Updated at the bottom with crowd estimates. First posted at 5:30 a.m.

Alfonso Ribeiro of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air might do the nerdiest, preppiest dance of all time.

But that didn't stop hundreds if not thousands of followers from joining him yesterday at Universal CityWalk and other locales in an attempt to break the record for the largest flash mob in North America.

They performed the awkward “Carlton Dance:”

Musical inspiration included “It's Not Unusual” and “Apache.”

Did they break the record? It doesn't seem clear, but Ribeiro claims victory, saying that people in 300 cities participated:

[Update at 1:45 p.m.]: We got a press release from “ViSalus™ – home of the Body by Vi™ 90-Day Challenge,” which sponsored the event, stating that “unofficially counted numbers (to date)” comprised about 10,000 dancers. At Universal CityWalk the crowd count was 320, according to the statement.

Did they break the record? Doesn't seem likely. The statement still calls the events an “attempt.”

The company said the following cities also had “Carlton dance” flash mobs:

Alabama: Huntsville, Tuscaloosa; Alaska: Anchorage, Juneau; Arizona: Phoenix; Arkansas: Little Rock; California: Los Angeles, Lancaster, National City, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Walnut Creek; Colorado: Broomfield, Colorado Springs, Denver, Greeley; Connecticut: Farmington; Florida: Altamonte Springs, Aventura, Clearwater Beach, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Fort Myers, Fort Pierce, Jacksonville, Lakeland, Miami Beach, Naples, Orlando, Pensacola, Palm Beach Gardens; Georgia: Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Cumming; Hawaii: Honolulu; Illinois: Brookefield/Chicago, Chicago, Rockford, Round Lake, Springfield; Indiana: Indianapolis; Iowa: Iowa City; Kansas: Wichita; Kentucky: Elizabethtown, Louisville, Newport, Paducah; Louisiana: New Orleans; Maine: Augusta, Bangor; Maryland: Baltimore, Westminster; Massa chusetts: Boston, Cambridge; Michigan: Ann Arbor, Frankenmuth, Bay City, Grand Rapids, Gregory, Lansing, Traverse City, Troy; Minnesota: Bloomington, Hermantown; Missouri: Kansas City, Osage Beach, Neosho, Springfield, St. Louis, Joplin; Montana: Bozeman, Helena, Washington, Kalispell; Mississippi: Jackson; Nebraska: Beatrice, Kearney, Lincoln, Omaha; Nevada: Las Vegas; New Mexico: Albuquerque; New York: New York, Upstate; North Carolina: Shelby, Charlotte, Lenoir, Clinton, Raleigh; North Dakota: Fargo; Ohio: Columbus, Marysville, Springfield; Oklahoma: Durant, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Yukon; Oregon: Salem; Pennsylvania: Camp Hill, Lancaster, State College; South Carolina: Columbia, Lake Wylie, Myrtle Beach; South Dakota: Sioux Falls; Tennessee: Knoxville, Memphis; Texas: Cedar Park, Houston, Longview, Mabank, San Antonio, SugarLand; Utah: Salt Lake City; Virginia: Fredericksburg, Norfolk, Wytheville; Washington: Bellingham, Puyallup, Tacoma; West Virginia: Charleston, Pa rkersburg, Shinnston; Wisconsin: Eau Claire, Glendale, Madison, Menomonie.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.