How to dance like james brown


6 James Brown Dance Moves To Make You Get Up Offa That Thing

James Brown's music can make even the stiffest body get on the dancefloor and bust a move. His timeless songs have inspired artists for generations as he pioneered funk and has been sampled countless times in hip-hop. There isn't an artist today in pop, hip hop, or soul that hasn't been influenced by James Brown. He was a force of nature on record and on stage and his incredible dance moves have been imitated by Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, and more. 

Over his 50-year career, Brown had 17 singles reach #1 on the Billboard charts and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was also a civil rights advocate and wrote the 1968 black power anthem, "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud."

The best part about the dance moves of "The Hardest Working Man In Show Biz" was that he made them up entirely on his own. No fancy choreographers or dance coaches, just soul. Here are 6 dance moves from the "Godfather of Soul" to impress everyone at the next party.  

The Camel WalkDescribed as the "backward Moonwalk," the Camel Walk will find you traveling all over the dancefloor, shimmying your shoulders from side to side with style and pop. While this dance move has been around for decades before Brown, he added his own personal flair and made it all his own. 

The Funky Chicken This one needs a disclaimer. Only a few can actually make the "The Funky Chicken" look cool and James Brown had that gift. Moving your knees back and forth like a bird taking off for flight and swinging your arms simultaneously, this hypnotic dance move is not for the faint of heart. 

The BoogalooA staple of pop-and-lock dancers, the Boogalo will have your feet wide, knees bouncing, and your body shaking. An easy move to start with on your journey to dance like the Godfather Father of Soul. 

The Mashed Potato One of James Brown's signature moves, the Mashed Potato needs some serious footwork if you attempt it. Your feet will frantically squiggle around the dancefloor as you shuffle forwards and backward, often on one foot. 

The RobotAnother move that became a staple for pop-and-lock dancers, you'll have to suddenly stop and rigidly move like a mechanical man to pull this one off. James Brown was able to go from a smooth, flowing move right into the stiff robot and back into his previous routine. 

The Split The tour de force of James Brown dance moves, James Brown's split showed off all his flexibility, charisma, and skill. Getting to the ground is the easy part, the real challenge is getting back up on your feet effortlessly. It is truly the penultimate move to learn if you want to dance like James Brown. 

In honor of Black History Month, check out the Black History Buff podcast on iHeartRadio:

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James brown dance moves - The james brown shuffle move

Learn James brown dance moves in the video below:
The james brown shuffle

Video Transcript:
Alright you guys are doing amazing so far. We’ve already learned some great basic hip hop grooves. The next move we’re about to get into is named after really iconic performer, we’re calling it James Brown dance. We’re going to teach you the James Brown right now. Now this is variation on a move that he always used to do when he performed.

We’ve broken it down to a simper version that you guys can learn right now and be able to take to the club tonight. So take a look at it first and then I’m going to break it down step by step. Six, five, six, five, six, seven, eight and good. And five, six, seven, eight. Alright guys so let’s take that from the top of this move. So it looks a lot more complicated than it really is. I’m going to break it down in the simplest way possible. You’re going to start pointing in towards each other.

So you’re going to basically make a triangle on the floor with your feet. Alright, the first step, this leg is going to step out on the toe, one. The other leg on the other side is going to step in on the heel. Putting us in this position right here. One more time we’re going to repeat the sequence, this foot is going to step out on the toe or on the heel and this leg is going to step in on the toe. We end back where we started.

Now let’s go back the other way. This leg steps out on the toe, one, this leg eat on the heel, two, once again this leg out on the heel, three and this leg in on a toe, four. Alright so we always go from this position with our feet pointing in to this position with our feet pointing out. Alright one more time like that. Start with them pointing in, when I take this leg stepping out on a toe, one, this leg in on a heel, two, this leg out on a heel, three, this leg in on a toe, four. One more time coming back the other way. I’m going to step out on the toe, one, in on a heel, two, out on the heel, three, in on a toe, four. Alright you’ve got that basic movement down. Really practice that, you’ll get it down.

I know it’s awkward at first to be able to control your feet like that but you just have to give it a little bit of practice and it will become second nature in no time. Alright? What we’re going to do now is combine both of those movements that we do with each flip together in one single move. Alright? So starting from the same position, we’re going to turn this leg out on the toe and this leg in on the heel at the same time. Really slowly it goes just like this, and one, so you end up in this position. Alright bring that back to where we started. I’m going to show them one more time.

So from this position, remember this foot is coming out on the toe, this one in on the heel, they move the same time, really slow. Ready, lift it up and set it down, good. Same thing but now opposite, this leg out on a toe or out on a heel and this leg in on a toe, same time. Ready, set, bring it up, set it down, good. Now we’re going to bring it back the other way. So this leg steps out on a toe, this one in on a heel, they move the same time. Six, seven, eight, lift, bring it down. One more time, this leg stepping in on a toe, out on a heel, five, six, seven, eight down, good. Now really practice that, take the time to go over it, this is not going to come easy at first. Something you really got to take time to practice a little bit but after a little while you’ll get it down.

Now what I want you to do is take those two steps and try to do it a little bit faster and one smooth motion. Okay? So I’m going to show you first what I’m going to do, we’re going to go out to this side once, one and then we’re going to go back in to this side, two, and two. So go out again on this side, three, out three, back into the center and four, bring it in, four. Alright? So again it’s going to go out, in, out, in. Starting from this position with your feet, five, six, seven, eight, one, bring it in, two, bring it out, three, bring it in, four. Again just like that, five, six, seven, eight, out one, in two, out three, in four.

Alright one more time. A little bit faster with counts. We’ll go out in, out in. Ready? Five, six, seven, eight we go out, in, out, in, out, in, out, good job guys that’s awesome. Take that, make sure you practice it and you’ll get it better and better, start building up speed as you get comfortable with your feet moving like that. Alright? We’re going to try one more time with counts not stopping. So we’re going to go one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Alright going out to come in. Trying those counts in that first position, five, six, seven, eight and we go one. Two, three, four, five, six, repeat it, eight and one. Two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight. Awesome.
So we’re getting better and better as we go along. What I want to do now is try it a little bit faster with counts and then we’ll try it with the music. Okay? So this move takes a lot of practice and a lot of repetition.

We’re going to speed it up a little bit now, same counts, here we go, five, six, seven, eight and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, again. And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, one more time. And one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and eight. We’re going to try that same James Brown step again doing a little bit faster this time. I’m going to change with the counts just a little bit but when we do it with music, you’ll be all set.

Alright?
So starting with your feet facing together, we’re going end counts this time so we step out one, coming on and, two and three, and four, and five, and six, and seven, and eight. Alright so I think you guys are ready to try it music. It’s going to be a little bit faster right now but just remember those counts are one, and two, and three, and four. So with this music it will go one, and two, and three, and four, and five, and six, and seven and eight. So a little faster. I hope you’re for a challenge, give it a try. Starting from here we go five, six, five, six, seven, eight and one, and two, and three, and four, good, just groove it out, side to side with it, keep it up, just like that, get comfortable with it, you can move your hands up, you see at home, your shoulders are really tense, just bring them down, relax them. Remember, this move is all about the legs. Good, just groove it out. Nice guys, and five, six, five, six, seven, eight.

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Hip hop dance moves for beginners

James Brown, In 1965, the singer wrote and first performed the song "I Got You (I Feel Good)", which became his calling card all over the world.

(May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006). James Brown is a very special person in the music world. His works breathe vital energy, they charge from the speakers, penetrating into the inside, barely sounding at training sessions and break festivals.

American singer, recognized as one of the most influential figures in pop music of the 20th century. "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Please Please Please" and "Mr. Dynamite", as he called himself. He worked in such genres as gospel, rhythm and blues, funk.

With his improvised rhythmic cries and fiery dance style, according to one of his biographers, he "Africanized" the then rather stiff rhythm and blues. Released by Brown in 1956, the single "Please Please Please" was the first sign of that emotional, deeply felt approach to performance, which later became known as "soul", it immediately entered the rhythm and blues charts, and only in the USA this the record sold over a million copies (it also gave James Brown one of his nicknames).

In 1965, Brown's most successful singles hit the music store shelves, including the poignant ballad "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World". In the same year, the singer wrote and performed for the first time the song that became his calling card all over the world - "I Got You (I Feel Good)", and his innovative composition "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" was awarded the Grammy Award.

It is generally accepted that it was Brown who wrote the first funk compositions, but music historians argue which of them was the earliest. It is customary to give the palm to the song "Cold Sweat", recorded at 1967 year. During this period, the performer moves away from melody and melody towards accentuated recitative (a key element of rap). It is no coincidence that the earliest hip hop compositions were often built around sampling Brown's funk hits, especially his early work "Funky Drummer" (1965). It's no exaggeration to say that without Brown there would be neither funk nor hip-hop.

After a major dance hit in 1970 "Sex Machine" Brown turns his work towards less dynamic rhythms. His successors as kings of funk are Sly Stone and George Clinton. Brown creativity 19The 70s is geared primarily towards an African-American audience; the repertoire is dominated by songs like "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" (literally: "Say it loud - I'm black and I'm proud of it"). The artist performs a lot outside the United States, including Zaire and other African countries. (source - Wikipedia)

As for the dance, James Brown and his group mainly moved the lower half of the body - legs, knees, feet, emphasizing small musical sounds.

James Brown and 25-year-old Michael Jackson:

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  • James Brown: The Way Up (Get on Up, 2014)
    Film about the fate and rise of the author of the cult song "I Feel Good". Interesting, educational, musical. Unfortunately, I didn’t evoke stronger feelings, but it’s worth watching, finding out where the legs grow from, all the more listening!
    I was pleased with the performance on the stage of dance shuffles - the "pureshechka" movement (Mashed Potato). Very hypnotizing)) I just wanted to move in the same way!) Suddenly, yesterday, in front of the balboa, James was discussed :)
    James Brown is considered the godfather of soul and the progenitor of funk, I still don’t fully understand these trends. Does anyone know of any video that talks about different musical trends with examples? need help!


    Oh, where are you, brother? (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, 2000)
    A couple of weeks ago, after a blues class, there was a discussion about the origins of the blues music movement. At the mention of a working song, the guys suggested this film. I advise everyone, very light, pleasant and funny. Baria Cohen even skillfully wove the story of selling one's soul to the devil at a crossroads. A lot of music, from blues to country) Listen to the soundtrack!


    Black Snake Moan (Black Snake Moan, 2006)
    Finally watched this film, mentioned in the first blues lectures by Natasha and Nick. Classic blues genre: my wife left me for another. But this is only the beginning. More interesting, the plot is original, but not banal)
    Samuel L. Jackson as a bluesman, it's worth a look. Great sound. We were pleased with the video inserts with Son House (Son House).

    natalia_vesna , where is your list of must see blues movies?:P)) 9

    Tags: blues, country, funk, movie, music, soul Dance - Jered Morin Everyone loves to talk about…

  • Movie music 2. And not only.

    One of the things I love about Wordpress is that the releases are named after jazz musicians and performers.


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