Hip hop dancing is a tradition that spans 40 years. Hip hop dancing can cover genres as diverse as Funk, Street Dance, Old School, Electric Boogaloo-- and the list goes on. As a beginner, you may lack the confidence or the know-how to get started hip-hop dancing. Depending on your personality, you may choose to get your start on your own or with support-- no matter what, the idea is to build confidence.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:
Starting Right Away
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Start with the kick ball change. This is a basic move where you stay basically in one place. [1] X Research source
- Take your right foot and kick it in front of the left. Then you're going to cross it over to the left side of your left foot. Then your left foot is going to step back and to the left.
- Repeat with the left foot, kicking it in front of the right foot, stepping it to the right side, and then stepping back and to the right with the right foot.
- After you practice this a few times, try bouncing your shoulders to the beat. After you get the hang of that, do it twice as fast, or “double time”.
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Walk it out for seven steps, or four beats. [2] X Research source This is a simple move that will give you a bit more dynamism by bringing you forward.
- Each step is half a beat. If you count it out, this will be “one-and-two-and-three-and-four”, with each one of these counts being a step. You do not step on the “and” of four, making it seven steps altogether.
- Bend your knees out and to the side. Take a small step forward with your knees bent, taking your hips with you to the forward step. Repeat it with alternating legs up until the fourth beat.
- After you have practiced walking it out with your legs, add your arms. Your arms should be bent at the elbow, with your fist facing out. Put your fingers in a loose “snapping” formation, with your thumb raised. When you step with your right leg, your right arm should move forward and your elbow should move in towards your torso. When you step left, your right arm should move back with the elbow pointed away from you. The same goes for your left arm with your left leg.
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Dougie. [3] X Research source This is a popular move that looks deceptively simple. Get the step down before adding arm movements.
- Step to the left with your left foot, dragging your right foot with it. Turn your right foot slightly inward and then put the ball of your foot on the ground. While doing this, bend your knees into a dip.
- Bring your right foot to the right, but keep it turned left. While doing this, unbend your knees and let your body follow your right foot.
- Quickly move your body through the center and to the left. Bring your left foot to the right. Dip your knees.
- Step your left foot back to the left and unbend your knees.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:
Taking Classes
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Find a class near you. This is as simple as just googling “Find hip-hop classes near me”. If you’ve heard people talking about their hip-hop classes, bring it up to them and ask where they got their start.
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Attend class faithfully. Once you’ve committed to going to a class, don’t slack off. Will power must be exercised like any other muscle. [4] X Research source
- It might help to reach out to the other members of your class. This way, if you ever miss class or don’t feel like going, they will be there to support you.
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Practice on your own. Just going to class won’t be enough to make you an extraordinary dancer. Build your confidence by practicing your moves over and over again in the mirror.
- If your classes only happen weekly, it’s totally possible to forget everything that happened in the previous week. To prevent this, you should write down what you learned when you get home after class. Throughout the week, look back at your notes and practice in the mirror.
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Bring your moves to the club. Share your new dancing skills with the world at large! Even if it pushes you out of your comfort zone, the point of dancing is that it’s a fun shared activity. Force yourself to show off everything you worked so hard for.
- Maybe your class ends in a performance. This is a good time to force you a little out of your comfort zone. After your performance, don’t treat your learning process like it’s over, though! Keep going out and dancing.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:
Learning on Your Own
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Use the internet. There’s an entire world of free hip-hop dance videos online. [5] X Research source There are even hip-hop dance classes for free online.
- It will help to make your searches as specific as possible. Don’t just search “hip-hop dancing”. This is too broad and you will get too many results. Instead, search “hip-hop dancing step-by-step” or “hip-hop dance routines for beginners”. If there is a specific style of music that you want to dance to, include that in your search. Remember, hip-hop is used almost as a blanket term these days, so if you have something in mind, you will have to search a little longer for it.
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Attend clubs or hip hop performances. Use the internet and word of mouth to find out where people are dancing. You don’t necessarily have to dance at these events, just observe what people are doing so that you can feel confident in the future.
- This is the best way to figure out how to dress, how many friends to bring, and how to dance with and around strangers. If you see a style that you really like, don’t be afraid to approach someone between songs and ask them quickly how they learned to dance so well.
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Apply the knowledge you’ve gained. If you see a certain style, learn to mimic it. Try to figure out what it is called if you don’t know it. Learn to dress the part and feel good about yourself.
- A lot of dancing is simply feeling good in your own skin, and one of the best ways to do that is to mimic somebody who already feels confident. Don’t copy what they wear or how they talk-- copy their self-love and confidence in their own body.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:
Learning With Friends
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Gather friends who you know are interested. If you and your friends share the same taste in music, this shouldn’t be too hard. Maybe you also know someone who has taken a class in the past who can give you some tips.
- You can also ask around, post a facebook or twitter status, or gather friends who you know are up for anything.
- You should never be too forceful with your friends. If they are too uncomfortable, no one will have any fun. This might mean that you aren’t dancing with your closest friends, but rather your friends who are the most up for dancing. That’s okay! You can have more than one type of friend.
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Pool your knowledge. If you or one of your friends has previous experience with dancing, this can be very valuable to the group. The best thing about doing things in a group is that you suddenly have the knowledge of multiple people.
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Decide on a style. There are multiple ways to dance in a group, so decide on the one that best fits the group that you have.
- There are plenty of group routines that you can copy just by watching videos. [6] X Research source If you want to do something more formal, like a performance, this would be the way to go.
- Maybe you just want to dance as a group in a club. In that case, it would be better for you all to learn hip hop moves or solo routines, so that you can switch off. There are plenty of youtube videos for individual moves that you can learn together. [7] X Research source
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Take the clubs by storm! You don’t have to wait until everybody is 100% confident in him or herself. That’s the beauty of working in a group! You always have everyone’s support and the knowledge that everyone you are with wants to dance with you too.Advertisement
Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you become a good hip hop dancer?Yolanda Thomas is a Hip Hop Dance Instructor based in Los Angeles, California and Sydney, Australia. Yolanda has taught hip hop at the Sydney Dance Company and is a two-time winner of the LA Music Award for singing and songwriting. She has won Choreographer of the Year by GROOVE, an Australian hip hop dance competition and was hired by Google to choreograph their Sydney Mardi Gras float.Classes are a great way to learn and get better as a hip hop dancer. Having an instructor there to offer you personalized advice is really helpful. Even after just a few hip hop classes you'll likely notice yourself getting better!
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QuestionHow do you become a confident hip hop dancer?Yolanda Thomas is a Hip Hop Dance Instructor based in Los Angeles, California and Sydney, Australia. Yolanda has taught hip hop at the Sydney Dance Company and is a two-time winner of the LA Music Award for singing and songwriting. She has won Choreographer of the Year by GROOVE, an Australian hip hop dance competition and was hired by Google to choreograph their Sydney Mardi Gras float.The best way to gain confidence as a hip hop dancer is to get feedback from others. That's why taking a class is so helpful when you're first starting out—your instructor will point out the things you're doing well, which will build your confidence.
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QuestionShould I stretch before dancing hip hop?Yolanda Thomas is a Hip Hop Dance Instructor based in Los Angeles, California and Sydney, Australia. Yolanda has taught hip hop at the Sydney Dance Company and is a two-time winner of the LA Music Award for singing and songwriting. She has won Choreographer of the Year by GROOVE, an Australian hip hop dance competition and was hired by Google to choreograph their Sydney Mardi Gras float.Yes, stretching beforehand will help warm up your muscles. For hip hop, you want to focus on stretching your quads and calves in particular.
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Video
Tips
- Hip-hop dancing is freestyle, but it's good to learn entire routines. This way you will practice things that might not normally occur to you. Maybe your right side is better than your left-- practicing routines will force you to recognize that.Thanks
- It's important to have some direction or somebody that says "that doesn't look right" then, you know when you’re wrong and you've graduated from the trust of the mirror. Once you've hit the clubs and met some other dancers, invite them over and have a freestyle session.Thanks
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Warnings
- While hip-hop dancing can be sexy, oversexed dancing done wrong is off-putting. Don’t resort to twerking just because you don’t know what else to do-- twerking is its own style of dance.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx3TkFFQayI&feature=youtu.be&t=49s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtexeLhxZTc&feature=youtu.be&t=23s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtexeLhxZTc&feature=youtu.be&t=42s
- ↑ http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/04/the-chocolate-and-radish-experiment-that-birthed-the-modern-conception-of-willpower/255544/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=step+by+step+hip+hop+dance+routines+for+beginners
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFyvLuHKNTE&feature=youtu.be
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx3TkFFQayI&feature=youtu.be&t=45s
About this article
Article Summary
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To learn to dance hip hop, search the internet for “hip-hop dancing step-by-step,” or “hip-hop dance routines for beginners.” Additionally, you can watch free dance videos online or take an online hip-hop class. If you live in a more metropolitan area, you can attend hip-hop performances. You can also go to clubs to either practice your moves or to watch others dance. If possible, though, the best way to learn hip hop is to attend classes in person. To learn how to perform some basic moves, like the kick ball change, keep reading!
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