"Casper Slide" Parts 1 & 2 DJ Casper (Willie Perry Jr.) originally wrote "The Cha-Cha Slide" as a
step aerobics routine for his nephew, David Wilson, who was working at the time as a fitness trainer at
Bally Total Fitness Health Club in
Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. In its original form, the song was just a set of instructions of the original version of the song, titled "Casper Slide Part 1" in January 1998 using "
Plastic Dreams" by
Jaydee as the musical track. The song was inspired by the
Chicago stepping movement, where DJ Casper cut a notable figure in the clubs. Wilson went so far as to compare his uncle's dancing prowess to
MC Hammer. In 2001, the following year, the dance caught on around Canada and the United States, where
urban contemporary radio stations (and later mobile DJs) played the song continuously. In March 2004 "Cha Cha Slide" was released in the United Kingdom and went on to top the
UK Singles Chart. Its success in the United Kingdom was helped by
Scott Mills of
BBC Radio 1, who promoted the song on his weekday afternoon radio show. == Legacy ==