So here are five awesome but simple dance step that you can do next time the dance floor is calling your name.
(Transcript)
How To Move Your Feet While Dancing
So we’re going to start with two footwork combos. The first is just a side-tap. It looks like this… right foot. I’m going to go right and a tap with the opposite foot as I move. So you want to just kind of get the pattern. If you fall off this, jump back in and we’ll go slow. Then again, my hand… my feet are just going out right, left tap… left, right tap… right, left tap… left, right tap.
Really simple. You can do this really slow.
So when should you step? You just step on the clap of the beat. So if the song is going, boom clap boom clap. That’s where I’m doing my tap. So it’s kind of like, step tap, step tap, step tap, step tap, step tap.
Once you got that down, we’re going to do a nice little four square now with our steps. So I’m going to go, right foot tap. And instead of going back to the left, I’m actually going diagonal. I’m going to go left back tap. And on this side, I’m going to go right foot tap. And this time, I’m going to go back to the corner. So I’m doing a corner step… right tap, left tap, right tap, left tap.
How to Not Be Stiff When Dancing
So you got your foot work down. Upper body is actually the hardest part because of you’re a stiff person, it doesn’t matter what I teach you, you’re still going to look like Frankenstein. So one thing you want to do is you’re going to pick up your shoulders like this… and you want to drop them. Pick them up and drop them. So when you drop them, that’s you being loose… like, I have people that say, “Oh I’m so stiff when I dance”. All you have to do is drop your shoulders because that’s loose. You’ve been taught to loose like that.
Also, don’t squeeze your little back muscles. If you’re a stiff guy, because you’re walking around, you’re back muscles are really stiff. So it’ll loose.
So one thing I want you to do in practicing at is, the first kind of rule is kind of a sway. And so our shoulders are going to face in both directions like that. So I’m facing you. This is my hopefully attractive person I’m dancing with.
So your shoulder are going to face on the corners of that person that way. So if I’m going to stick my arm out like this, my shoulders, my center is going to be pointing back and forth like this. So I’m swaying, right? Well, if you do this, it kind of looks weird. So you have to add kind of three steps to it.
So as you’re stepping, I’m going to do the first step. You step tap like this. And as I step, I’m going to twist. And right when I do my tap, that’s when my shoulders are facing that kind of corner direction.
What Do You Do With Your Arms While Dancing?
So right now, I’m just not using my hands. But eventually, I’m going to start using my hands. The first one we’re going to do is kind of a switch with our upper and lower arms like this. So we’re just doing the hands, we’re really doing this. Don’t flex or tense because you’re going to look like a robot. You’re really just being nice and loose as you twist. So boom step… boom step… with the footwork…
This is like first time you step on the dance floor. There’s not many people out there. You’re not really busting moves. You’re just warming up, the warm up.
If I want to get creative with my hands, how far can I go? Well, try not to go over the neck area. Anything over here, you got to be like you know… getting in. So really, you’re going to stay in this realm with your hands. Anything is pretty much all game. Yes! It’s okay to do that, just make sure it’s not your only move.
You know, keep cool. If you’re doing jazzy, just make sure it’s part of the song. Then otherwise, we’re sticking to here and then our second combo. Let’s get ready for it.
The second move is inspired by this incantation… except we’re not going to be doing this because we are moving to upbeat bass song and the club at the wedding. And really, what my hands are doing is I’m kind of mocking that step with my wrist. And I’m bringing them as I step to… the foot is going out. I’m bringing my wrist as I am coming in like this… like that, right?
And it doesn’t have to be so choreographed. You can be loose or you can decide just to do one arm. Or you can mix it up.
And the final move that I’m going to give is your arms are going to cross your body like that. So we’re stepping again, we’re just going to do that side step. My hand’s going to go in like that. Now you’ll just do it exactly like this, it won’t look awesome. But the point is not to look awesome. You’re trying to blend in the crowd. You’re not trying to make a scene, just grooving and just stepping.
What’s cool about these arms and the step combos is that you can switch. So if you are doing a two step, you can step back and you can do the wrist. Or you can start going back, from side to side, and you can do the arm.
I mean literally, the possibilities are endless. Then you can go back to step and then you can start moving from side to side like that. I mean, with just two of those upper moves and then there’s two lower moves, you are going to be good to go. The next dance floor is calling your name.
Whether it’s a wedding you have coming up, a homecoming dance or whatever, I wish you the best of luck.
Go out there and kill it on that dance floor.