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Music

How to Shuffle Like a Pro

Drum and bass has skanking, house music has jacking, but no genre of dance music is as closely tied into its particular style of dance as hardstyle is to shuffling.
Photo credit: Trino Trevino

Drum and bass has skanking, house music has jacking, but no genre of dance music is as closely tied into its particular of dance as hardstyle is to shuffling.

Shuffling was born at the tail end of the 80s, a time when the underground hardstyle movement began gathering a following in Melbourne, Australia. After conquering the local club scene and becoming a national phenomenon, the "Melbourne shuffle" later became a worldwide sensation on YouTube, even popping into the mainstream in LMFAO's 2011 video for "Party Rock."

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Q-Dance is a shuffler's paradise // Photo via YouTube

Avid fans began practicing the dance as far and wide as the UK, Malaysia, and Mexico, and now you can't go to a rave without feeling the rumble of thousands of shufflers dropping the running man during a hardstyle set.

Below, we have a selection of basic steps for beginner shufflers. Remember, "practice makes the master". If you plan on starting dancing the Melbourne shuffle, take into consideration that the first attempt may not go well, keep on practicing and you'll start seeing improvement in your dancing moves.

Kick+ half spin + running man

Kick to the sides, forward or backwards, then half spin, turn your body 180º and then into the Running Man (RM. This is one of the basic steps, simulates the running motion while not lifting your feet from the ground until you drop the next step.

Slide with kick

Slide, pull your feet in such a way that you make ample movements giving a kick to the right.

Running man with screw spin

Start with RM to gather momentum and make a screw spin, which consists of making two spins and returning to RM.

Semi RM + T-Step and kick

Semi RM, half RM to complete the T-Step, which is a lateral movement making a "T" with your feet and then kicking.

Half spin + slide and kick

Hal spin to end with a Semi-RM, and the go on with a Slide to the right and a kick.

T-Step, semi-RM and RM

Start with the T-Step to continue with a Semi-RM and then RM.

Slide+kick and semi-RM

Slide to the right to end with a kick and continue with Semi-RM.

See? It's easy! Just keep at it. Thanks to Adrian "The Drifter" for dancing with us and putting up with all l the people staring weirdly at him on the street.