1. What is Twerking Twerking is basically an acrobatic and aggressive booty shaking dance that has its roots in Southern strip clubs, where the better you shake, the more money you make. The name is the combination of the words "to" and "work." The controversial singer Miley Cyrus performed twerking through many of his performances. Recently, Cyrus twerked her way through a Jingle Bell Ball performance in Washington D.C.