Finding Videos Online
Search for online tutorials. Get on your internet browser and search for hip hop dance videos in Google or another search engine. Look through the results to find tutorials or how-to videos that will teach you the steps. Try search terms like “hip hop dancing step by step” or “hip hop dance for beginners” to find results that will break down the moves easily for you. You can also start by simply watching some great hip hop performances for inspiration. A great dancer, song, or style might encourage you to look up specific moves to emulate them.
Look up specific dance moves or styles. Try searching specifically for a common move you see in hip hop dance, or a particular style that you want to start with. Make sure you begin with an easy move or a beginner’s introduction to a style, so you aren’t starting with something too complex. Try searching for tutorials on some of these basic hip hop moves: kick cross step, chest pop, arm wave, body roll, dougie. Explore the many different styles of hip hop, including: locking, popping, breakdancing, stepping, animation, krumping, etc.
Enroll in an online dance class. Get the consistency and encouragement of a regular in-person dance class by enrolling in an online version. Look for a free or paid course that will guide you through several hip hop steps and skill levels with detailed instruction. Move through beginning, intermediate, and advanced dance classes with courses designed for each skill level and style. Go at your own pace and learn more easily with online classes like Steezy, which let you return to each section to review it and get both a front and back view of the teacher for easy learning.
Learning Some Basic Moves
Try the hip pull. Once you've found a suitable route to learning hip hop online, begin practicing basic dance moves. One basic move is the hip pull. To start, stand with your feet apart. Move your right elbow and right hip to the right. As you do so, transfer your weight to your left leg. Repeat on the other side. Go back and forth like this in quick motions. Your movements should be fast and abrupt. Spend a minute or so getting this rhythm down. Now, incorporate your arm into the move. When you shift with your right hip and elbow, reach your right arm to the left and twist your torso sideways. It should look like you're grabbing something from the air. Return your arm to the side, get back in the starting position, and repeat on the other side. This is a basic move you can add to any hip hop routine. Remember to keep your moves abrupt and direct. This move should not be smooth. It should be kind of disjointed and fast-paced.
Perform the chest pop. The chest pop is a really easy step that involves your chest and hand. To start, place one of your hands in front of your chest. Do not touch your chest. Just keep your hand spread out in front about an inch away from your chest. Pop your chest out and touch your hand. Then, immediately move your chest back into the original position. Do not leave your hand on your chest for too long. Only stop for a moment before moving your chest away from you hand. Alternating which hand is over your chest, you can do this move to the beat in a hip hop song.
Try happy feet. Happy feet essentially has four parts. To start, stand in a normal position with your legs stretched out slightly. When the beat begins, you will move your body into four different positions following four beats of music. For the first two beats, you will pivot on your heels. Pop your right foot up, placing your weight on your heel. Pop your left heel up, placing your weight on the ball of your foot. You will then turn both your feet to the left on the first beat. On the second beat, turn your feet to the right. For the third beat, you would jump forward. Propel yourself using the balls of your feet. Make sure to land on your heels. Then, hop back placing your weight back on your feet. For the fourth beat, repeat the above move again. This time, however, make sure to land on your toes.
Attempt the arm wave. This is a simple hip-hop move you can practice at home and then throw into a dance routine. To do the arm wave, start off by holding your arms out in a straight line perpendicular to the floor. Keep your fingers pointed outward. Start by lifting your right hand up slightly. Then, move your hand down until your fingertips are lined up with your shoulders. Bend your elbow to move your hand and shoulder downward, while raising your elbow slightly. Then, straighten your arm out while lifting your shoulder. Lift your left shoulder up while your lower your right shoulder. Drop your left shoulder while raising your left elbow. Then, move your left wrist up while dropping your elbow. Bend your left hand down at the same time. Lastly, drop your wrist down and point your left hand upward. You are trying to make it look like a wave is running through your body. At any given point, the body part that is moving should be higher than other body parts.
Practicing Moves at Home
Clear a space to dance. Find a room in your home or wherever you plan to learn and practice your hip hop moves that will give you plenty of space to move around. Set up a laptop, computer, or internet-enabled TV where you can easily see the screen to follow along with videos. Be prepared to move backwards, forwards, and side to side in your space, as well as be able to spin and have your arms outstretched without bumping into anything. Clear small furniture or other items that could get knocked, broken, or trip you. If possible, use a remote to pause, play, and rewind your online tutorials. This will make it easier to learn at your own pace without returning to your device every time you need to control the playback. Try using a cell phone app that can function like a remote.
Invite friends over to learn with you. Ask friends or family to join you so you can learn hip hop together. This can help you stay committed to practicing, or simply have more fun with it! Try scheduling the same time each week for your hip hop practice. You could rotate among friends’ houses each week, or come up with a common meeting spot that’s big enough for the group to dance in. Make learning a team effort by having each person come up with a new video to learn from each week, or a new style to try.
Wear comfortable clothes. Make sure you are wearing clothing and shoes that are comfortable and easy to move in before you begin hip hop dancing. Opt for loose, casual clothing and sneakers with good arch support for your feet. Keep in mind that hip hop dancing is a physical workout, and you will likely be hot and sweating by the time you’re done practicing moves. Wear cooling clothes, have a fan on nearby, and keep a towel on hand to wipe away sweat. If you have long hair, consider pulling it back or up so it’s out of your face while you’re moving and watching videos, which will also help keep you cooler. Hip hop doesn’t require a certain hairstyle, like a dance style like ballet might, so it’s up to you to choose what will be most comfortable for you. EXPERT TIP Yolanda Thomas Yolanda Thomas Dance Instructor 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. Yolanda Thomas Yolanda Thomas Dance Instructor Our Expert Agrees: When you're practicing hip hop, wear baggy clothes and heavy footwear. That will help you have a loose feel from the very beginning. In addition, some choreography involves pulling on your top, then following with your body, and you can't do that in tight clothes.
Take breaks and drink water. Remember that hip hop dancing is a strenuous activity, and you need to take care of your body as you would with any other dance or workout session. Take frequent breaks to rest and drink water while you practice. Keep a water bottle with water or an electrolyte sports drink nearby so you have it available whenever you need a break. Try to take a break every half hour or hour, or more frequently if you need to. At the end of a practice session, you should take care of the muscles you worked by stretching as well as drinking water. A good dance tutorial should include warm up and cool down stretches, but if not, try searching for a video that leads you through some simple stretches for dancers.
Using Your Newfound Skills
Learn a full choreography. Put all the moves you’ve learned to use and tackle the choreography for a whole song. Try a popular dance or song and look for choreography tutorials for it online. Try searching for a step by step video that breaks down each part of a full choreographed dance, just like you did with learning the basics. While you might be able to pick up a dance from watching a music video or other performance, it’s much easier to grasp it when the steps are taught individually. You can also make up your own choreography to your favorite song using the hip hop dance moves you have learned if you feel confident to do so!
Perform for family and friends. Gather family or friends for a small informal performance. Show them the choreography you learned, or some of the individual moves you like best. You can even use your new skills to teach other friends or family members some of your moves. It can be fun to pass on a new skill, and it can also help you get better just by teaching others. Performing for a casual group of people you know is also a great way to get used to having an audience if you think you might like to perform in public in the future.
Continue practicing outside your home. Keep up with the skills you learned online by finding ways to participate in hip hop dance in new places and with new people. Join a class, take a private lesson, or just dance at clubs and parties to continue honing your skills. Look for a club, dancehall, or other venue that plays hip hop music on a regular basis. Make sure you are of age for the venue, bring some friends, and use it as an opportunity to practice dancing and even pick up some new moves from other dancers there. Consider joining a dance crew or another small street dance group. You can even consider performing with a group on the street in areas where it’s allowed in your city.
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