How to do street dance moves
Street Dance Moves for Beginners
Street dancing is a culmination of various dance forms and these dancers concoct different styles to create something of their own. So go ahead, find your footing and create your own dance style, stamp it with your oomph attitude by using these street dance moves for beginners!
“The Dancer believes that his art has something to say which cannot be expressed in words or in any other way than by dancing… there are times when the simple dignity of movement can fulfill the function of a volume of words. There are movements which impinge upon the nerves with a strength that is incomparable, for movement has power to stir the senses and emotions, unique in itself. This is the dancer’s justification for being, and his reason for searching further for deeper aspects of his art.” ~ Doris Humphrey, 1937
Street dancing has steadily evolved over the years and has amassed universal appeal. The unique characteristic of street dancing is that, it allows dancers to express their own personal style of dancing. This form of dancing includes everything from break-dancing, salsa, ballet, to even robotic dance. Street dancing has its doors open for everyone who wishes to learn. You do not need to be trained as a dancer, in order to excel in the genre of hip-hop dancing. However, if you have learned traditional forms of dance, you can adapt those moves into your style of dancing. So, let’s have a look at some street dance moves that you can start practicing with!
Pop-n-Lock Steps
Step ➀
This is an easy dance routine to start with. All you need to do is, bring your right knee forward and let your left inner-elbow rest beside your extended knee. This stance will seem as if you’re about to pick something heavy from the floor or bolt into a sprint! Simultaneously, keep your right hand behind you while ensuring that you raise your left heel.
Step ➁
The second step requires that you lift your right leg slightly and shift your body towards the left, while resting your entire weight on your left leg.
This time, your left hand should be aligned parallel to your right leg, while your left hand stays bent.
Step ➂
Now, set your right foot away from the body, while you extend your right arm above your right leg. Look leftwards, while your left arm stays parallel to floor and both your hands point downwards.
Step ➃
And now you’ve got the Mr. Robo move, wherein you’ll cross your feet, keep your back straight, and let your arms do the pop and lock! Both arms should be kept parallel to the ground and aligned with your shoulder, while your left hand points down and the other one points up!
B-boying Steps
Step ➀
This is one of the basic steps of B-boying. You will need to get down into a pushup stance, so that your entire weight is on your arms. Keep your knees from touching the ground, while you lift your right leg.
Step ➁
Now, quickly bring your left knee forward while you slide your right leg before you. Rest your weight on your right arm and keep your left arm free for the next step!
Step ➂
Now, slide to take a U-turn so that your left leg crosses over the right one.
While doing this switch, bring your right leg up so that it stays suspended over your head.
Step ➃
Here comes the best part! Take your right leg further across your head, while you turn your torso rightwards as well. Keep your left arm and elbow supporting your torso, and your right hand beside your head. Gradually pick your left leg upwards so that together your legs form a big ‘L’.
Krumping Steps
Step ➀
Street dancing is incomplete without krumping. This style of dancing is easy to perform, but requires a lot of energy to keep the momentum going. This dance focuses on the abs and hips. Begin by parting your feet and pushing your hips out, krump or compress your abs inwards and release the tension from your core after every second beat. Do this step a couple of times and then switch to the next step.
Step ➁
Now, cross your feet and repeat the krumping twice. Thereafter, return to step 1 and 2, this time crossing your other feet. Ensure that you keep your hands moving while you are practicing these steps.
Step ➂
This type of krumping is done with your body bent forward, so that the lower half of the body does most of the dancing. Keep your legs crossed and perform a few more sets, thereafter return to step 2, and repeat step 3.
Step ➃
Now, switch to step 1 with your torso pointing sidewards, while you look the opposite way. Krump your torso and then your lower body, while you freestyle with your hands.
Know Your Street Dance
B-boying or Breakdancing
Even though Breaking or B-boying is a part of hip-hop dance, it evolved from several different dance styles and came into the limelight during 1970s. Break dance includes four basic steps, such as Toprock, which is done standing and involves a lot of footwork, Downrock which involves footwork while your body is supported by your hands. Freezes are stylish poses which are done while being upside-down and Power-moves include challenging acrobatic tricks, such as the flare (where the dancer rests his body on his hands and brings his legs around for a 360 degree turn), windmill (where the dancer turns on the floor with his legs up in the air in a v-shape and with the help of his shoulders, back, or hands), and the headspin.
Locking
Locking is a funk style that involves a series of quick moves followed by timed pauses. It is different from popping, because each pose is held for longer. It was initially called Campbellocking in honor of the pioneers, Don Campbell and his crew, The Lockers, from Los Angeles. Some of the popular locking steps are, the breakdown and jazz split.
Popping
Popping is another funk dance that evolved in California in the 1970s. It involves quick stiffening and then relaxing of muscles to create an illusion of flow or movement. It was created by the popping group known as the Electric Boogaloos. It includes a number of popular dance styles including robotting, miming, crazy legs, and slides (like the moonwalk).
House Dance
House dance was developed in a popular nightclub during the early eighties. This form of dancing has been incorporated by hip-hop dancers in recent times. Some of the popular styles that are a part of House dance are – footwork, jacking, lofting, and voguing.
Electro Dance
Also known as tecktonik, this street dance originated in France from a club called Metropolis in the early 2000s. It uses a blend of all the aforementioned styles and combines it with disco.
So go ahead and try these new tricks, practice hard and don’t forget, “We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” ~ Japanese Proverb
10 Basic Dance Moves Anyone Can Learn
Do you ever watch someone dance and wonder how they come up with moves so easily?
Great dancers often master a specific set of moves that they can fall back on again and again.
Read on for 10 basic dance moves you can learn in minutes and use every time you wanna dance.
P.S. You can learn all of these moves for FREE on STEEZY Studio! No cc required. 😉
1. The Two-Step
When I first started dancing at parties, the Two-Step was the first move that truly came naturally to me.
It really is as simple as stepping from side to side to the beat!
If you're looking for something foolproof that allows you to just groove and enjoy the music.
..
Boom. Here it is.
2. The Monestary
This move was born in a club called Monestary out in St. Louis!
It’s built on a Two-Step, so if you took that class, you’ve already got a foundation for the footwork.
But rather than bringing your feet together, you’ll tap them to the front with your knee and foot turned inward.
Then, as you tap the feet, you’ll move your arms and shoulders in a circular movement.
3. Booty Pop (Side To Side)
Like the Woah, this sexy move is super TikTok-friendly – but with more feminine energy.
To do a booty pop to the side, you’re gonna bend your knees, put your hands on one knee, and then bring the other leg from bent to straight while turning your knee inward.
If you’re a long-haired baddie, be sure to keep all your hair on one side so it doesn’t flop in your face as you pop!
Read this article on How To Dance Sexy to get more tips on pulling off moves like this one!
4.
The Billy BounceSurprise – this club-ready move is built on… a bounce!
But what makes it unique is that your knees will come inward on each bounce rather than just up and down.
Once you’ve got the funky lil knee bounce down, you’ll add in an upward kick on each side.
The best thing about this move is that while the footwork takes a few minutes to learn, you don’t necessarily need to add an arm movement to make it look cool.
Just keep your arms front and center.
5. The Woah
Even if you’re not actively involved in the dance community, you’ve probably seen people hitting the Woah – on TikTok, Reels... all over your newsfeed!
Whether you wanna make a viral video of your own, or you’re just looking for a fun, basic dance move to pull out at the clerb, this one is too good not to learn.
Since the locking arm motion is so sharp and pronounced, use the Woah to accent the heaviest bass beats in your favorite songs.
6. The Dougie
Yes, the Dougie is a real dance move!
Like the Two-Step, you’ll be shifting your weight from side to side, but this time, adding some shoulder movements and a lil more attitude.
Try this one out to some songs other than the one that made it famous – you’ll find it works with any hype beat.
7. Scoop Arm Into Hip Sway
Sooo this one is more of combo than a move, but it only takes a few minutes to learn and it works with any fun sassy song…
So it deserves to be here, ok?!
For this move, you’re gonna scoop your arm across your chest, then bring it over your head, and finally point it in front of your chest.
Once you point the arm in front of you, you’ll sway your hips from side to side and groove it out.
8. The Bust Down
The Bust Down was popularized by LA rapper, Blueface, in his 2019 club jam “Thotiana”.
You’re gonna grab your belt, put one arm in the air, and allow your body to dip with the beat.
Note: Licking your eyebrows like Blueface is fun, but not required. 😛
9. The Biz Markie
The Biz Markie is an old school party dance inspired by, you guessed it, rapper Biz Markie!
It rose to popularity in the 90s, when Biz Markie himself began performing it on stage.
As you practice it, remember to allow your shoulders to bounce – the bounce is what gives this move its cool, laidback flavor.
Wanna learn more about classic Hip Hop moves? Read this: How To Dance Hip Hop for Beginners
10. The Humpty
For this bouncy move, you’re gonna circle your hips to one side as your bend your knees.
Then, you’ll jump and cross your legs, allowing your feet to tap the floor briefly before you jump back to your original legs apart position.
Once you’ve got that down, you can complete the move by adding in a windmill motion with your arms.
The leg cross in this move makes it perfect for any Hip Hop song that features a double bass (aka that BOOM BOOM sound that you hear in songs like “Lip Gloss” by Lil Mama)
We hope you enjoyed learning some of our favorite basic dance moves.
Of course, this list is just a start!
In addition to the 10 moves on this list, STEEZY Studio has 100+ other FREE beginner classes where you can learn step-by-step from the world’s best teachers.
What To Read Next:
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How To Start Dancing Hip Hop For Beginners
How To Learn Dance At Home
How to learn street dancing without leaving home
February 5, 2017LifeSport and fitness
Street dancing is not at all the lot of the elite, endowed with natural plasticity and great talent of people. And not even those who have the willpower to regularly attend a dance studio. You can learn how to move beautifully and correctly without leaving home.
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0 Street dancing is a magnetically mesmerizing spectacle.
Surely you have seen how the dancers turn into robots, simulating mechanical intermittent movements, or flutter above the ground, magically hardly touching it with their feet. Here is a video of one of the most famous street dancers Marquis Scott:
All this seems so impossible, out of reach. I would like to immediately dispel the doubts that most viewers have when watching the video.
Common misconceptions about street dancing
1. This guy is a genius because he improvises. Do you see how easily, for example, a “wave” passes through the Marquis’s hand? Before he could do it, he:
- flexed the wrist a thousand times;
- flexed his elbow a thousand times;
- pushed his shoulder forward a thousand times;
- tens of thousands of times connected these movements in series.
Over time, awkward hand rotations turned into a smooth wave.
Actually, here, for clarity:
And so with any element that you see in the dance. Each of them first goes through a long process of cutting and settling in the motor memory of the body. Improvisation is a free combination of such elements.
2. This guy has a talent, not everyone is gifted like that
The movements of each dancer, no matter how free and easy they may seem now, were originally just as timid and clumsy as yours. The same Marquis Scott, whom many will call a genius, before he started dancing, moved no better than anyone else. Dance is not some school of magic that is inaccessible to mere mortals.
Dance is first and foremost a technique. Technique worked to perfection.
Do you hear music, try to move to it, but something extremely clumsy comes out? But the body of the masters "dances by itself"! But how can your body dance if it doesn't know how to move? First teach it them, and then it will perform the dance for you.
And everyone can handle it.
3. I will never succeed in this way
With desire and diligence, everyone will succeed. Get rid of conceited thoughts about your exclusivity.
You must have thought “Wow! I wish I…”, but you don’t even dare to continue this thought to the end, because, of course, “such a talent is not given to everyone, but even more so to me.”
Most likely, many of you watched the video, went to the mirror, tried to make a “wave”, instead got a real storm with 11 points on the Beaufort scale, laughed and went on with your own business. For some reason, people think that a street dancer is gifted by nature. No, in the same way, he once approaches the mirror, tries to do something and laughs at failure. Only then does he approach the mirror again and again.
Street dance in most cases is an improvisation based on a free combination of elements of various dance styles honed to perfection.
Yes, street dancing is a very broad concept that includes breakdancing, locking, house and much more.
So, you understand that there is no magic and mystery in the masterful dance, and the secret of its lightness lies entirely in the development of various movements? Already good. Let's go further.
Technique
What is the study of technique?
- Selecting a specific movement.
- Its breakdown into elementary components.
- Multiple repetition of each of them separately.
- Connecting them in series to the desired movement.
- Repetition of this movement, using it in conjunction with others.
Repetition, repetition, repetition - this is the basis of technique. Why? Because that's how our body learns. At first, the path to each movement will lie through great willpower, control and concentration. Everything will happen slowly. But with each repetition, the new movements will be adapted by the mechanisms of your motor memory. And in the end, the movement will be performed naturally and easily, like a wave of a hand.
You don't have to think about it. It's like learning to ride a bike.
So, mastering the dance is available to everyone. But the path to it lies through the development of technology. And work on technology is labor, long, difficult and sometimes makes you want to cry.
But there is good news.
You can work at home. And most importantly, it will be interesting for you to work.
Because any routine, unpleasant work gets a motive and becomes much more interesting when it brings some result. And the sooner this result manifests itself, the more noticeable it is, the greater the desire to continue the person lights up.
Believe me, you can learn the simplest techniques of magical plastic surgery in the shortest possible time without leaving your home. Of course, you will not become Marquis Scott so quickly, but you will definitely succeed in surprising your friends and relatives, and even yourself. Let's take the mentioned "wave".
By following the instructions from the second video of this article every day for at least 15 minutes, in a couple of weeks you will make the movement correctly, quickly and with the necessary automaticity.
Dancing at home
Now about the main thing. The studio has a professional choreographer who teaches and shows the movements. What about at home? And at home there is YouTube, where no less professional dancers have already posted thousands of training videos.
If you are one of those people who has the thought “Wow! I wish I…" when watching the first video, the action plan is as follows: you go to one of the YouTube channels below, watch dance videos and determine whose style you like, open the training videos and, getting up from your chair, without leaving your monitor (well, if there is a mirror nearby), you start doing what is shown in them. That is, repeat, repeat, repeat movements.
Don't worry about the small space: we are not learning the waltz, and you will have enough space to learn the basic movements and perform simple connections.
Here, of course, a lot depends on the dance genre. For example, you can master the bottom break only if you have a lot of space and slippery flooring.
Lifehacker chose the most undemanding styles in terms of square area, united under the name dubstep. It doesn't matter if you like this music: the elements of the style itself can be used in completely different ways.
1. Here is a wonderful school of Alexander Dragon, in which you will find a huge number of videos teaching all the elementary movements of completely different directions, many lessons, links and dances. This school has, perhaps, the most saturated channel on YouTube, which can completely replace classes in the studio.
Don't be put off by the abundance of videos. And in no case do not immediately take on links like this:
To successfully do what Alexander does, you first have to learn the basic principles and movements of waving, tatting, popping and so on.
Do not be afraid of these words: in the "School of the Dragon" you will find information about each direction and find a video with a detailed analysis of any movement. The illusory style practiced here is the closest to what you could see in the video at the beginning of the article. This school is my personal choice.
2. Good dubstep and electric boogie lessons are on the MotionUD channel.
3. Foreign channels include TheRussianTiger and El Tiro. Thanks to the latter, you will learn how to perform the “robot dance” relatively quickly.
4. Good videos about breakdance can be found at Break Dance School and Breakwater. Again, this style is not easy to practice at home due to the large space it requires and the special flooring.
Remember, the main thing is sincere desire and regular practice.
Without one, there will be no other. At the same time, desire and practice are a universal remedy for all “failures”.
Good luck in your dancing endeavors!
How to learn to dance street dance: dance modern street dance
Everyone can dance, regardless of age and physique. But, many people are held back from going to dance studios by shyness. They think that their awkward movements will be discussed, laughed at.
Situations, of course, are different. But, if a person is timid, then there is a way out anyway. You can learn how to dance street dance on your own. How to do this, we will consider in this article.
Where to start?
You have made the decision to learn street dance at home. Start like this:
- choose the right clothes. Since this is street dancing, you can wear something light, fun. You study at home, but you need a dance costume to get ready and start practicing in full;
- stop being ashamed of yourself.
To do this, do dance moves in front of a mirror - only it sees you; - for street dances, the main thing is to be able to improvise, knowing the basic movements;
- find the right music.
You need to practice regularly if you want to get results. Make a schedule for yourself, be sure to follow it.
Where do you get the right dance elements from? Read articles on the topic, ask around friends. You can learn how to learn how to dance street dances in the video lessons offered below.
Follow the dancers, repeat the training several times a week. You will not notice how you will move better, stiffness and constraint will disappear. Imagine how you can surprise your friends and loved ones.
Varieties
Street dances are also different. With video lessons, you can master several directions, and then learn how to dance.
Try to learn how to dance tectonics:
- you will become more flexible;
- learn to feel the rhythm;
- will be able to improvise.
But Tut is a bit more difficult to master:
- frequent change of dance techniques;
- many elements are made at right angles;
- arms in a straight position;
- head must be kept in one position.
You can see how the elements are performed in the video and photo.
When choosing any street dance, don't forget about clothes. The main thing is to be comfortable in it. It can be jeans, loose trousers, light T-shirts, hoodies. Put on sneakers or sneakers on your feet.
By constant practice, you can hone the technique of basic movements to a high level. Start dancing and soon you will feel how the body gradually begins to obey. You will learn not only to listen to music, but also to feel its rhythm.
Just dance
When you first start learning something new, the first days everything seems difficult and unattainable. Never give up after the first lesson, be more persistent.
Modern street dancing gives you complete freedom of movement.
You will feel how the activity will completely capture. You will want to dance not only at home, but in a club or at a party. Do not doubt yourself, believe - everything will work out.
Tips
- Always exercise in the room you have chosen for training. So the room will be associated with classes.
- Don't dance to the point of impotence. Take mandatory breaks.
- Follow the trainer's instructions on the video, try not just to repeat the movements, but to perform them correctly.
- When the basic dance lessons are over, try to combine all the learned movements yourself. The result may surprise you.
- If you can't keep up with the coach, then stop the video. It's okay, do everything slowly, but correctly.
- When choosing from the types of street dances, see what suits your temperament. Watch several videos to make the right choice.
- Do not forget about proper nutrition. This is exercise, so nutrition has a big impact on how you feel during exercise.
