TikTok trend: David and Victoria Beckhams’ dance To ‘Islands in the Stream' has started viral dance trend

David Beckham’s new Netflix documentary, Beckham, has been receiving rave reviews from fans and it also secured the number one spot on the streaming platform when it launched earlier this month. Now it’s sparked a new TikTok trend which has been dubbed by some as the “David Beckham test”.

The viral trend has been inspired by a touching scene in the four-part documentary series which showed David and his wife Victoria Beckham, a former Spice Girls member and fashion designer, dancing to the song “Islands in the Stream”.

The trend has also seen a resurgence in popularity for the song, which first hit the charts 40 years ago. So, what exactly is the trend, what’s it inspired by, and what videos have been shared on TikTok? Plus, when was “Islands in the Stream” released and who was it sung by? Here’s all you need to know.

What is the David Beckham dance test and what is it inspired by?

In the final episode of the series, the couple were filmed dancing to “Islands in the Stream.” David switched on the song while the couple, known as Posh and Becks thanks to the nicknames they earned in their respective careers, spoke about their relationship and their life together in a voiceover. 

David said: “Going through every part of my life, it has given me clarity on many things, and one of the things, which is the most important thing to me, is what we’ve got.” His wife added: “Why I feel happy now is I feel really content now, and I get that sense you feel really content now.”

Victoria is then seen dancing alongside her husband; she puts her arm around his shoulder as they happily move in unison to the sweet love song. Some viewers who were moved by the scene decided to go on TikTok, which originally began as a social media site where people could go to share dance-based videos, to dance to the song with their loved ones or by themselves.

You can watch the Beckham documentary on Netflix now and you can see a short section of the dance clip below:

What videos have been shared on TikTok inspired by David and Victoria Beckham?

The video has inspired numerous people to dance to the song in the hopes that their partner will join them, just as Victoria joined David.

One TikTok user posted a video on her account, @WorldOfChar, showing her swaying to the music and smiling at her partner, who was initially off camera, in an attempt to get him to start dancing too. The video is captioned: After watching the Beckham documentary I just had to!” and the video is overlaid with another caption: “putting my boyfriend to the David Beckham test.” 

She playfully says she had to “entice him with booty shakes”, but her boyfriend is then seen coming into the shot and smiling as he dances along. The final caption on the video reads: “He had no idea what I was doing but joined in anyway. I’ll consider it a pass.”

But it hasn’t all been about romantic love, as some TikTok users are interpreting the trend to be about self love and are dancing alone in their videos. Another user, @BrittaLuts, captioned her video: “Practising for my relationship status being “Beckhams””.  Her video was also overlaid with the caption: “Manifesting the love of my life with whom I could dance like that.”

Luts won praise from her followers, with one telling her “you are some mover” and another saying she was “so beautiful”.

One user even admitted that they hadn’t watched the documentary yet, but they were glad that “Islands in the Stream” is getting the attention they believe it deserves. @Edibweeknd captioned her video: “Didn’t watch #beckham but you can’t escape it. Glad the song is finally getting the recognition.”

Another person even humorously added a dancing emoji of film character Shrek to her video, calling him “my dance partner until my Mr Beckham comes along and finds me.”

One dancer also said they were way ahead of the trend as they had danced with their partner to “Islands in the Stream” in 2021. They shared the video with the caption: “POV (Point of View): When you’re each other’s Posh and Becks.”

Even fans who haven’t joined in with the trend themselves have reacted with joy to those who have. On videos of couples dancing, one commented: “Why did this make me tear up? You’ve found your person.”. Another added: “awe you have a David!”. One person even quipped: “Is it Becks and Posh? I can't tell the difference.” Other users tagged their friends and encouraged them to put their partner to the “David Beckham test”.

When was “Islands in the Stream” released and who by?

The song was released in 1983 and is sung by country music singers Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. The single was written by another artist which was hugely popular in the era, the band the Bee Gees, made up of brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. “Islands in the Stream” was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers’ album, Eyes That See in the Dark.

According to American music and entertainment magazine Billboard, “Islands in the Stream” landed No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Country Songs chart. The song earned a Grammy nomination for best pop performance by a duo or group, and it was also named single of the year at the 19th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, among its many accolades and awards.