How to do the right stuff dance
How To Not Look AWKWARD When You Dance
Do you feel awkward when you dance??
It’s pretty normal to feel insecure about your dancing.
I mean, it’s your body. Your literal SELF that's being put out there!If you’re that person at the club swaying awkwardly or hanging out by the wall at a school dance…
We’re here to help make you feel more comfortable in your body.
Ready to stop being a wallflower?? Wanna get movin’ and groovin’??!?!
Let’s go!
1. Own your style
If you feel awkward when you dance, then you will look awkward when you dance. And if you keep telling yourself you're awkward, then you will stay awkward.
The first step to overcoming awkwardness is to stop that self-deprecating narrative.
You don’t have two left feet.
You do have rhythm.
You can be a good dancer.
Re-defining your view of yourself is the only way you allow yourself to grow.
And if you're truly convinced that you can't follow a beat or stop tripping over yourself... just take some time to practice those basic foundations!
STEEZY's online "Intro to Dance" program walks you through all of the fundamentals step-by-step, so it's the perfect place to start.
Click here to start the program for free!
2. Find your body’s natural groove
No two people in the world have the exact same bodies, music tastes, dance training, or life experiences. This means that no two people really dance the same.
Everyone dances like themselves. You, included! So find that groove that feels right to you.
When you take class, modify the choreography to fit your body. And when you freestyle, just start with a basic two-step.
That simple left-right, right-left skeleton leaves SO much room for you to build off of.
Feel the way your body reacts to the music...
Let yourself groove out...
3. And COMMIT to it
A lot of the time, dancers will look awkward because they PLAY THEMSELVES!!
That slight hesitation, that SMIDGEN of under-delivery, that look of “oh sh*t” on their faces…
Awkward.
Knowing and committing to yourself is the only way you won’t look awkward when you dance.
4. Loosen up!
Really, an instant fix. Most people look awkward when they dance because they are stiff. And they’re stiff because they aren’t moving.
Don’t lock your knees.
Free your neck to let your head bob.
Shake out your arms.
Relax your core.
You can even do some stretching or pilates to help your muscles get used to that relaxed, loose state!
This pilates class on STEEZY is perfect as it's literally designed to loosen the muscles you use when you dance.
So get LOOSE. No excuses.
5. LISTEN to the music
Maybe you look awkward when you dance because your body isn’t matching the tempo of the music.
Simply aligning the rhythm of your movements to the beat will make your dancing look a lot more put together.
Or, your vibe isn't matching the vibe of the song, making your dancing look off.
Follow Melvin Timtim's advice on this:
6. Have fun
I’ve never watched someone genuinely love what they’re doing and judged them.
Pure fun never looks or feels awkward.
So stop overthinking! Put on a soundtrack to a musical you love and lip sync it all the way through. Blast some dirty rap music in your car and go awff.
Play some sexy bedroom music and serenade your lover. At the end of the day, dance is something that lets you play.
You can be anyone you want, do anything you want, and escape from whatever stresses are plaguing your mind.
Dance is an escape, not another stressor.
So have fun with it :) and looking dope will happen on its own. Being a good dancer or a bad dancer, a dope one or an awkward one...
It depends on what you practice – both mentally and physically. Use these tips to make dancing look and feel like second nature.
You’ll be tearin’ it up on the dance floor in no time.
What are some things that helped you overcome looking awkward when you dance? Comment below and leave a tip!
Classes on STEEZY Studio help you loosen up to move more comfortably.
Take our beginner program to learn the essential grooves to start with!
You Got The Right Stuff: A Survey Of Boy Band Dance Moves
by Jon Blistein and RJ Cubarrubia
The Wanted and One Direction are killing it.
This two-pronged British boy band behemoth has hit the shores of the U.S. hard with myriad magazine covers and morning show appearances — 1D even became the first British group ever to see their debut album hit number one in the United States. They’ve sent Tumblrs and young fans into a tizzy, and set the stage for what could possibly be a veritable boy band revival this summer. But as K-pop expert Jeff Benjamin, and others, have pointed out, something’s off with these two bands: they don’t dance in their videos.
What the hell?! As part of a generation that grew up during the boy band heyday of the late-90s, heralded by Olympians like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC — groups with fierce style and unforgettable dance moves that permeated living rooms and spring breaks everywhere — we find this curious and straight-up tragic. Unable to bear the thought of a world without flying-V formation dance sequences, we surveyed the relatively recent landscape of boy bands to examine the state of choreography in boy bands today.
Our goal wasn’t necessarily to crown a champion, but to see — as you jump from New Kids to *NSYNC to today — to who falls and who gets down.
A TRUNCATED HISTORY OF BOY BAND DANCING
But first, a bit of history. While not always omnipresent, dancing has arguably remained a staple of excellent boy bands since Berry Gordy decided to hire dancer and vaudeville performer extraordinaire Cholly Atkins to teach his top Motown acts a few moves. Atkins’ contributions — even if they were simple synchronized steps — gave live performances by The Temptations, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and The Four Tops an extra bit of oomph and made dance a necessary component of the complete package Motown promised. It set a precedent that carried into the 70s where even boy bands that played instruments like The Osmonds and The Five Jacksons would incorporate dancing into their live sets and TV appearances.
The 80s marked a boy band renaissance of sorts, led by arguably the first modern group, New Edition.
Their dancing — perhaps more than killer hooks and tight harmonies — epitomized the e pluribus unum cohesion necessary for boy band success. Dancing allows for a flawless, cool and effortless coalescence of stylistically unique individuals into a unit mightier than any one boy bander alone. When it all comes together, the whole reigns supreme, but is clearly the sum of its each distinct, outstanding parts (see). The opposite: danceless videos, or sometimes worse, half-assed attempts, that are forgettable, awkward, or plain dull. At the very least, magic’s lost.
And now into the Octagon!
THE SCORING SYSTEM
What follows are videos from both One Direction and The Wanted and ten clips from the past 25 years examined and scored on a fairly subjective, somewhat arbitrary, but wholly authoritative-ish ranking system.
• Theme: Costume, setting, context
• Approximate Percentage Dancing: Equals seconds dancing / total seconds of video) x 100
• Execution: Complexity of moves, technique, how it fits with the music; or since we’re not experts: dopeness, does it make you go “ohhhhh shit”
• Band inclusiveness: Everyone knows who’s best in the group, but all members remain important)
• Intangibles: The things so great/bizarre things you can’t explain, but make the video all the better.
• Overall: We put the Pitchfork-esque hammer down and deliver our final verdict.
Obviously this is far from an exhaustive list (though it’s plenty exhaustive in other ways). With the focus on primarily better-known contemporary groups, we wanted to tip our hats to some forebears, but if we included all of them we might never make it out alive. Notable absences include: 90s British heartthrobs Take That and recent MTV Best Boy Band Champion Westlife (though neither danced that much anyway), Shakespeare scholars LFO, R&B; heroes and pioneers Boyz II MEN, “Making The Band”-ees O-Town, the always hilarious 2ge+her, ostensibly lost exurban scenesters NLT, plus many, many others.
So are One Direction and The Wanted harbingers of a bleak Footloose-ian future boy bands are headed for? As we watched these clips we noticed dancing isn’t totally in peril, but we can’t ignore that the recent resurgence suggests choreography may be on its way out. We sure as hell hope not.
ONE DIRECTION
“What Makes You Beautiful” (2011)
Theme: Back to the beach, or back into last spring’s American Eagle promo video.
% Dancing: 1%
Execution: Thirty-five seconds in is arguably the one move 1D is capable of: The Hammer — and Harry Styles throws down his fist first, thunderous, after a Phil Collins drum leads into the massive chorus. Liam and Louis try to follow suit when the chorus returns, but after a disastrous attempt Styles, Supreme, has to school them on basics. Apparently fucking up The Hammer banishes you to an unknown netherworld somewhere below the dudes in LFO who aren’t Rich Cronin (RIP). Kneel before Mjölnir.
Band Cohesion: Everyone gets some time in the spotlight, but with no dance moves the group’s tertiary members gnaw at the strength of their leaders. The outliers are clear: Niall’s relegated to the nebulous purgatory of pathetic slo-mo glamour shots, and in true little-brother-tagging-along fashion, keeps his shirt on while the group frolicks in the waves (“So you don’t get sunburn,” said Mom).
Then there’s poor Louis, who throws his arm around Harry like an unwanted hype man grasping for residual swag. Even the band’s female friends score more close-ups than Louis. How dare you let extras outshine you.
Intangibles: Harry Styles’ majestic hair swoop wields the grace of a soaring avian coasting the atmospheric currents far beyond the stratosphere.
Score: 3
The track’s a total hit, but the lack of moves seriously highlights the group’s awkward, “X-Factor” bred disjointedness. This is what happens when one of the dudes you choose cowers at the thought of dancing.
THE WANTED
“Glad You Came” (2011)
Theme: Ibiza bender with the boys with decidedly less ecstasy — and even less dancing.
% Dancing: 0.7%
Execution: Despite the song’s dance-friendly Euroclub vibe, these dudes can’t even be bothered to do more than pump fists, lift cups, and grind up on girls — a weakness befitting the song’s embarrassingly suggestive lyrics and uber-limp chorus.
At most Max George manages a single dice roll flick of the wrist equal to about one-eighth of a Harry Styles Hammer.
Band Cohesion: Though not spread evenly, everyone gets to lip-sync and creep on some ladies. As far fostering egalitarianism, it’s a weak attempt, ostensibly founded on the viewers’ inability to distinguish between members in a realm other than their clothes. It’s the minimum needed to unite top dog Max George and bottom feeder/bed-head afficianado Jay McGuiness, but both end up as part of the same blob.
Intangibles: McGuiness going full Kewl Dad BBQ Chic in that Hawaiian shirt.
Score: 0.0
This sucks.
98°
“The Hardest Thing” (1999)
Theme: A Vegas showgirl proves her love to her boxer boyfriend by showing up to fight night and overcoming 98°’s grotesque attempts at dancing.
% Dancing: 5%
Execution: 98° keep barely two moves in their arsenal: a display case hand wave, and a point to imaginary tears with an imaginary handgun.
Terrible. Head bobbing, fist clutching, and excessive kneeling down to the cameras to score face-time doesn’t cut it.
Band Cohesion: Even without dancing, each Degree manages to stand out some in the group shots. Nick Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Nick Lachey’s Turtleneck lead; Drew Lachey tags along with a shred of self-respect left after he doffed that backwards cap; and brochacho Justin Jeffre brings up the rear, looking horrifically awkward and a little too much like Creed drummer Scott Phillips for comfort. Leaving each member to their own devices does keep the ship afloat — till it inevitably collides with the iceberg that is Jeffre’s bleached goatee.
Intangibles: Who wore it better?
Score: 1
98°’s slow jam roots may not be totally conducive to choreography, but if you’re going to pull any moves at all, at least try.
BACKSTREET BOYS
“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” (1998 U.S. release)
Theme: Backstreet’s tryna get back but their bus broke down (for the second time!) in front of a haunted house! During the night, possessed by El Espirito, each are sentenced to a hellish dream world where they’re doomed to live out eternity as specifically un-specific horror movie stock characters.
% Dancing: 43%
Execution: A good chunk of the moves in the solo shots are plain corny, most garish, Nick Carter’s mummified lurches; but Howie Dorough conjures some charismatic, vampiric rocks and twists, and AJ McLean makes the most of the mini-crew he grooves with in his Phantom of the Opera shots. The ballroom sequence offers spirited choreography, but the movements can look jerky and goofy, like the inevitable “Cha Cha Slide” at a wedding.
Band Cohesion: BSB may have been the most even-keel boy band of the 90s. Howie and Kevin were obvious side guys, but alpha dog contenders AJ, Brian, and Nick don’t seem that far away as none had that super star oomph to push them into Timberlake-levels — or even Chasez-tiers. Brian never added serious pop pedigree to his pretty boy image, and while Nick seemed to assume the top spot sometimes, maybe he — plus The Shaq Conqueror and the rest of that wackadoo family — just got the most exposure.
Watching the clip now, it looks like we might’ve all done goof’d and failed to hop on the AJ Express To Superstardom, which gives the chorus its quintessential cock-sure sneer and holds down the fort with assured moves.
Intangibles: Shoutout to Nick Carter’s Hardy Nickerson jersey. Go, Bucs.
Score: 7.27
Solid dancers all around, BSB usually threw something into the mix, even a AAA mid-tempo ballad like “As Long As You Love Me.” They were an impressive group responsible for some monster bangers that still hold up, but without a member with that killer instinct, the BSB aura lacks something special.
BIG TIME RUSH
“Boyfriend” (2011)
Theme: Snoop Dogg is hosting a super sweet 128th and needs the sickest group in civilization to take his unprecedented party to the “next level.” So out of everyone ever in the history of mankind, he gets Big Time Rush, the four chillest bros since the birth of music to headline his bash.
The future is TRON-grade CGI (Sponsored by Red Bull).
% Dancing: 32%
Execution: Big Time Rush hails from the hyper-literal school of group dance, the kind taught in kinder-gyms across the country: A heavenward arm swoop to finger point while singing “I see that” or dropping down to the ground at “knock me down.” For flavor they add primitive forearm rolls, rudimentary hand shuffles, and their signature butter churns, all performed with over-exaggerated exertion that’s barely charming in junior high musical theater. Miserable. Hardly funny 15 views later.
Band Cohesion: BTR are so unremarkable they easily blend into each other, even with a pretty clear, but simple hierarchy, like what you’d find on — well, duh — a kid’s sitcom. Save for a few steps, none of these guys dance in their solo shots, just as a group; and as bogus as it is, it keeps your attention and Big Time Rush from falling apart.
Intangibles: Calvin Broadus can apparently travel through computer networks like a hologram or avatar, yet manifest in a physical form instantly without stress or concern.
This ability seems to make him ageless, perhaps immortal. Plus, he can journey across the space-time continuum with enough power to effortlessly bring others safely through the event horizon. Snoop Dogg is beyond The Singularity. That 2Pac Coachella shit was only the beginning.
Score: 3.33
The absurd theme alone warrants a look, but BTR lack so much charisma they had to give Snoop two verses and a heavy visual presence to carry the video.
DREAM STREET
“It Happens Every Time” (2000)
Theme: Inception-level mindfucks in a Windows 98-washed world.
% Dancing: 63%
Execution: Though not throwing out the most inspired moves, Dream Street manage to get funky in that suburbanized hip-hop circa Y2K kinda way. With great attention to detail, the group remains solidly in sync during each messy shoulder shimmy, fierce head snap, or loose hip shakes; it’s all balanced with decent quick steps during the brief solo cuts, like Chris Trousdale’s Hulkish spin ‘n STOMP a minute in.
Too bad their signature cross-armed jump punches look like something that starts a playground gangfight.
Band Cohesion: But damn do those big group dance sequences give the video a shot of luster. Sure it’s mostly variations on the same jelly-legged pop n glide, but all five nail it with competent coolness. Young Jesse McCartney and Greg Raposo (the tank-topped wonder) are front and center, but those passable dancing chops allow future frosted-tips aficionado Chris, rapscallion Matt Ballinger, and auxiliary bro and back-up muscle Frankie Galasso to shine.
Intangibles: The gross failure to depict innocent puppy love, offering instead creepy shots of tweens trolling for ass on the streets or in a field filled with pigeons and shit.
Score: 6.75491
They may lack the raw steez to take home any sort of crown, but Dream Street’s output is still commendable and keeps the group from crumbling. It can be goofy as hell, but at least there’s heart.
JLS
“She Makes Me Wanna” (2011)
Theme: It’s The Wanted video on an immensely smaller budget, but with at least slightly more dancing.
% Dancing: 33%
Execution: JLS really only dance as a group, and those sequences are chopped up mercilessly — just one or two quick moves per shot before jumping to a different angle and side-step. This fractured style reveals a pretty pathetic attempt to manufacture choreographic continuity; and the cuts move so fast between one another it makes it impossible for anything to resonate. Looks like someone’s covering their asses for not knowing how to link successive steps.
Band Cohesion: Top billing is split between Country Club Vice-Treasurer Aston Merrygold, Marvin Humes, and unfortunately for everyone, guest whisperer Dev. But as unimpressive as those dance sequences are, they allot back-up members Oritsé Williams and JB Gill some crucial facetime while doing something at least slightly productive — even if it is just Free-Willying atop some rocks.
Not even swaths of neon clothes can save JLS from their incredible blandness; at least they’re bland together.
Intangibles: What a dick move.
Score: 4.4
The sub-sub par moves give JLS some life, but Mr. Fusion ain’t around to turn their monotonous garbage into plutonium to get the flux capacitor… fluxing.
Next: Six more boy bands and awards!
FIVE
“When The Lights Go Out” (1998)
Theme: Bowling alleys are horrific cesspools overrun by disease: 14-pound balls of fingered plague, fungus-filled clown shoes, unsupervised teenagers, depressing quarter beer nights, and family fun.
% Dancing: 25%
Execution: Five’s idea of dancing is non-stop flexing and staredowns with a few crossover steps into twirls thrown in for good measure. The aggressive and excessively forward posturing to the camera combined with some startlingly rape-y lyrics (“Babe, I swear you will succumb to me”) is beyond head-slappingly tiresome.
Band Cohesion: The modicum of elementary level twists and turns does unite Five and reveal a rudimentary boy-band power structure, but choosing to mean mug instead of throw down means the group’s strength hinges on the creepy, unsteady foundation of mall-grade headshots. Some members, like frontman Abs Breen (who now goes by the unforgivable Abz Love) and sensitive, turtle-necked Marine Corp. Private Sean Conlon manage half-decently with their overexposure, but you’re also left with the meandering of Jason “J” Brown and Richie Neville’s over-committed pleading. Thrusting a bunch of bozos into the shit without proper artillery has never ended well.
Intangibles: Ritchie Neville’s center hair part with Grand Canyon-levels of fivehead surface area and grandeur. (Though he can’t touch the GOAT, Sir Nickolas Gene Carter.)
Score: 4
Five lack dance skill and good taste, but they manage to scrounge up something resembling choreography.
It’s barely better than nothing.
MINDLESS BEHAVIOR
“My Girl” (2010)
Theme: “We are cool.”
% Dancing: 65%
Execution: Slick shuffles, tight pop n locks, deep choo-choo train pelvic thrusts, flawless synchronization, and a bonafide dance breakdown: That sweet-tooth synth beat from Boi-1da — the chorus topped off with sublime bleepy bloops like freakin maraschino cherries — demands dope moves and everyone in MB delivers. Official head dancer Ray Ray shines brightest, fronting most of the group sequences and ripping up the dance tunnel with electric charm — those vicious braids whipping around like clackers — but his cohorts follow with talent and poise.
Band Cohesion: Mindless Behavior define explicit roles for its members — instead of relying on an implicit pecking order — to maintain balance. They don’t pretend everyone can belt or that they’re all superb dancers, but with lots of group sequences and plenty of individual screen time, they coalesce into, well, a band.
Prodigy: vocals and rhythm guitar; Ray Ray: lead guitar; Princeton: bass; Roc Royal: drums.
Intangibles: What God-forsaken Interscope intern had to deal with the fan text fallout from the video solicitation?
Score: 8.8
“My Girl” is two years old, but little has changed since. With tons of ill moves Mindless Behavior easily stand as one of the most cohesive and enjoyable boy bands these days. Twenty views later and Princeton’s transcendent, I-believe-I-can-fly point to the sky at the line “I hit you with the question maaarrrkk” still sends us into loving hysterics.
*NSYNC
“I Want You Back” (1998 U.S. release)
Theme: JustiN & The *Syncs are stranded at Fort Space Cadet Pinball; their only hopes for survival: the camaraderie of each other (at least until things turn Donner) and the eternal hope that their girlfriend might take (all of?) them back.
% Dancing: 74%
Execution: *NSYNC did not come to fuck around.
Big, aggressive moves begin 17 seconds in and they never look back, for better (the simple, yet effective group pulsing) or for worse (Monkeys-in-a-Barrel arm wobbles). The choreography isn’t timeless (unlike these ones, obviously, but the whole group exudes talent: Justin fronts the outfit, but everyone carries their weight — Joey Fatone especially making his presence known with a slightly gawky, but no less brass-balled, jump to the cornerstone of the dance pyramid. Despite 2 many lulz at timez, *NSYNC dance with a boiling over fervor that can’t be ignored. It’s a quality that served them well as their chops improved.
Band Cohesion: “I Want You Back” was *NSYNC’s first video, and instantly the demigod Justin Timberlake establishes himself as the band’s leader. Retrospect tells us duh, but JT’s unstoppable, evergreen presence up front doesn’t mean the others aren’t included. Justin sets an elite standard within the group, and the rest are forced to up their game to meet that high grade, making *NSYNC a truly formidable force.
Intangibles: Well, this just got morbid…
Score: 9.0
The paradigm of 90s U.S. boy bands, *NSYNC fused impressive group choreography with pantheonic pop to form a strong, impressive, and undeniably unique dynamic. Though their structure did somewhat resemble Backstreet Boys’, Timberlake’s Timberlake-ness elevated them to legendary levels.
NEW EDITION
“Candy Girl” (1983)
Theme: Hey girls, come boogie at the malt shop with Ralph, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike!
% Dancing: 68%
Execution: Nothing awes, but New Edition’s non-stop grooving keep things funky alongside that canonic, flatulent synth groove. The group’s beginner status reveals itself a glass-eyed, open mouthed Ricky Bell here and a gasping-trout shuffle from Ronnie DeVoe there; but for the most part, Ralph Tresvant commodores with elastic ease a group bursting with young talent.
Band Cohesion: For much of the video, Ralph plays point in most of its group shots, but all of New Edition find ways to make themselves known.
The epic and definitive rundown of the boys while they flaunt their sweethearts over milkshakes says it all: We bros.
Intangibles: Bobby’s fly few chainz and Cosby sweater combo.
Score: 7.4
New Edition were a crucial step in the evolution of the modern boy band with their primary focus on vocals and dancing. A few flubs aside, the spot-on moves keep this video timeless.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
“You Got It (The Right Stuff” (1988)
Theme: Rollin’ with the homies and the girlfriends.
% Dancing: 50%
Execution: Donnie Wahlberg’s initial broke-ass shuffle promises cornball choreography, and indeed the New Kids deliver heaps of unimpressive footwork that bottoms out with the hyuck-hyuck hoedown sideways kicks, recycled an idiotic three times. Despite the thick layer of cheese, New Kids show a modicum of chops, particularly excelling at stop-on-a-dime freezes that add a smidge of spice.
But these moves are proto-everything.
Band Cohesion: This video is, basically, a solo vehicle for Jordan Knight, with everyone else more or less offering generic back up moves and moral support. It’s like the “Hangin’ Tough” video, but instead of Jordan, Donnie Wahlberg hogs the spotlight and hoards nearly all the vocals. Placing one member above the rest of the crew — even if that top dog does change — makes unification nearly impossible.
Intangibles: Playing hide-and-seek in a cemetery with your girlfriend is the type of shit that scores you a lifetime haunting.
Score: 2.75
We don’t want to disrespect pioneers, but this just hasn’t aged well. Some moves still look slick but most are anachronistic and downright silly.
SHINee
“Lucifer” (2010)
Theme: A bitter, vulnerable love song with an English-translated chorus of “Your spell is The Lucifer,” the theme is unclear other than let’s throw together crazy glam rock/goth punk/Euroclub fashion, cutting edge haircuts, some expensive cars, and fucking awesome choreography.
% Dancing: 75%
Execution: SHINee’s embrace of K-Pop maximalism extends beyond their wall of synth beats to the dancefloor with a style that’s part hip-hop robotics, graced with heaps of cut rug fluidity that drips confidence. In the solo swag swag swag shots all five members stake sizeable claims, throwing down some one-off feats of fancy footwork and mugging so cool it may as well be dancing. Head dancer and red-pants enthusiast Taemin rightly takes lead when the group convenes, but Onew, Key, Jong Hyu, and Minhu are all so talented you can’t even call them back-up. Check out their Tutting or hand chops (complete with kitana sound effects!) or absolutely killer assemblage into a line that sprouts arms like Vishnu. Amidst quick scenery cuts, the dancing never fractures (like the inversion of their ducks-fly-together formation) cause these guys can absolutely do the same routine twice sans a single loose strand of hair. Does it make you say, “Ohhh shitt”? Yeah.
Band Cohesion: Everyone in SHINee has a defined role creating an ostensible hierarchy of sorts: Onew (the guy doing the anguished lunges in the room of mirrors) is purported to be the group’s leader, but this video makes it seem that any member could front a boy band or take on a solo career. Combined with a monster track, the excellent dancing creates a wholly unified boy band, integrating five individuals, each bursting with charisma, to spawn something even more powerful and astounding. When their choreography hits its enrapturing apex, the group is individually idiosyncratic yet synced like a Swiss watch.
Intangibles: See: 0:00–3:58
Score: 10.0
This good.
Well, there you have it: Twelve boy bands enter, all are over-analyzed. Thankfully, there seems to be some evidence of current choreographically, and it’s pretty good. We’re not holding our breath for 1D- or Wanted-led dance dance revolution — that’s what SHINee is for, and hopefully a group or two in the next crop of boy bands too.
And since we’re as irrelevant as the Grammy’s, how about some awards?
Most Awkward Boy Bander: Justin Jeffre, 98°
Worst Dance Move:The New Kids Ho-Down
Best Dance Move: SHINee’s Vishnu (presented here in its rawest form for maximum “ohhh shit”’s)
Best Overall Performance: SHINee, “Lucifer”
Critics’ Choice: Mindless Behavior, “My Girl”
Related: Who Is The Greatest Diva Of The Last 25 Years? We Offer Scientific Proof! and The Definitive List Of White Music Stolen By Black People
Jon Blistein and RJ Cubarrubia spend their days typing stuff for RollingStone.com and have also keyboarded for places like Billboard, The L Magazine, Impose and Nerve.com.
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 Pavel
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa
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 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.
| View details |
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 withstand 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.
| Interesting |
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 leave 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 large 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.
Regardless of your level, the suggested 12 life hacks can get you off the ground and greatly accelerate your dance growth. There is no way here without your motivation and activity. Take your dance development into your own hands. 9Ol000 Dangerous sexuality
Salsa: destroyers of stereotypes
Couple dancing as a source of strength.
Self-destruction of the couple dance community
The Salsa series as a mirror of the community
Mamita Fridays: salsa, bachata
Destroying the myths about leading pair dances
Does dancing make us better?
The seven deadly sins of teachers
Why we will never dance bachata like the Dominicans
Why tango?
Dispute over musicality
Selection of dances according to alcohol preferences
Where to find inspiration for dancing?
Terrible tango nuevo
Distribution of roles in a salsa party
Argentinean tango through the eyes of a salsa dancer
Is there a predisposition to dancing?
Which is more effective: individual or group lessons?
Sexual connotations in partner dancing
7 tips for those who want to learn how to dance
September 9, 2020 Reno5 Life
Dancing is a great way to make friends with your body and gain self-confidence.
And yes, they can be mastered at any age.
1. Choose your style
The idea here is the same as for sports: if you secretly hate yoga or iron exercises, you are unlikely to go to workouts week after week. To achieve noticeable progress in dancing, a beginner will have to practice a lot and regularly, so it’s better not to torture yourself and choose a direction that really ignites.
You can focus on the music that you like - you need to catch the drive from movements to it. It is music that forms the style of dance and its energy, so decide what is closer to you: for example, funk lovers should try popping or locking, folk fans may like Irish dancing, and if you respect jazz, swing and everything like that, take a closer look at lindy hop.
Another criterion is the nature of the movements. Some are closer to dynamic, as in hip-hop, others are smooth and sensual - for this in tango. There are also health restrictions to consider. So, twerk is not suitable if there are problems with the lumbar spine, with sore knees it is better not to get involved in shuffle, and it will be difficult for an aged person to master house.
2. Set a goal
Photo: Iakov Filimonov / ShutterstockYou can start dancing at any age, but it's important to keep in mind why you started it in the first place. It is perhaps too bold to expect that in half a year of classes it will be possible to reach the level of international dance championships from scratch. But if you want to try dancing in order to develop plasticity and learn to feel the body better, great, go ahead.
Don't expect to get it right the first time. When you learn from scratch, difficulties are absolutely normal, the main thing is not to score in classes. Over time, both the correct posture and a beautiful gait will be developed, and as a bonus you will also get self-confidence - with freedom of movement, freedom from complexes will come.
3. Don't give up on sports
Some dances in themselves make for a good workout. A vigorous shuffle will replace cardio, and a break can give a load to almost all muscle groups. And yet, without preparation, it will not be easy.
A more or less good stretch is needed in any type of dance, and, for example, strong arms and strong abdominal and back muscles are also useful for pole dancing. You can combine dancing with strength exercises, but you need to give the body time to recover and not plan classes in a row, but allocate at least a day of rest between them.
And don't forget to warm up before dancing. So that the training does not end with an injury, the muscles and joints need to be prepared for the load. You can allocate 10–15 minutes for a warm-up, it should include simple articular gymnastics (at least elementary rotational movements of the shoulders and knees), tilts and dynamic stretching.
4. Take some lessons from a trainer
Especially if you have never danced before. Those with experience can learn new styles at home with video tutorials, but that's because they already know how to control their bodies. Beginners are unlikely to succeed, but disappointment in themselves and demotivation are guaranteed - if you can’t repeat elementary movements, then there’s no point in doing it.
Nothing really strange here. Without preparation, it is difficult to just take it and start moving freely. At least the basic elements are better to master under the guidance of a pro, and when you feel that you are coping, supplement these lessons with home workouts.
5. Learn something new in every class
When you repeat the same set of exercises and movements over and over again, classes turn into a good way to pass your free time, only you can forget about progress. Acquaintance with new elements is the same mandatory part of any workout as a warm-up. It doesn't matter if you work with a mentor or on your own.
Do not immediately try to copy cool dancers. First, study the basic movements, then try to combine them into bundles until you hone them to automatism, and then experiment and improvise, creating something new based on familiar elements.
6. Record yourself on video
You don't need to record the whole workout from the warm-up on, it's enough to record only those moments with which you have problems.
These can be separate movements or bundles that are not given in any way. Review the video and, if possible, objectively assess what is wrong: perhaps there are technical problems that are difficult to notice in the process. When you understand what's wrong, try to repeat the movement and record it on video again - and so on until you achieve a good result.
This approach will help you find errors and track progress. You can not even limit yourself to memorized ligaments, but improvise - then see how it looks from the outside.
7. Find like-minded people
Photo: Iakov Filimonov / ShutterstockIf you need an extra reason not to miss classes, then meeting new people can be a good motivation. It is easier here for those who train in a group. Often the dance school becomes the center of a close-knit community, where people come not only for the sake of classes, but also just to spend time together at dance parties.
Finally, the more partners around, the more experience.
Do not limit yourself to dancers of your level of training and practice with those who are stronger or weaker than you. In the first case, you will be able to improve your skills, and in the second, you will try yourself as a coach - this, by the way, is a good way to learn to take more initiative and understand the very principle of movement in dance, and not just memorize the alternation of chords.
Stay fit and connected with the OPPO Watch. They have two powerful processors, a bright AMOLED display, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC modules. And more than 90 training modes, including those designed specifically for ORRO. Work out cooler with music, you can listen to it in streaming services or download tracks to the memory of your watch.
If you want to enjoy clear sound, the OPPO ENCO W31 Wireless Headphones are for you. Two-level noise reduction system, easy operation and stable connection will make listening to music and talking on the phone as comfortable as possible.
