DANCE
WE DANCE AS ONE. This is the core ethic that runs through every vein of Electronica, aka Dance Music. No matter whether you’re into bashing DnB, stomping electro or slow grooving deep house, moving our bodies in unison is what brings us together.
When I decided to build this site, the page I was most excited to create was the DANCE page. When I’m feeling happy, when the music overcomes me, when the groove is smooth, and the beats are elite, I dance. Granted, I dance like a deaf praying mantis on acid, but that don’t matter. Dancing isn’t about skill; it’s about connection.
Connection to rhythm and soul. Dance is about synergy and the flow of energy between yourself, the people around you, your environment and the wonderful music that fills it. It takes advantage of something primal inside us, and we end up in a state of being that’s purer than the day we were born.
This is why you see a form of dance in every culture, celebration and ceremony on Earth. From the first dance at a wedding to the tribal appeasement of Gods to a spinning Dervish to the flaming dancer on the beach. Dance is everywhere, bringing people together.
Now come and join us for a dance lesson, while we explore some of the history that has made Dance music what it is today.
The Shuffle
The shuffle originated in Melbourne’s underground rave scene and was originally known as the THE MELBOURNE SHUFFLE. It soon broke away to be a defining dance move on every D-Floor on planet Earth.
If you ain’t shuffling, you ain’t dancing.
Mihran Kirakosian is a highly regarded live performance producer, artistic director and choreographer. I love his lessons for their simplistic teaching style and because of his passion for modern dance.
The Moonwalk
The Moonwalk comes straight from the feet of the greatest dancer of all time, Michael Jackson. But variations of the most recognisable dance move on the planet go as far back as 1932. At that time, a fellow called Cab Calloway called the move “The Buzz”. A series of iterations followed, in genres from swing to disco, including by the late and great, James Brown.
It wasn’t until 1983, when Michael first performed The Moonwalk on a show called Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, that the world took note.
Oh yeah! If you didn’t practice the move as a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s, chances are you weren’t from this planet. It was only recently that I mastered the move after spending a lot of time in socks with this video on repeat.
The Floss
The floss was first performed by 14-year-old Russell Horning (aka the backpack kid) on Saturday Night Live during Katy Perry’s Swish Swish.
The dance immediately took off and has been seen everywhere from The Simpsons to Fortnite Battle Royale to D-Floors all over the world. This quick guide by Verb will get you Flossing in no time. WARNING: This move is addictive and infectious.
The Zissou Method
A lot can be learnt from the boyish antics of Steve Zissou.
1) Refuse to grow up, it’s a trick
2) Music should be in every aspect of your life, including under water
3) Subtle dance moves are often the best