How to throw it back dance
10 TikTok Dances to Learn
10 TikTok Dances to LearnSubscribeGive A Gift
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Photo: @sofiawylie, @addisonre, @zoifishh/TikTok
If social distancing has finally inspired you to download TikTok, the social-media app dominated by Gen Z, congratulations! Welcome. It’s time for you to learn some TikTok dances.
Just as the currency of early Instagram was photos of latte art, the currency of TikTok right now is 15 to 30 second dances. The pros — in this case, teen or 20-something dancers — make up choreography, and sometimes it catches on, inspiring other people to upload their own versions. It’s like the macarena, or Soulja Boy, but harder and made for your viewing pleasure. Even Hailey and Justin Bieber are doing them.
The dances were inescapable on my feed, but until recently, I hadn’t tried them. I’m not a great dancer; my experience is limited to a high-school production of Grease. But I am a big fan of endorphins, so I’ve gone down the rabbit hole and learned many whole TikTok dances including Renegade, Cannibal, Say So, Hit Every Beat, Hey Boy, and Rule the World. If those words mean nothing to you, take a deep breath, get into something comfy, and check out the ten dances below, ranked from easiest to borderline impossible.
A quick note on the medium: Audio is central to TikTok.
Instead of passing around photos or jpeg formats, the sounds get used over and over. The word “sound” can be used to describe a song, a clip from a TV show, any audible component. It’s also the easiest way to find the dances — click on the sound used in the video. Some dances are scored to actual clips from songs, such as the hugely popular Doja Cat “Say So” dance, and others use more obscure remixes. A song that came out in 2010, Kesha’s “Cannibal,” is currently the soundtrack to one of the most popular dances. It’s not common for the dances to have names, so for the purpose of this list, I’ve called them by the song they’re scored to, or an official name if there is one.
This is easy if and only if you already know the macarena, which, if you’re reading this article, you probably do. It’s a good one to warm up with. Think of it as the equivalent of a child’s pose at the beginning of vinyasa class.
Do the macarena twice as fast, pretend to drum a few times, then hit the “woah.” The “woah” is probably the most important TikTok dance move. Move your left arm down at a diagonal and move your right arm up, parallel to the left. Pulse. Confusingly, there are some other versions of the “woah,” most commonly a kind of “turning a car wheel” motion, but those are not the proper “woah” to do in this context.
If Laura Dern can do this one, so can you. It’s short, sweet, and requires a lot of attitude. I learned it after drinking two glasses of wine, but that’s not necessary. The key moves are the body roll and the punch, which you’ll find in a lot of TikTok dances. I put on a tutorial and dedicated five minutes to getting the basic moves down.
Now, my muscle memory has kicked in well enough that I can add my own flair. That’s another key to TikTok dancing: add your own flair. This is your time to shine! Doja Cat liked this dance so much she put the creator Haley Sharpe, or @yodelinghaley, in the music video.
One of the baffling things about TikTok is that so many people seem to get their partners to join in on TikTok videos. This dance is a good example. The moves pretty much correspond to the lyrics — the last word of the song is “baby” so you make a rocking motion. The first couple in the above compilation is composed of TikTok’s reigning dance king and queen, Chase Hudson and Charli D’Amelio. Learn from the pros.
If you’re on TikTok long enough, you’re gonna hear this song used for lots of videos, not just dancing.
As far as I can tell, it’s a remix that originated on YouTube. There is a deeply funny tutorial of this dance here. My weakness, I’ve learned, is that I have a hard time getting my lower body to do anything while my upper body is reciting dance moves. But it’s crucial. The dance moves will only take you about 20 minutes to get down, but perfect execution takes more practice. Annoying, I know—- but at least we have lots of time on our hands.
I have wanted to learn this dance since I first saw it. My first attempt was after a night out and a video of me practicing was subsequently sent to my friends. Embarrassing, I know, but it’s an occupational hazard when you decide to commit to TikTok dancing. This has two extremely fun dance moves — the heart shape pulsing in the middle and the opening “I’ll eat you up” hand gesture. Everything else is filler.
@ya.girl.bri.bri97 is credited with coming up with the choreography, and posted a tutorial here.
Okay, we’ve arrived at the Renegade. It’s undoubtedly the most popular dance on TikTok, maybe in the world right now. I saw someone do this in church over Christmas. But despite its popularity, it’s kind of a hard dance. It’s best to use a tutorial for this one. I think the first half is more challenging: The combination of the woah, clap, figure eight, and wave is a lot for my arms to take in. But once you have it down, it’s satisfying and you’ll find yourself doing it at any given opportunity, just to brag.
If you’re actually a dancer or looking for a challenge, check out the original Renegade. It was created by 14-year-old Jalaiah Harmon on the app Funimate.
It migrated to TikTok and as it proliferated, it got a bit easier. Here’s the original:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Jalaiah S. Harmon❤️🔥 (@jalaiah)
Another dance where the lyrics and the moves pretty much correlate. But in this one, you have to throw it back — a central move in the TikTok oeuvre. Your torso does a body roll while your leg kicks back. You’re throwing “it” back, and “it” is your butt. I don’t want to look at myself “throwing it back” so I haven’t recorded any videos of this one. But I do like the casual, cocky, ending hand motion. @Talialevinger posted this dance first in October with the caption “made up a dance!” And yes, this is another Doja Cat song.
She comes up a lot on TikTok.
@Zoifishh posted this dance in early February and the sound has been used in 3.7 million videos (not all of them are dancing, but many of them are). Blessedly, she also recorded a tutorial at half speed. Honestly, it feels like it’s at full speed. There are a lot of body rolls and hair flips in this one. The pout and chest bumps at the end, along with the victorious swaying, is a well-earned treat after a rapid ten seconds. And it really shows that a big part of TikTok dancing is being able to keep a beat and sway/dance through whatever your arms are doing. The dance moves are mostly your arms, but proper execution includes engaging your whole body. Which, for the uncoordinated, is daunting.
This is the one I spent an hour learning last night.
It moves so quickly — it leaves me winded half of the time. The moves are all high energy — punch the air, flick off the sweat, and finish it with a pose at the end. The dance’s creator, Ciara aka @ceceiswoke, made a tutorial at half speed, but even that is faster than I, for one, am used to. Block out the hour you would have spent at the gym and go for it.
You can really only do this if you can do a split. And if you can do a split, you probably don’t need help learning TikTok dances. But maybe that’s something the rest of us can work on while social distancing — getting a perfect split.
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10 TikTok Dances to Learn at Home
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Best TikTok Dances of 2020 So Far
During this socially distanced and extremely online time, TikTok has emerged as the uncontested social media platform of the moment—and thus TikTok dance challenges, long the domain of Gen Z, have become omnipresent on the Internet at large.
The formula for creating one of these entertaining clips is deceptively simple: about 15 seconds of fast choreography (short and tight moves are preferred to fit the app’s vertical frame), set to a song’s catchiest snippet. Pair the right shimmies and gestures with an earworm of a music clip and you could find yourself being mimicked by millions of other TikTok users who are eager to learn a new dance routine—or just trying to get some movement in while staying home.
But the power of a trending dance extends beyond the views of a viral video; this year so far, TikTok dance challenges were responsible for securing top chart spots for artists like Drake, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion, whose songs provided the addictive soundtracks for these dance trends. For Drake, no stranger to the potential of a viral challenge, having the “Toosie Slide” hit #1 on the Billboard Top 100 appeared to be a clever feat of reverse engineering, thanks to his instructive lyrics that were perfect for a soundbite, and the “leak” of a hip hop dancer-slash-influencer performing choreography to it.
The dance challenge began before the song had even dropped.
Other artists have acknowledged the power of the TikTok dance as well; Doja Cat included Haley Sharpe, the TikTok user who created the viral choreography to her song “Say So,” in the official music video for the track, while Cardi B has vowed to learn the choreography to the dance challenge that choreographer Brian Esperon debuted on TikTok to her song “WAP” with Megan Thee Stallion. (Since the song released two weeks ago, “WAP” has been used as the audio for just under 200,000 videos on the app, while the hashtag #WAPdance has amassed over 2.7 million views.)
So, while the Trump Administration has issued executive orders that some fear could lead to the app getting banned in the United States, it appears that for now the TikTok dance challenge is here to stay. From the Renegade to the WAP challenge, here are the best TikTok dances of the year and how they took over the Internet.
The Renegade with “Lottery (Renegade)” by K Camp
Consider the Renegade the dance routine that introduced TikTok dances to the mainstream.
The New York Times reported in February that the wildly popular version of the dance that was circulating on TikTok was taken, without credit, from a 14-year-old dancer named Jalaiah Harmon, who had posted the original and more complex routine on an app called Funimate. The dance’s viral popularity brought issues with crediting and influencer culture—especially when it comes to taking (and benefiting from) content made by Black creators—to the forefront of Internet discussion.
“Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd
The Weeknd’s ’80s-flavored hit “Blinding Lights” inspired TikTok user @gregdahl7 to create a challenge in its name, which involves a group of people dancing with sweeping arm movements. Unlike other TikTok challenges, this one tends to involve more space and movement, as it begins with a run into the frame and ends with a jump.
“WAP” by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion
While there are multiple dances that have been choreographed for Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s late-summer hit “WAP,” the routine that begins with a high kick, twerking and falling into the splits—created by choreographer Brian Esperon—is the one that’s Cardi-approved and has found fans among influencers like Dance Moms star Nia Sioux.
“Tap In” by Saweetie
TikTok user Lesley Gonzalez is credited with creating the choreography for the “Tap In” dance, which begins with a literal interpretation of the song’s title. The dancer first “taps” the air like a phone screen, then launches into a series of flashy upper-body dance moves and body rolls.
“Say So” by Doja Cat
When 17-year-old Haley Sharpe created this quick routine filled with arm rolls and punches in her bathroom, she helped to catapult Doja Cat’s song “Say So” to both TikTok fame and the top of the charts.
Sharpe’s influence didn’t go unacknowledged either; Doja had the teenager appear in the ’70s-themed official music video for the song, where Sharpe performed the routine while roller skating at a disco rink.
“3 Musketeers” by ppcocaine ft. NextYoungin
According to New York Magazine, the body roll-heavy dance routine that’s become synonymous with ppcocaine’s song “3 Musketeers” was created by TikTok user @colo.cag. The choreography is punctuated with lots of chest pops and hip thrusts, which makes it a great match for the energetic, if chipmunk-esque, vocals from ppcocaine (formerly known as trapbunniebubbles).
Savage Challenge with “Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion
When Megan Thee Stallion dropped her EP SUGA in March, her song “Savage” became a hit on the Internet, where fans particularly loved the hook that described Meg as “classy, bougie, ratchet.” TikTok user Keara Wilson created a dance routine with demonstrative movements for each of those descriptors that was so captivating that Meg not only reposted Wilson’s video, but also uploaded a video of herself doing the choreography.
“Cannibal” by Kesha
Kesha’s old music—party anthems ripe with hyperbole and debauchery—make for TikTok gold: since the dances that trend on the app do well with literal interpretations, the more dramatic the lyrics, the better. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that Kesha’s song “Cannibal” has become a viral hit on TikTok nearly a decade after its release. The routine created by user Briana Hantsch features a dance move of pretending to eat alongside the line “I’ll eat you up,” and became so popular online that Kesha herself released a video of herself doing the dance online, alongside TikTok super-influencer Charli D’Amelio.
“Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)” by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo
Singer and burgeoning TikTok influencer Jason Derulo has made no secret of his love for the app, using it to boost the release of his song “Savage Love” in June and using TikTok videos of influencers and celebrities dancing to the track as the official music video.
The release did came with some controversy, however; Derulo was called out for using Joshua Styla’s “siren jam” beat (which had found popularity on TikTok earlier) in a sneak-peek snippet, without crediting him or clearing its use. Styla, a Polynesian 17-year-old living in New Zealand, had created the beat to pay homage to his Samoan and Cook Island heritage; while Styla later received song credit, according to Variety, he was in the middle of label discussions and conversations about artists he might collaborate with (including Derulo), when Derulo leaked the song.
Do I Have Your Attention Challenge with “Attention” by Todrick Hall
This dance challenge is for the flexible among us; started by user Alejandro Santos, it consists of gymnastics-inspired moves, with many people hitting feats like kicks, splits and back handsprings to the high energy of Todrick Hall’s track “Attention.
”
“Vibe (If I Back It Up)” by Cookiee Kawaii
As far as dance routines go, this might be one of easiest ones to hit TikTok. Users can basically freestyle “throwing it back” as they see fit, as long as movements coincide with the quirky sound effects (a whip crack and sea gulls squawking) in the Cookiee Kawaii track.
“Supalonely” by BENEE ft. Gus Dapperton
The “Supalonely” dance, created by user Zoi Lerma, is a study in telling a narrative through dance. Consisting of mostly sweeping upper-body moves, the choreography mimes actions like “drinking” and “thinking” to match BENEE’s lyrics about feeling, well, “super lonely.”
“Get Loose” by Huncho Da Rockstar & KBlast
The “Get Loose” dance challenge was inspired by the TisaKorean music video for the song of the same name by Huncho Da Rockstar and KBlast.
In the video, the artists stand in a triangle formation, stepping forward and back as they twirl one of their arms, before jumping in unison. According to Business Insider, the dance challenge on TikTok started after user Taydon Smith recreated the dance in a video on the app, staggering his movements with his friends.
“Why Is Everything Chrome (Lean Swag Rock Wit It)” by King Critical
The dance created to accompany a clip from King Critical’s song “Why Is Everything Chrome?” has become one of the most popular routines on the app, with even Justin and Hailey Bieber giving it a try. The moves are drawn fairly directly from the lyrics, relying on the interpolation of “Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It” along with some well-placed hip sways.
Ahi Challenge and TraChallenge2 with “Tra Tra” by Nfisis
According to Oprah Magazine, the original “Ahi” challenge was created by TikTok user @elrodcontreras, who choreographed a simple routine in which users sway their hips and raise their hands to the beat of the song “Tra Tra” by Nfisis.
A later challenge, called the “Tra Challenge 2” kept most of the same movements and the same music.
Hit Every Beat challenge with “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer
This TikTok dance, created by user Thaddeus William-Coates, is a riff on the Macarena, set to a remix of MC Hammer’s classic track, “U Can’t Touch This.” Simply align your Macarena movements to the beats that follow Hammer saying “can’t touch this,” before adding a drumming motion and the “woah” at the end.
Write to Cady Lang at [email protected].
How does dance make us smarter and happier?
All people can dance. You cannot erase the genetic memory - dance appeared before writing, back in the Stone Age, and since then has remained the universal language of mankind. Increasingly, studies show a direct connection between the body and the psyche, and the number of studios, troupes, genres and audiences around the world - about a keen interest and perception of dance.
On International Dance Day, we decided to explain why life is so much better when you come to a party, practice or performance. And together with the Grishko brand and the soloists of the National Opera of Ukraine, show the beauty of the movement.
Yes, everyone can dance and understand dance. Mirror neurons help us with this: they are responsible for empathy and excite the nervous system when we observe how another person moves. “Dance is one of the ways to reunite with yourself, especially relevant in the era of technology,” says Nadezhda Rekhtina , psychotherapist, specialist in dance movement therapy. “With its help, we can explore our creative potential, relationships with other people, non-verbally share difficult experiences, look for new roles and ways of communication, work on self-perception.”
Therefore, dance classes are recommended for people with autism, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The combination of physical activity and psycho-emotional support, according to Nadezhda , is a noticeable advantage of dance over sports.
In 2008, English National Ballet launched a social program "Dance for Parkinson's" : elderly people of different ages and with different stages of the disease once a week take a dance based on basic ballet movements to music from classical performances. The peculiarity of Parkinson's disease is that people affected by it tend to freeze in one position for a long time, move in small automatic steps. They start moving with difficulty and stop with difficulty, stoop strongly, use facial expressions little. Observations of the participants showed that, thanks to the classes, the quality of movements improved (they became smoother) and confidence in them, spine flexibility and stability developed, posture and coordination improved. Moreover, they became more sociable, danced with pleasure in pairs, agreed to go to other art classes together.
“Dance improves the quality of life,” says Nadezhda Rekhtina . “In American hospices, for example, dance-movement therapy is practiced for cancer patients to brighten up the last months of life and fill them with feelings and emotions.
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What motivates us to dance? Often - for many years, or even a lifetime? Even before writing and speaking, dance was the most important way to communicate. A person obeys the herd instinct, which means exchanging information with others is one of his main needs. Dance satisfies her completely: it regularly feeds new knowledge during lessons, requires constant contact with a partner or colleagues, allows you to communicate simultaneously with a large number of people - the public. In the dance, they exchange not only information, but also actions, learn to establish mutual understanding.
In the case of ballet, the fact that a person knows exactly how the result should look like works additionally: all movements are performed strictly according to the rules, canons are applied everywhere, which one must strive for. The constant pursuit of the ideal activates the reward systems (and hence the production of dopamine - the "hormone of pleasure") and punishment of the brain, and reinforces behavior.
This explains the determination and perseverance in the nature of professional artists.
Memory allows them to improve, which the dance also actively uses and develops. For example, ballet works with short-term, working and procedural memory - this is memorization of the principles of movement, and the subsequent reproduction of movements according to these principles, and the execution of combinations based on learned movements. Therefore Nadezhda Rekhtina invites parents to develop bodily and sensory experience with their kids before sending them to educational circles from the age of 3. It will form the necessary neural connections, and thanks to them, reading and mathematics will be easy for the child.
Neuropsychologist and choreographer Corinne Jola , one of the authors of the Watching Dance: Kinesthetic Empathy project at the University of Glasgow, claims that dance helps even spectators learn. During the presentation, they activate areas of the brain that are responsible for understanding language and for action.
In addition, the dance tells the audience how to understand social situations and communicate with other people.
Of course, the depth of perception largely depends on how familiar the viewer was with the proposed art before. In his work, Jola quotes the French philosopher Pierre Bourdieu : "The work has meaning and interest only for those who have cultural competence, that is, the code with which it (the work) is encoded."
At the same time, everyone can practice dance, the main thing is to choose the appropriate method and direction. “For example, in therapy, expressive dance will be useful for people who are closed and reserved, for example, office workers. Here you can discard social norms and express your feelings. But for people with psychiatric disorders, this method can harm. Therefore, it is better to consult with a specialist first, ”says Nadezhda Rekhtina . Similarly, dance movement therapy is suitable for those who have a disturbed body image (for example, when an anorexic seems to be fat).
But such people are better off not doing ballet.
As for the effect on the body, the first advantage of dance is that it keeps most of the muscles, even the smallest ones, in good shape. “The main thing is to smoothly adapt them to the loads,” says Roman Blonsky , orthopedic traumatologist, candidate of medical sciences, senior researcher at the sports and ballet injury clinic of the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine. “People begin to practice professional dance from early childhood. Systematic loads allow the bone growth zones to adapt, and a person tolerates training normally. It is much more difficult for adult beginners, as the muscles involved in the dance are not used to the work. Sharp loads, according to the doctor, are fraught with enthesopathy, tendinopathies, myositis (diseases associated with inflammation of the joints, tendons, skeletal muscles - ed.), which lead to frequent injuries.
“Ballet, like dance in general, is useful for developing tissue elasticity. Plus, posture is developed, the risks of early diseases of the spine are reduced, Roman Blonsky shares, “Overload on certain groups of muscles and joints is harmful, this happens when the training process is built incorrectly. Also, dancers need to warm up well, practice in high-quality shoes and clothes, in warm halls. All this saves you from injury.”
The constant change of rhythm, direction of movement develops motor skills and orientation in space, and also helps to burn a lot of calories. For example, after doing ballet for an hour, you can lose 600 or more calories, depending on your weight. Slenderness, by the way, is one of the reasons for the longevity of ballet dancers, I'm sure Blonsky : “It has been proven that the slimmer a person is, the less stress on the cardiovascular system. This means less risk of heart attack or stroke, the leading causes of death.
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Models: soloists of the National Opera of Ukraine Yulia Kulik, Alexey Potemkin, Anna Muromtseva
Photo: Sasha Zlunitsyna
We thank the Grishko brand for help in organizing the shooting. Julia and Anna are wearing swimsuits from the Bolshoi Stars collection, pointe shoes - Grishko 2007.
Dancing that gives positive emotions and energizes
Dancing allows you to express your state, emotions, feelings with the help of body movements. They help to improve physical condition and lose a few extra pounds. In addition, dancing is one of the options for an active hobby, which is an exciting activity for a pleasant pastime. You can dance alone, with a girlfriend or friend, a child or a loved one. Various dance techniques bring people together, energize, give positive emotions and a sea of positive. After class, I want to “fly”, smile and shower others with compliments. But in order for the classes to take place on a positive wave, you need to understand what kind of dance brings you true satisfaction.
Strip plastic: an exciting and exciting hobby
Do you want to surprise and please the person you love, make a surprise and become the most desirable for him? Do strip plastic (semi-fitness). Performing exercises on the pole, you will join the art of dance seduction. Exquisite steps help to emphasize the dignity of the figure, increase self-esteem, instill confidence in their own attractiveness, change their attitude towards their body.
Half-fitness is a complete workout during which the cardiovascular system is strengthened. And it is not necessary to have excellent choreographic training, the main thing is to strongly want to learn how to dance and discard modesty. Exciting dances will not only surprise your beloved, but also make a woman more liberated, attractive, self-confident. Regular strip-plastic exercises create a beautiful posture and have a general strengthening effect.
Reggaeton: variety of styles and directions
Reggaeton is a mix that includes different dance styles.
It is clearly demonstrated by dancers at world-famous Brazilian festivals. Muscular and at the same time seductive girls perform pas dynamically and incendiary. Dancing allows you to express your feelings, which are in perfect harmony with the rhythm, natural flexibility and charming grace.
Regular reggaeton classes will help you shape your dream figure or get closer to the ideal, as well as teach you how to control your body. But the most important thing is that dance gives positive emotions and energizes.
To play reggaeton, you need to learn the basic moves. The essence of this dance direction comes down to the alternation of wave-like, smooth and sharp movements that are performed by the upper part of the body and hips.
Body ballet: feel like a ballerina
Maybe at a very young age you dreamed of a ballet school, but your dreams were not destined to come true? Do not be sad, desires can be realized at any age. Of course, you are unlikely to be able to become a famous ballerina, but it is quite possible to get an excellent stretch and, perhaps, even sit on a twine.
And most importantly, dancing will teach you how to move like a ballerina, keep your back straight, develop grace, help you get rid of extra centimeters on your hips and waist, flatten your stomach and improve the shape of your legs.
Some people believe that such body changes can only be achieved through high-intensity training, but are they contraindicated for many? But in this case we are talking about body ballet, which can be practiced by almost everyone. This direction is sometimes used as post-traumatic exercises after fractures and sprains. Only classes should be carried out after consulting a doctor. Body ballet is suitable for people of all ages, regardless of fitness level. This is a universal hobby for body and soul! Contraindications are problems with the spine.
Zumba: positive emotions and relaxed atmosphere
This fitness program came to us from Colombia. She very quickly won thousands of fans of different ages, as she allows you to burn a large number of calories, recharge with positive emotions, have fun and sweat well.
Rumba classes take place in a relaxed atmosphere. From the outside, it may even seem that you are at a disco or at an exciting party in a club. Lessons include simple, constantly repetitive movements that even a novice dancer can handle. The body moves to the rhythm of the music, energy overflows, emotions grow and it seems that no one can stop you.
Zumba can be practiced in dance or fitness clubs. If it is not possible to attend group lessons, you can find videos of classes on the Internet and dance on your own. No need to put off training: spring is just around the corner, which means it's time to get in shape. Dancing helps to model the body, allows you to keep the body in good shape, strengthens muscles, stimulates weight loss, and has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. They make a person more enduring, and also develop a sense of rhythm.
Kathak: become flexible and healthy
Those who love Indian films will definitely not remain indifferent to Kathak.
