How to Do Some Basic Club Dance Moves

Co-authored by Bridgette Borzillo

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 References

Do you like going to dance clubs on the weekend but aren't sure how to dance? This tutorial will teach you some concepts for becoming smooth at club dancing. By just learning a few key steps, you will be able to have fun dancing at the club.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Learning Some Basic Moves

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1
Bounce to the beat. If you're not sure what to do on the dance floor, just bounce to the beat. You do this by bending your knees slightly and then standing back up to the beat. This can be a very small, fast move that makes you look like you're just bobbing along to the music, or a much larger, pronounced motion where you're exaggerating the bends and the pauses.^{[1]
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Research source} Try shifting your body from side to side so you don't look like a buoy in the water.^{[2]
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Bridgette Borzillo
Dance Instructor & Artistic Director

Expert Interview. 10 September 2021.}
- A variation is to sway back and forth to the music. Make sure your legs are shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Instead of bouncing, just sway back and forth. Try pausing for a beat when you get to the side.^{[3]
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- Keep your shoulders relaxed. Being too stiff will interfere with the movements; you want to be smooth as you groove. Let your arms sway as you bounce. Don't be conscious that others are watching you. Move your body however you feel and have fun.^{[4]
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  Bridgette Borzillo
  Dance Instructor & Artistic Director
  
  Expert Interview. 10 September 2021.}
- Just find the tempo of the music and start moving to it. If you're unsure how to find the tempo, listen for the drums and the bass line. Listen for the thump-thump-thump pattern in the undertone of the song.^{[5]
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  Research source} You can watch people and mimic them.^{[6]
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  Expert Source
  
  Bridgette Borzillo
  Dance Instructor & Artistic Director
  
  Expert Interview. 10 September 2021.}
If you're just bouncing along to the music, try bending your arms at about 45 degree angles. Keeping them at about chest height, move them up and down to the beat of the music. Don't worry about being rigid - let your arms flow as they move. Point your fist towards your shoulder or hip, have one arm up high while the other is low. Vary where you place your arms as you dance; don't keep them in one position. Move with what feels right for the music.^{[7]
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As you are bouncing and moving your arms around, don't keep your head there, stiff and unmoving. Nod your head to the music.^{[8]
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Research source} Turn your head from side to side as you look around the room. Look down at the ground, and then glance up to the ceiling. Do a combination of all these head moves to keep it fluid as you change it up.
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Roll your shoulders. Another dance move is to roll your shoulders to the beat. Hang your arms down by your side, and starting with the right shoulder, roll it backwards. Then, roll the left shoulder backwards. Alternate as you bounce and sway to the music.
- You can also add your arms by lifting one arm as you roll that shoulder, then lifting the other arm while lowering the one you just lifted. Keep it a fluid motion as you dance.^{[9]
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Roll your hips. Another common basic club dance move is rolling your hips around. As you bounce or move your body to the beat, add some hip action. Move your hips from side to side as you bounce or roll them in circles.
- One way to get some hip movements is to write the letters of your name with your hips. Move your hips as if you are making the outline of the letters. Just remember to keep it in time with the music.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Learning a Few Advanced Moves

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1
Do the two-step. The simplest club dance move you can do is the two-step. To dance the two-step, just step your right leg to the side, then move your left leg to meet it. Then do the same thing on the other side. Find the beat of the music and step to the side.
- To make this move less rigid, move your body in an up and down bouncing motion. This gives you a bit more movement as you step from side to side.^{[10]
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- Engage your upper body by moving your torso off-center, so you're leaning in one direction or the other. You can also lean forwards and backwards, changing up the position of your upper body every time you step to the side.^{[11]
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Try the step behind. A variation of the two-step is the step behind. Start by stepping your right leg to the side. Instead of stepping the left foot to meet your right one, pull it behind you and tap the toe of your second foot behind your heel. Then step out with the left foot and bring your right leg behind it to tap.
- To mix it up, push the second foot in front of you, tapping in front of the toe with your opposite heel as you lean back.^{[12]
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Use the step clap. The step clap is similar to the two-step, but adds in the arms. Step from side to side, clapping your hands when you get to the side. Try to clap your hands along to the rhythm of the music.
- After you get the hang of the step clap, you can make it wider by stepping out in a larger range of motion. Try bending your knees lower or swaying your upper body along with the movement.^{[13]
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Start with your legs shoulder-width apart. Pivot on your feet, turning your body slightly towards one side. When your body gets to the side, pause and hold. While you are paused, drop your back shoulder slightly, which makes you lean away slightly. As you drop and lean, snap the fingers on the hand on that side. Move back to center, then pivot in the other direction and perform the same steps with the other arm.^{[14]
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Try the circle turn. Hold your hands above your head. Move your arms in a large circular motion through the air. To add the legs, make a 90 degree turn with each circle of your arms. Lead with the outside foot, so that the inside foot stays mostly still, like you are pivoting around that leg.^{[15]
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- Each turn should follow a 2-step rhythm. On one, you step with the outer foot; on two, you rotate your inner foot. The arms follow a similar tempo. With each beat, your arms should complete half a circle. On one, your arms are to one side; on two, your arms circle back to start.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Preparing Yourself

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Before you head out, search for videos of club dance moves. Some of these videos just feature people dancing to club music, others take you through tutorials of how to master the moves. Watching these videos can help give you a mental picture of the moves that you can imitate.
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Tape yourself dancing. If you're extremely worried about what you look like, tape yourself dancing to club music to make sure your moves look okay. Fix anything you find strange about your movements. Compare it to videos you see online.
- Look for things like not enough movement, being too stiff, arms being too rigid, and awkward head movements.
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Go with a group of friends. Get dressed up and go to the club with a group of friends. This can help you feel relaxed and less self-conscious, which will help you perform the dance moves much more confidently.
- One of the worst things you can do at a club is overthink your moves. Overthinking makes you rigid and awkward. Be careful not to do spastic moves where you are flailing all over the dance floor either.
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Relax. When you first get to the club, scope out the other people on the dance floor. See how they are dancing, what they look like, what kind of moves they are doing. More than likely, they will be doing some of the same basic dance moves you will be. Don't stress and have fun.
- Relaxing also helps you stay loose. If you're feeling tense, just start moving around to warm up and loosen your muscles. Roll your shoulders, stretch your neck from side to side, sway as you bounce a bit. This helps you get the key body parts moving so you can dance more fluidly.

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Question

What if I can't use musical.ly or YouTube?

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Try copying what other people are doing at the time. If you are really stuck in a bad situation where you have no clue what you're doing, try to just have fun with it.

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When I bend my arms and move them up and down, I look like a chicken. Am I doing it right?

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Don't bend both at the same time; put one arm up while the other is down, and rotate it from one arm to another.

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Where can I see specific examples of different dance moves?

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Check out YouTube. Or try downloading the app called musical.ly -- there are a lot of good dance moves on that.

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