gifs

Originally created by Chuck Poynter and championed by net art progenitor to the likes of aqnb interviewee Jennifer Chan, Olia Lialina, REAL_DANCING_GIRL has been updated to suit the new era. Originally appearing in 1999 on the Rhizome splash page, the new look dancing girl can be found on her own tumblr where she’s joined by a male companion and a manifesto of sorts that goes as follows:

“I’ve been dancing ever since I was created back in the days. With the arise of the internet I became a vernacular symbol of freedom among the net, and a source of inspiration for countless users in the pre-history of the web. The advent of social networks brought a severe, consequently change in the aesthetic of the internet; that’s why I felt the need to renew my look, giving myself a more “topical” appearance. But don’t be fooled by this: my ‘hula’ remains the same ;-)”

It also ends with a generous “feel free – as you’ve always been – to make me dance among your web universe!”**