The rum brand’s latest campaign, Move With The Greats, aims to get Gen Z dancing with a little help from their elders
There was a time when people went to the club to dance. They weren’t standing around bopping their heads to the sound of thumping techno, they didn’t spend half the night on their phones, they were in the thick of it, getting sweaty on the dance floor.
From 18th century masquerade balls, to 1920s speakeasies, the Bronx block parties, Studio 54 and birth of electronic music, with every new musical genre there is an accompanying dance movement. Unlike some club experiences in 2025 – static, with cameras pointed at the DJ – the foundations of nightlife are rooted in dance. Today, however, young people are dancing less and less. According to new research, 73 per cent of Gen Z are conscious of what others think and 53 per cent admit that they’re worried about other people watching them dance.
To put it plainly, young people have stopped dancing – which is exactly what BACARDÍ®, alongside generation-bridging musicians Joy Crookes and Natty Bo, are determined to change. With a rich history spanning 160 years, the rum has become such a legend of dance floor culture that the brand has been referenced time and time again in popular music (think 50 Cent's famous bar “We gon' sip BACARDÍ like it's your birthday” or Lil Kim's “The Jump Off”). Then there's the classic combo, BACARDÍ & Coke, the original party pairing that continues to define nights to remember
From prohibition parties at the old distillery, to pop ups at today’s most popular music festivals and collaborations with Ministry of Sound, if anyone knows how to throw a good shindig it's BACARDÍ, and the brand's latest campaign, Move With The Greats, has one primary objective: to bring people together on the dance floor, whether they’re 25 or 75. “I sometimes feel like our generation has become quite self-conscious,” says south London singer-songwriter Joy Crookes in the accompanying short film. “I just feel like people aren’t dancing the way they used to.”
Natty Bo, the legendary DJ and MC, agrees: “I think you have to let yourself go and get into the music. You do your thing and don’t worry about [other people].” The campaign aims to get young people moving again by taking inspiration from those who did it best: the movers and shakers of the older generations who were fearless about letting loose. It also aligns perfectly with BACARDÍ’s brand ethos, “Do What Moves You”.
Of course, no brand could encourage dancing without offering an opportunity for people to really let their hair down. On the evening of November 5, BACARDÍ, Joy Crookes and Natty Bo are throwing a party for all ages at an extra special, one-off celebration at Jumbi in Peckham. When was the last time your two-step was upstaged by someone's suave grandpa? Have you ever danced in a room full of people whose ages spanned from 25 to 75? Is your nan free on November 5? If you're looking for a real night out, unlike any other, look no further.