How to do the locomotion dance video
How Kylie Minogue's 'Loco-Motion' Performance Unexpectedly Kickstarted Her Transition From Actress to Singer
Kylie Minogue was already on the right track when she recorded her cover of "The Loco-Motion" in 1987. The dance anthem kicked off a decades-spanning career and one of the most passionate fan bases in music history.
When the Australian singer was a year into the phenomenon surrounding her debut single, she reflected on the unlikely catalyst for her crossover from teen soap star to pop music’s next big thing.
“Aside from ‘Loco-Motion's interesting history with Little Eva and Grand Funk Railroad, I have my own personal history,” Minogue explained to ET in 1988. “It seems to be one of those songs that people know subliminally. Everyone picks up on the chorus. People know it from somewhere.”
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Penned by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, the track first hit airwaves in 1962 courtesy of pop singer Little Eva (real name Eva Boyd), which later hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Twelve years later, rock band Grand Funk Railroad’s rendition followed suit by topping the charts.
The following decade, Minogue was starring on the drama series Neighbours, which many described for American audiences at the time as a cross between Dallas, Dynasty and England’s long running Eastenders. In the midst of her TV success, Minogue found herself in a unique opportunity to showcase her vocal talent with an impromptu performance in front of thousands.
“A few of us from [Neighbours] were asked to help out at a football benefit concert,” Minogue recalled. “We sang a song and we were really nervous. We ended up having such a great time that we wanted to do another song. My suggestion was ‘Loco-Motion.’ I knew the words, because I had a Carole King songbook. And the band knew the track. The backing was simple.”
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The performance made such an impact that Minogue was approached to record her first studio album, Kylie, with the cover as its lead single and retitled "Locomotion.
" For the song’s international release the following year, another edition was recorded and reverted back to its original moniker, "The Loco-Motion."
“America, to me, is so big,” Minogue said of her worldwide press tour. “It's a real, new challenge, because you don't have the series that I'm known for in England and Australia. It's exciting to be here and things are feeling really good.”
Minogue’s rise to stardom invited comparisons to fellow Aussie triple-threat Olivia Newton-John, and with the help of her other hit single, “I Should Be So Lucky,” she quickly became a sensation in her native Australia (for some fun visual context, see Rose Byrne’s epic #TBT below). And yet, she admitted at the time that making the transition from actress to singer was an enormous career risk.
“In Australia, it was really difficult at the start when I released ‘Locomotion,’ because it could have been great for my career. It could have been detrimental,” Minogue noted. “It's only now the Australians are starting to believe that I can sing, maybe I do have talent and that it's not all manufactured.
It's taken a long time. I know people have to prove themselves, but I'm not out there to prove it for other people. I'm doing it because I want to prove it to myself and because I enjoy it.”
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While Minogue’s cover failed to complete the hat trick of reaching number one on the U.S. charts like its predecessors, the track still landed at number three, which forged "The Loco-Motion" song’s unique distinction of appearing thrice in the top three in separate decades.
Years before her numerous best selling albums, GRAMMY win and countless sold-out concerts across the globe, Minogue, at age 20, was prepared to remain level headed amid her success.
“I tend to have my own little philosophies and one of them, I guess, is to remember this is a job,” she insisted. “I've had great fun over the last couple of years. I've worked my little bum off, but it's been great fun and I'm fully aware this can end tomorrow… I guess I'm just enjoying it while it's here.”
Across her 35 years as a pop icon, Minogue endured some mixed feelings about "The Loco-Motion," but she eventually learned to welcome her association with the song.
“I think it was a little awkward to do it for a number of years,” Minogue told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in June. “We did a disco version of it on the Golden Tour in 2018, which was super fun. And now, when I do it at certain gigs, it’s such a smash. There’s people doing dancing lines, and it’s so of it’s time, you have to just kind of embrace it.”
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How Many of These 1960s Dances Do You Remember? (Including Vintage Videos!)
As women who grew up in the 1960s, dance has been a part of our lives since the very beginning. But, if I’m right, most of us haven’t had a chance to see our favorite 1960s dances performed – let alone put on our dancing shoes and try them ourselves – for many years.
So, I thought it would be fun to collect vintage videos of the most iconic 1960s dances and share them here. I’ll say a few words about my own experience with music and dance first. But, you can always skip to the videos, below, if you are itching to try Twist, Watusi, Mashed Potato and Pony yourself!
Here are my favorite 1960s dances:
- The Twist – The iconic 1960s dance hit.
- Mashed Potato – The dance made popular by Dee Dee Sharp’s song Mashed Potato Time.
- The Monster Mash – The Halloween classic favorite.
- The Madison – The popular line dance.
- The Hully Gully – “Shake your shoulders and wiggle your knees.”
- The Pony – Another great dance created by Chubby Checker.
- The Hitch Hike – Marvin Gaye’s iconic dance that accompanied his hit song became an instant favorite.
- The Swim – The timeless dance that had you swimming on the dance floor.
- The Locomotion – The silly dance that had you dancing in a chain formation like a train on the dance floor.
If you enjoy these videos, please share this article with your friends. Let’s see if we can start a dance revolution!
In elementary school, they used to pipe music into the playground, where we gathered in little circles to dance. I wonder if they still do that… somehow, I doubt it!
Then, as my friends and I got a little older, dancing continued to be one of our favorite social activities.
We gathered in little groups and tried out the latest and greatest moves. Line dances were big and my group of girls was always experimenting.
I would rush home from school and watch American Bandstand, where Dick Clark would introduce one fun and funky band after another. Then, like so many little girls of my generation, I would dance in front of my television.
Then, I turned 13 and my family moved to Detroit. There, my passion for dance was intensified by the fabulous Motown music in the city air.
Fabulous rhythmic music was everywhere and the dances that we know now by fun descriptive names became a part of my life.
The Twist, Watusi, Mashed Potato and Pony – I loved them all!
The Twist was, of course, the most famous. But, if I am honest, my favorite was the Mashed Potato!
Our favorite 1960s dances encouraged camaraderie and connection. Dancing was definitely a social statement! I remember going to the Grande Ballroom in Detroit and dancing until my curfew. They were such amazing times!
At times, the dance energy was intense. No wonder I was so skinny!
Looking at the videos below, I see how high energy, fun and carefree these dances were. They reflected a different attitude to music and social engagement! They were designed to make you feel good!
We knew how to have fun!
Here are 10 famous 1960s dances that you probably remember.
Most people don’t remember that the original song, The Twist, was released in 1959, one year before the hit cover by Chubby Checker. It was Checker’s version of the song that made the dance of the same name iconic.
Take a look at this video of The Twist.
Unlike The Twist, the Mashed Potato was not linked to a single song. Instead, it became the basis for the dance moves that went along with several hits. Among the most famous songs to become associated with the Mashed Potato was Dee Dee Sharp’s Mashed Potato Time.
Take a look at this video of the Mashed Potato.
Another famous 1960s dance that was related to the Mashed Potato was The Monster Mash. The song, made popular by Bobby “Boris” Pickett, has since gone on to become synonymous with Halloween for millions of kids around the world.
In fact, it is one of the few 1960s songs that most of our grandkids have probably heard.
Here’s a video of The Monster Mash.
The Madison was a line-dance hit that was popular in the 1960s and well into the 1970s. In this instructional video, dance instructors Jennifer Comar and Paolo Pasta Lanna share the basic moves for The Madison.
“Shake your shoulders and wiggle your knees.” Another favorite from the 1960s was The Hully Gully.
Here’s a clip of the Olympics performing the song that ultimately inspired the dance.
In 1961, Puerto Rico jazz musician, Ray Barretto, released his hit song “El Watusi.” Future artists picked up the beat and The Watusi developed into a dance that thrived for years to come.
In the following clip, The Lennon Sisters, Norma Zimmer, Larry Hooper and Russ Klein perform Wah Watusi on The Lawrence Welk Show.
Chubby Checker is perhaps best known for his association with the hit song, The Twist.
However, this was one of several dances that he inspired. For example, his hit song Pony Time inspired the iconic dance The Pony.
Here’s a video of Chubby Checker performing Pony Time.
Iconic dance hit, The Hitch Hike, was inspired by Marvin Gaye’s hit with the same name. In the following short video, Marvin Gaye performs Hitch Hike.
In retrospect, the moves from The Swim were rather obvious. You pretty much just need to pretend that you are swimming! Well, simple or not, it was a lot of fun!
Here’s a video of Bobby Freeman performing the hit.
Little Eva was fantastic and this dance was so easy and fun to do! Yes, the words were silly, but, the music was great! I just love the backup dancers in this video! Move over Beyonce!
Did you enjoy this stroll down memory lane? If so, please share this article with your friends. Let’s see if we can lead a revival of some of the best dances ever created!
Which 1960s dances do you remember? Did you dance The Twist, Mashed Potato, Monster Mash, Madison or any of the other songs in this article? Let’s have a chat and take a stroll down memory lane!
How to record a dance on video 💃 in low light
PHOTO
Darkness is not an obstacle
to create a masterpiece.
* Do it like a pro! Creative courses
07/29/2022 | ~4 min.
Want your dance videos to stand out in the feed? Give in to the power of darkness. “Everything looks epic in dramatic low light,” says London-based director RebekahBCreative, an expert in the world of choreography and music videos. In this edition of Do It Like a Pro, Rebecca shows you how to create an amazing dance video using the Galaxy S22 Ultra's night vision features. Turn off the lights and get ready to turn on.
How to film a spectacular dance in low light / @rebekahbcreative
Planning brings perfection
Like dance choreography itself, filming a dance requires preparation. For example, choosing a location. Rebecca says a dark set can be helpful to create a cinematic atmosphere and hide the visual imperfections of a location.
Whether you’re shooting outdoors or in a dimly lit studio, you need to make a detailed list of future shots and determine the camera settings you want (with the S22 Ultra, this is easy to arrange). As for the dance itself, Rebecca recommends getting a feel for the choreography, highlighting and emphasizing the movements that you think look best on screen. It is worth dressing dancers in clothes that are interesting, but not distracting for the audience.
Pro Video Mode
Adjust ISO, aperture, white balance and more to get the perfect shot.
To learn more
Add some mystery with silhouettes
In the first frames of the video, Rebecca is a dancer shrouded in darkness. You can see her outlines and postures, but not her facial features. To get this effect, Rebecca placed one light behind the dancer and then lowered the aperture setting in Pro mode. This way less light enters the frame, but its only source in a dark room becomes more visible.
What is the result? Classic cinematic dancer silhouette. (Super HDR on the S22 Ultra helps too, making bright areas brighter and dark areas darker.)
Play with the light you've brought with you
Shooting a night scene doesn't mean there won't be any light in the frame, it just needs to get creative when working in low light. For example, in Rebecca's video, when the beat hits, the dancers emerge from the darkness, surrounded by columns of light - neons. It turns out an interesting backlight, which at the same time retains the overall feeling of darkness. To make the neon lights "jump" on the screen, Rebecca turned on the ISO in Pro mode. Later, while filming the shadows on the wall, she moved the light source directly in front of the dancers, slowed down the shutter speed and increased the overall contrast. Bonus trick: watch her use puddles on the floor to create a reflection effect.
Aim for movement
and dynamics
Camera movement—like approaching or spinning around dancers—is a great way to make a dance video more interesting.
But Rebecca recommends thinking even more broadly: "It's not just about movement, it's about creating a sense of dynamics." To do this, she often starts with a long shot to set the stage and then zooms in to focus on the dancers. Sometimes she shoots the same dance from different angles, and sometimes the opposite - she uses a tripod to fix the desired shot. The goal is to take different shots that can be edited together to create a dynamic, compelling story.
"Shooting with the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a great way to get shots like a pro - without a huge camera crew."
- RebekahBCreative
Turn your smartphone into an entire film crew
Sometimes a film crew is indispensable, but Rebecca found one big advantage with the Galaxy S22 Ultra: sheer flexibility. “In this video, I used a lot of cuts and angle changes.
With a full-fledged film crew, these things take time.” When it came to editing, Rebecca didn't have to switch to a laptop - she used the built-in features of her smartphone and tied all the shots together. “I love the Pro Video mode and how much control it gives,” she says. “Using the Galaxy S22 Ultra is a great way to get professional footage without a huge camera team.”
Ready to dance in the dark?
Capture every shadow and silhouette with the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
STARRING
RebekahBCreative,
music video directors
* Pro
* Buds Pro
* Buds2
* HDiAr
- A photo
- Video
- Galaxy S
- Night shooting
- low light
See also
90,000 12 life hacks to quickly learn how to dance from Mamita DanceDances
Author: Pavel Gather
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa and Tango
Dances
Author: Pavel
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa and Tango
on At the start, you always want to get a quick result.
When it doesn't happen, the hypothesis arises that everything takes time. After a conditionally acceptable time, humility comes to mastering pair dances, which, perhaps, is not given, and I will just do what I learned at least somehow.
This is the most common story of those who believe that the mere act of attending a pair dance class is enough to learn how to dance.
Absolutely not. If you want to really dance well, you have to make an effort outside of the dance class. A good teacher will definitely be needed, but the initiative should be on your side.
1. Listen to music
The most common and accessible advice that is given already in the first lessons. And it definitely works. Music creates a certain atmosphere of the dance and intuitively you want to move to it. It doesn't matter where you listen to music - in the car, on headphones while walking or doing household chores.
An addition that will help you dance better is your active participation in the music.
Sing along, dance or simply beat musical accents with any free parts of the body. In the subway, for example, it is enough to tap out bright moments with your fingers, in the car to sing along with sounds, and at home you can jump for pleasure.
2. Watch videos of good dancers
It's complicated, but also obvious. It’s more difficult, because without recommendations from more experienced dancers, unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find a good quality video on the net (I mean not the resolution quality, but the content itself).
Meaningful video viewing is about building an understanding of HOW dancers make a particular impression on a partner or viewer. Technology is at the heart of everything. Understanding how the pros do it is a big step forward.
It is important to distinguish a show from a disco dance, a staged performance from an improvisation, a stylized dance from an authentic one, etc. Ask for recommendations and dance teachers will always throw off a couple of videos of worthy landmarks.
Tango Z. Showreel.
Online modern tango courses
Tango nuevo is the most advanced version of tango. We can quickly learn to dance from zero to a steep level.
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3. Dance in salsatecas/milongas/discotheques
A very delicate moment when it is worth coming to the first party. From a technical point of view, most students in 1-3 months have a sufficient set of figures and techniques to come and dance calmly. Psychologically, the same moment can be stretched out for an indefinite time. After all, it is imperative to “not lose face”, “learn more figures” and be sure what to do in case “there is an unfamiliar movement”.
In fact, the partygoers don't really care (except for a small layer of non-professional teachers who want to help inexperienced dancers by treating them as customers in the future). It is important to come and try dancing after a month of classes.
You can only with friends or guys from your group. This will be enough to feel the adrenaline and inspiration from the dance.
4. Dance with partners or partners not of your level
The conventional wisdom that you need to practice in groups of your level does not stand up to the test of experience. Perhaps now your eyes widened in surprise, and you want to meaningfully read the phrase again. Yes, you saw everything correctly: when you dance with a partner of your level, you don’t grow anywhere.
It's important to understand that not only does it work one way and you have to dance with cooler dancers, but it works even more effectively the other way. It is no coincidence that teaching pair dances dramatically raises the level of the teacher himself. You have an endless stream of very beginner dancers.
How it works. A more experienced partner needs to be "stretched". It's easy and obvious. With beginners, you need to take more initiative on yourself, see the general pattern of the dance more widely, turn on and insure more, try to be an example and be more careful.
The quality of interaction begins to grow significantly. And wonderful partners too.
Dancing with partners of your level doesn't make you grow. Dance with both beginners and more advanced dancers
Dominican Bachata Women's Style Online Course
Want to learn how to hypnotize those around you with the most appetizing part of your body? On the course we will tell you all the secrets.
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5. Learn to dance for a partner and for a partner
Turks and Argentines are one of the best partners in the world. In Russia, partners are highly valued. Why? The answer is simple. In Argentina and Turkey, it is not questionable for men to ask another man to lead in one piece or another and give feedback on the quality of the lead. For them, it will be a great shame to hear moralizing from a partner, or even more so to be known in the community as an insecure partner.
In Russia, due to the constant, often far-fetched, opinion that there are more women in pair dances, partners calmly get up and study their partner's part. Such partners then grow into very cool dancers and teachers. In no case do this at parties, only in class. Here we are talking only about the learning strategy. At parties, be yourself.
6. Do not memorize the links
Always try to look deeper and understand the through principle and idea of movement. Understanding what and how is done will make it possible to independently generate any sequences and chips.
Human memory is limited and there will always be a moment when something will escape and your repertoire will be limited by the size of RAM.
In Argentine tango, for example, there are seven levels of movement construction that, when mastered, will allow you to make millions of combinations. And how many dance sequences can you really remember? In rueda, more than 150 figures dance in a rare circle.
It's hard to keep more in mind.
7. Develop your body
Many years of experience in teaching couple dance shows that as soon as everyone pairs up in a class, any progress in individual style ends. But it is the individual style that distinguishes everyone at the disco: partners change, and style is always with you.
The body as the main instrument of dance must be very plastic, responsive and emotional. Surprisingly, not all pair dance schools have a general physical warm-up. It is vital to tune the body and understand how it works.
You can always train extra and concentrate more on the basic steps, as their true value is as body work. The sequence of steps is, in fact, the simplest thing that can be in pair dancing. The quality of individual performance determines the craftsmanship.
8. Try on the images of inspiring dancers
A psychological life hack for those who have already mastered the steps, but still feel that there is not enough brightness and drive.
Most are terribly afraid of being someone else's "clone". Here the action is the same as under the influence of hypnosis - the more you resist, the more you plunge into an altered state of consciousness.
With a high degree of probability, you are already dancing like someone else's "clone". A meaningful fitting of someone else's image is that you mentally take the image of the one who inspires you (inspiration is critical in this case) and "put on" yourself. Then you start dancing and trying to feel in general how it is to be able, for example, to be the best partner or the sexiest partner in a disco. This is much more difficult than it seems. But it works extremely efficiently.
9. Dance to offbeat music
Habitual rhythms keep you tight. Tango salon or speedy timba leaves little room for experimentation and fantasy. Pattern dancing is always noticeable and is reserved for beginners.
The truly new is born outside of the usual.
Look for places to experiment. If there is no place, organize self-training. The main thing is not to get carried away, because music determines the style. We bring something new to pair dances, rather than trying to change them.
Search, improvise, don’t be afraid to go beyond, develop in different directions, be inspired by music atypical for the style
10. Try your hand at basic dance directions
dances exist according to their own non-choreographic laws.
This is the deepest delusion, which has turned into a ceiling for the qualitative development of partner dances. After all, all professional dancers, for example, in salsa or bachata, build their ideas on the basic choreographic principles.
Do not think that choreography is only applicable on stage. Any meaningful movement of the body can be choreographic. In general, try classical or modern choreography. Basically, hip-hop can work too.
11. Look for battle sensations
Pair dances return us to an active position of manifestation of our body. As in the days of our ancient ancestors, we impress the members of the opposite sex by how dexterous, hardy, sexy, etc. we are. Modern laws of the jungle in the entourage of big cities.
If you look around the dance floor, it becomes clear that the majority are clearly herbivores (not in the sense of vegetarians, but in relation to those around them). I am sure that predators are always more interesting in terms of the attractiveness of the image - try to find a counterbalance among herbivores, for example, a cat woman or a lion man.
The conversation is about an internal position, not about aggressiveness. Lability and lack of control are inherent in adolescents, and not in adult self-sufficient people.
Accordingly, even a training or friendly battle gives, on the one hand, practical skills - to make a bright sequence of movements, bring an idea to a climax, show a spectacular feature, on the other hand, develops the psychological basis of the dance - self-confidence, resistance to extraneous attention, self-control and self-control in complex elements.
12. Communicate with professionals
The environment shapes the internal position. Basically, real passionaries of the dance community are ready to openly talk, discuss and support the development of dance in every possible way. Universal principles and the ideas they articulate have a much longer and more practical perspective than meets the eye.
Accept that, for example, behind the words "listen to your partner" is not only a beautiful metaphor, but also a practical skill to literally listen to your partner. At the same time, always treat every thought, even the most respected teacher, as a private opinion.
Your skill will lie in finding the scope of the idea even in conflicting opinions. Most often, the contradiction is speculative and the truth lies in the angle of perception or situationality.
Your dancing growth will stop sooner or later. This can happen at the level of three basic steps or years of experience in teaching and show performances.
