How to dance the macarena

How to Dance the Macarena

It has been nearly seventeen years since the song Macarena was released in Spain in 1994. Even now, it has a cult following all over the world. If you love the song, you will probably want to learn the dance as well. Luckily, Macarena is one of the simplest dances and involves only sixteen simple steps. At the most, an hour of practice should be good enough for you to dance the Macarena properly. Spare the time to learn this beautiful dance and you can win the hearts of people at a party or a wedding ceremony.

Instructions

1

Raise and straighten both arms parallel to the ground in front of your eyes, right arm before the left one with the palms of your hands facing towards the ground. Now flip over your right palm so that is faces towards the sky. Do the same with your left palm. These are the first four counts of the Macarena.
2

Now move on to the second four counts of the Macarena. Place your right hand over your left shoulder and your left hand over your right shoulder. The palms of both hands should be facing downwards. Now place your right hand behind the right side of your head and do the same with your left hand.
3

Bring your right hand to rest it on your waist’s left side and do the same with your left hand and your waist’s right side. Now grip your right hip with the right hand and left hip with the left hand to complete the third four counts of the Macarena.
4

With your hands placed on your hips, sway your body, first to the right and then to the left. When you have completed the swaying cycle three times, jump and turn counter clockwise rotating your body at an angle of 90 degrees. After you are done, you have completed all the sixteen steps involved in Macarena.
5

Repeat the same steps over and over again until the song comes to an end.

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What is the Macarena?

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Fact Checked

The "Macarena" song and dance was an incredibly popular phenomenon in the mid-1990s. Created by Seville natives Los Del Rio, the Macarena trend spread like wildfire before quickly falling out of fashion. The song and dance remains an often-referenced piece of pop-culture, mentioned in TV shows, movies, books, and even by a United States presidential candidate.

In the early 1990s, the Spanish band Los Del Rio released the first of many versions of the song, which based its rhythm on the quick-streaming, rhyming lines of its lyrics. The title comes from a neighborhood in Spain, and also is a popular name for girls in the Andalusia area. Initial versions of the song became popular throughout Spain and Latin America, even being used as part of a gubernatorial campaign in Puerto Rico.

In 1996, a version with mostly English lyrics was released as a remix by the band The Bayside Boys, causing the catchy song and its accompanying video to race up the music charts in several countries. By the end of the year, "Macarena" had reached the number one place on the charts in at least nine countries, including Australia, Belgium, and the United States.

Depending on the version, the lyrics change somewhat. Initially, the song told the story of a woman named Macarena who reacts to her boyfriend joining the army by going out on the town. Later versions make the woman considerably more promiscuous, and the American remix changes the lyrics to be from Macarena's point of view. Despite the various versions, the rhythms and tune are remarkably catchy, and quickly led to one of the largest dance crazes in recorded history.

The dance to the song is a variety of hand and hip movements meant to be performed in unison, somewhat akin to a line dance. Each cycle of the dance ends with a 90 degree rotation of the body, and the dance is then repeated. In 1996, many believe a world record for group dancing was set, when a crowd of 50,000 people danced the Macarena in Yankee Stadium in New York. The dance became a staple at weddings, high-school dances, and sporting events.

To perform the dance, there are eight basic steps to learn. The dance is performed in time with the chorus portion of the song, and is as follows:

Put Right hand out straight, palm down. Repeat with left hand.
Turn right palm up, repeat on left side.
Place right hand on left shoulder or arm, repeat with left hand on right.
Put right hand behind right ear, follow with left hand behind left ear.
Move right hand to left hip, then left hand to right hip.
Move right hand to right hip, repeat on left side.
Do three hip rolls, should be in rhythm with the line "Hey, Macarena!"
Either jump or pivot 90 degrees to the left and repeat whole sequence.

In popular culture, the Macarena has spawned dozens of references throughout most media areas. In 1996, at the height of the dance craze, United States Vice-president Al Gore performed the "Al Gore version" during the Democratic National Convention, which consisted of him standing completely still while the music played, then asking the audience if they'd like to see it again.

Despite the song's Spanish origin, the dance craze is often recognized as a distinctly American piece of culture. Photographs exist of American armed forces teaching the dance to Iraqi soldiers. Despite the song being a one-hit wonder for Los Del Rio, it created an indelible impact on world culture.

With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a Sports&Hobbies writer.

Jessica Ellis

With a B. A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a Sports&Hobbies writer.

Macarena dance: basic movements how to dance

It seems that only when you pronounce the word “macarena”, a swinging rhythm begins to pulsate in your head. As if the sun rises and wakes everyone up. He calls to raise his arms, torso, makes him turn his head and even his buttocks. The popular hit of the end of the last century still has not lost its charm. Light choreography and a funny character find him admirers among the youngest and most adults. Where did the macarena dance come from? Who is it suitable for? What is the simplicity of movements and how to learn them? We will write about this in detail.

History and why is the dance called Macarena?

Spanish singers Antonio Romero and Rafael Ruiz formed a duo back in the 1960s. But their group Los Del Rio was able to become popularly known only in 1993 with the advent of the hit “Macarena”. The Afro-Cuban composition in the clave size, which is the basis of it, hit the target - the love of millions.

The song tore apart the world musical space. A light text about a girl who took a guy to the army and, to drown out her melancholy, started dancing at parties with his friends, made the hit fun.

As a result, almost immediately a dance of the same name appeared, shown in the video for this novelty. It has become a combination of several styles:

flamenco nuevo;
pachanga;
rumba;
popular music.

At the same time, such an alliance did not cause complex movements. On the contrary, the dance surprises with the ease of execution.

The famous name is explained by three versions:

In honor of the daughter of Antonio Romero.
In the quarter of the same name in the Spanish Seville, where the hit took place.
Phonetically distorted name of Mary Magdalene. Initially, the lines of the song contained the name Madalena. But later, the alphabetic abracadabra gave her the name macarena.

By the way, in the United States, the translation of poems into English somewhat changed the meaning of the text. In this version, the girl is more frivolous and unpretentious than in the original.

The Russian version of the bestseller belongs to Sergei Minaev. It is more of a comic interpretation of the original.

In December 2019, the famous rapper Tyga released a remix of the sensational hit together with the tandem Los Del Rio. The number of views of the new track is over 98 million.

Basic dance movements to the song “Oh Macarena”

The basis of this social dance is the simulated choreography of the arms, torso, legs, head, buttocks.

They can be both described and viewed.

Method one. Classic

So what to do:

Straighten your arms in front of you. The palms should be pointing down.
Alternately turn your palms up.
It is easy to put your hands on your shoulders in the opposite order so that they intersect. Right - on the left shoulder. And by analogy, the left - on the right shoulder.
Smoothly and also alternately move the hands to the back of the head. The palms should clasp the head.
Lower the right hand on the left thigh, then mirror the movement with the left hand.
Place the right hand on the right buttock. Do the same with the left side.
In a light squat, draw the number 8 with your buttocks.
Can turn 90⁰ while jumping. Repeat the movements again and turn again until the circle is completed.

For yourself, you can arbitrarily choose the right or left side, which will be the first to perform this or that action.

The legs also participate in the dance. They need to take vigorous steps in place to the rhythm of the music.

Method two. Like on video.

You can do it easier. Find a video with an incendiary dance. Watch and repeat after the dancers.

Note: An interesting fact. Macarena saves lives. Doctors from Barcelona found that the rhythm of 103 beats / min., In which it is written, is commensurate with the amount of pressure on the chest during chest compressions.

How to dance the macarena - learning for beginners

There are 3 training formats for beginners to choose from. Of course, it all depends on the seriousness of the intentions of the beginner and the desired quality in the end. You can:

go to a dance studio and learn the art of macarena there;
hire a coach and get the required number of individual lessons of perky dancing;
find a good video lesson on the Internet, watch and repeat as much as you need.

Macarena dance moves for kids

It's no exaggeration to say that this is also a children's dance. Almost every child perceives a popular song with a bang. Consequently, the kids adore the macarena and repeat its cheerful movements with undisguised joy.

There are a lot of clips on the Internet with children dancing famously to the incendiary hit Los Del Rio.

Similar training options. Most importantly, the choice must be made depending on the characteristics of the character of the little dancer. He may prefer school, a coach, and homework through watching educational videos.

Online lessons are very child friendly. Because:

They do not need to be tied to a place and time
Involve parents and other relatives in the process
Possible with any device with Internet access. A phone is enough.

Recommendation. Support children's endeavors. Macarena can grow from a small entertainment into a big interest in the dance industry.

What you may need

First of all, it must be said that no special actions and devices are required to start training. The dance is simple and unassuming. Enough:

to have the slightest sense of rhythm and love for dancing;
put on comfortable clothes and shoes;
have a good mood;

Of course, you can invite relatives and friends and thus make a mini flash mob.

Tips

Do not think that the dance is outdated. His resilient rhythm and character over the years still echoes in the hearts and bodies of people.
For those who are not yet familiar with the full content of the song, it makes sense to learn it. The text is relevant despite the release time of the hit.
Macarena will decorate any holiday and amuse any audience. This is a must to use.

Surely such a carefree and cheerful dance appeared for a reason. People often lack smiles and drive in life. Therefore, it is great that it serves as a bright decoration of human everyday life.