criminal Duo.
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 Smooth Criminal Duo · $3.99

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The trend is a TikTok routine set to a remix of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", usually filmed by two friends side by side in a living room or hallway. It borrows the attitude of the original without trying to copy it move for move: a flick of the cap brim, punchy arm swings on the beat, a quick glide, a kick, and a lot of straight-faced confidence. The fun is in how tight the two dancers are.

The original song is from Jackson's 1987 album Bad, and its 1988 video (part of the film Moonwalker) is where the white suit, the fedora, the "Annie, are you OK?" chorus and the famous 45-degree lean come from. The lean can't be done unassisted: Jackson used specially designed shoes that hooked into the stage. Nobody expects it in the TikTok version.

If you want to do it for real: learn it at half speed from a mirrored tutorial, count the arm swings in eights, and keep the movements small and sharp rather than big. Film side by side with the phone at chest height. Most duos need a few dozen takes before both hit the kicks at the same moment, which is why a lot of people go the AI route instead.

For the template, use one photo per person with the face clear and, ideally, the upper body visible. A cap or hat in your photo suits the routine. Decide who's left and right before uploading; the left dancer wears the black cap in the original.

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

How do you do the Smooth Criminal dance trend?

It's a short duo routine: a cap flick, sharp arm swings on the beat, a glide and a kick, repeated in sync. Learn it slowly from a mirrored tutorial, count it in eights, and keep the moves sharp and small.

What song is used in the Smooth Criminal trend?

A remix of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal". The original track is from his 1987 album Bad.

Can I do the Smooth Criminal lean?

Not without help. Michael Jackson's lean relied on patented shoes that locked into pegs in the stage floor. The TikTok trend doesn't include it.

Can I do the AI version alone?

Yes. The template has two dancers; you can upload the same photo twice, or put yourself next to a friend, a partner or even a pet.

What does it cost?

$3.99 per video, paid once. The clip is ready in about a minute, and you're refunded automatically if it fails.