Dancehall: History, Styles, and How to Dance

Dancehall is a street dance born in Jamaican dance halls and on the streets, but today it lives all over the world. It fits equally well into energetic, rhythmic tracks and slow, sensual songs—everyone finds their own in it: from drive to deep expression. The GoDance platform offers lessons in this style, from basic moves to complex combinations.

Dancehall is not very demanding in terms of physical exertion, making it accessible to people without special training. This dance style is perfect for children, teens, men, and women of all ages.

The moves are so simple that your body will naturally want to hit the dance floor to feel the rhythm and melody in every cell. The rhythm of Jamaican streets and African energy.

The foundation of dancehall is very similar to reggae style. That's how it originated. But modern dancehall has introduced a huge number of moves, such as: crow foot, bogle, raging bull, wine, one drop, and many others.

Crow foot is the easiest and simplest move. The key is to hit the rhythm with a straight leg. You can move your arms and torso as your body dictates. The main condition is to correctly stomp the rhythm with one foot.

Raging bull literally means 'mad bull.' The idea is to actively stomp the rhythm with both feet. Like a bull that just defeated a matador and was spared. Surrender to the dance completely, as if your life depended on how vividly and emotionally you stomp the rhythm.

Wine is one of the most erotic and rhythmic moves. A beginner can't do without this basic move. Sit with legs wide apart until thighs are parallel to the floor. Then start rotating your pelvis left-right-forward-backward point by point and back. It really helps develop lower body flexibility and unleash your body's energy.

One drop is another recognizable move. Simply put, it's sharp hip movements on slightly bent legs. A very energetic and erotic move, somewhat resembling twerk. Men are always thrilled by this move, which says a lot about a girl's flexibility and sense of rhythm.

Nah linga: Draw a figure-eight with your arms bent at the elbows. Outline circles with your feet one at a time. Again, a simple and very graceful move. Girls will especially love it because guys just can't take their eyes off them.

Willie bounce is also a fairly simple move. Alternately shift weight from one foot to the other and throw your arms in sync with the movements.

This is far from a complete list of dancehall moves. You can see that the moves presented here are simple to execute and don't require special skills, dance knowledge, flexibility, or excellent physical shape.

If you master the basic moves and show a little creativity, you'll immediately fall in love with dancehall. And you won't be able to watch others dance without wanting to join in.

Just imagine the sea, the sun, Jamaica, and lots of hot, energetic people dancing dancehall to infectious music. You, charged with special energy and sexuality, join them, effortlessly catching the rhythm with your feet, hands, and body.

Don't be afraid to improvise. After all, Cubans just go out on the street and start dancing without learning steps in class. They simply surrender to the music and rhythm of their hot African blood. The main thing is a strong desire to learn to dance; finding a school and teachers nowadays is no problem, especially with the internet.