VIDEO: University of Leicester students' Harlem Shake watched by thousands on YouTube

Students have become the latest to join the Harlem Shake internet dance craze – and their efforts have been watched by more than 33,000 people.

Wearing an assortment of fancy dress costumes, about 150 University of Leicester students were filmed jiving and jumping to the Harlem Shake song, by electronic musician Baauer, in front of the library on campus.

The video has been put on YouTube as part of a viral web craze which has seen hundreds of groups across the world recording their versions of the dance.

The Harlem Shake meme – a concept that spreads from person to person via the internet – began this month in Australia.

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It involves a short video featuring a single masked person dancing to the start of the song.

When the bass comes in, the video cuts to the same scene filled with about 150 costumed people.

The Leicester version was organised by final year marketing student Gaurav Ahluwalia. The 20-year-old, who lives in the city centre, said: "Me and my housemates wanted to do something big for our final year at university – I guess this was it.

"We saw videos of other people doing it around the world and thought we would give it a go."

Gaurav and his housemates organised the event via Facebook, asking people to turn up at the library at 4.30pm on Monday.

The stunt starts with Gaurav as the lone dancer, wearing a motorcycle helmet, before he is joined by other students whose costumes range from Spongebob Squarepants to giant bananas.

Gaurav said: "It was a bit weird on my own. Some people were just walking past but others were staring at me.

"I didn't really mind because I always do crazy dancing."

The video, which was shot from an adjacent building, has since gone viral, with more than 33,000 people watching it on YouTube so far.

Monika Plaha, 20, was one of the dancers. The media and communications student said: "It was really good because my lecture was supposed to finish at 5pm but my lecturer said he would not take as many breaks so we could all go and do the Harlem Shake.

"It was such an amazing experience.

"We thought we would let the people in fancy dress take the limelight, so we are further back.

"We were dancing on chairs next to a person dressed as a monkey who was climbing a tree and also a guy who wrapped a scarf around his head and propped a skull on top – it was so random."