The History and Main Directions of High Heels Dance

The idea of creating the High Heels dance style came to American choreographers Andy Jay and F. Gatson, and it was to perform dance on heels.

What's new about that, you might ask, since there were already dances performed on heels. Yes, true, but in High Heels, long heels became a distinctive feature that not everyone can master.

Andy Jay was previously into hip-hop, but one day she decided to try dancing on heels. And how surprised she was when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

It also made an unforgettable impression on the first viewers. No one could have imagined that a random thought about adding a small detail to a dance would lead to the development of a new dance style called High Heels.

Jay posted her dance sequences on extremely high heels on her YouTube channel, which was already popular after her MTV clips. One day, New York choreographer Cheryl Murakami came across her channel and supported Andy's idea.

A little later, dancer and actress Michelle Maniscalco also began actively promoting High Heels not only on her YouTube channel but also performed dance sequences in some popular music videos, and her work can now be found among the top on YouTube.

Initially, it was thought that High Heels was exclusively a women's dance. But how surprised everyone was when French choreographer Yanis Marshall posted his version of the dance. Yes, it turns out that men can also master heels and leave their mark on history with their performance. Yanis became a guide to the world of High Heels for men.

A special feature of the dance was not the heels themselves, but their skillful use. Girls have to tense every cell of their body to perform sequences in high heels. It's the shoes that keep all muscles toned, preventing the body from relaxing during the dance and keeping it constantly tense.

But it's important to understand that High Heels is a seductive dance, so you need to be relaxed despite the tension in every cell of your body. This paradox was the basis of the dance for Jay and Gatson.

High Heels began to develop with the help of a dance performance in a Beyoncé music video, who was already quite popular at that time and could generate interest among her fans. This idea hit 100% – young girls started repeating the movements, first without heels, then learning to at least stand in such shoes, and later they were able to combine everything into one dance.

High Heels helped insecure girls gain confidence. And the reason for this, oddly enough, was the heels. Subconsciously, every girl understands that heels are a great way to visually lengthen the legs, making them thinner and sexier, as well as adding a few centimeters in height while subtracting a few kilograms.

Undoubtedly, this led to getting rid of many complexes and consequently boosted the self-esteem of many girls, opening the door to a new exciting world of vibrant dancing.

Many beginner dancers compare High Heels with go-go, because the technique and overall look are similar. The difference is that go-go is based on pure improvisation of pre-learned sequences to any music, while High Heels is the performance of sequential sequences to pre-set music. Also, go-go prefers house music, while High Heels is danced to pop songs.

Now, High Heels is gaining momentum and developing rapidly. Dance schools have already opened classes for learning this style, various festivals and competitions are held, and more and more participants on dance projects perform in the High Heels style. So, if you're still wondering if this style is for you, we advise you not to wait!