For The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the antagonist known as Carlton Banks--played by Alfonso Ribeiro--had a distinct persona on set. One of his most iconic moments are during what we know as the "Carlton Dance." Now, Ribeiro finally reveals the origin and where it all started.
While we may want to believe the dance's etymology is something otherworldly, the truth of the matter is that it was largely improvised. This is due in part, however, because the script simply read "Carlton dances" and Ribeiro took it from there.
Riberio told Variety, "It was never even intended to be funny; it was just that he was dancing. The dance is ultimately Courteney Cox in the Bruce Springsteen video 'Dancing in the Dark;' that's the basis. Or in Eddie Murphy's 'Delirious' video, The White Man Dance as he called it. And I said, 'That is the corniest dance on the planet that I know of, so why don't I do that?'"
Thus, when Alfonso made it to the hit TV show Dancing With the Stars, he revealed that the dance as well as the character actually hindered him from finding future employment as an actor.
"I played a character that was as far from myself as possible," he continued.
The hit television show ran from 1990 to 1996 and starred Will Smith as the center role. As of late, Smith is allegedly trying to revive the series. Also, Ribeiro won Dancing With the Stars and currently hosts Unwrapped 2.0 on the Cooking Channel.
For now, check out the Carlton below when Alfonso took to the DWTS stage. If you watch, you can certainly tell why he won the competition.
Thus, without further ado, we present you with Alfonso Ribeiro doing what he does best on a show that was perfectly suited for his dance routine.
