Dancehall is a dance style derived from exotic Jamaica, thanks to which you will feel the rays of the sun! This energetic dance will burn a lot of calories to the stimulating sounds of reggae-inspired dancehall music. Dancehall's dance steps are based on isolated and smooth movements of the whole body. By learning them you will feel feminine, confident and attractive. Check what dancehall is all about, for whom it is recommended and learn about dancehall dance steps!

Dancing likedancehallis a great way to keep your body slim and fit. Thanks to regular dance classes, you will gain he alth and well-being! Scientific research confirms the positive effect of music and dance on the body. Especially when you choose dancehall - it has an extremely stimulating effect, improves mood and beautifully sculpts the figure, which means that in Poland it has more and more fans, not only among women.

Dancehall - history of dance

Dancehall is a dance style that comes from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. It was created in the Kingston ghettos and was initially danced by men. Currently, everyone in Jamaica dances dancehall - men, women and even children. It is an expression of emotions, expression, detachment from everyday life, and even spiritual cleansing for the people of Jamaica.

Dancehall is called a street dance for a reason: the name "dance hall" refers to the space where dance parties take place, i.e. courtyards, markets or simply streets.

It is impossible to talk about dancehall as a dance without its associated reggae music, which actually gave rise to this style. It all started in the 70's, when Sugar Minott, a Jamaican reggae singer, started reworking old songs, giving them a fresh new sound. After the death of Bob Marley in 1981, a breakthrough in music took place in Jamaica. Vibrant, strong, rhythmic songs began to replace chillout and calm sounds of reggae. Until now, music was played live, so it had a smaller audience, but everything changed when the first electronic piece was written in 1985. This event marks the beginning of a new era in dancehall music and the rise of reggae called ragga.

The ability to dance dancehall is everyone's responsibility these daysreal Jamaican. The importance of dancehall in Jamaican culture was emphasized in one of the interviews by a veteran of this style of dance - Winston Blake. Following the anthropologist Norman Stolzoff, author of the famous study on Jamaican music and culture, dancehall is like oxygen to Jamaicans, and Jamaica would literally explode were it not for dancehall. It is also worth mentioning the Jamaican Sean Paul, who made this music and dance famous with melodic hits and colorful music videos. In the 90s, Sean Paul was hailed the king of dancehall, and thanks to him, this energetic style of dance spread to dance halls around the world.

Dancehall - description and characteristics of the dance

Dancehall is danced by both women and men, but the two styles are slightly different from each other. The steps in the male dancehall are based on strong, aggressive movements. They largely consist of chest insulation, a large proportion of hands and strong, strong bumps. It is a dance that symbolizes strength and energy. In Jamaica, men can only dance this way, while women can choose both male and female steps.

The female style is calledDancehall FemaleandDancehall Queen Style . Dancehall Female is more sensual and "soft". It is full of movements of shaking the butt (twerking), rocking the hips and demonstrating the advantages of a female figure. Dancehall Queen Style is a dance that is additionally enriched with acrobatic elements, such as shaking your bottom in a twine or while standing on your head. Every year in Jamaica there is a competition for the best dancehall dancer, who later gets the nickname "dancehall queen". It is a real women's holiday.

Dancehall - steps

The steps in dancehall arise spontaneously at dance parties. Of course, as with any style, dancehall has some basic technical steps. However, the most important thing is to bring your own personality to the dance. What counts is the so-calledattitude , i.e. what we put into every move. In Dancehall, the most important thing is energy and a positive attitude. It is not about the perfect reproduction of the steps. In this Jamaican dance, the "feeling" is extremely important, which gives freedom of movement and freedom in self-expression.

Dancehall shows who we are. During this dance, you can immediately see who is confident, who loves their body, is aggressive and wants to let their anger out of themselves, and who wants to convey love and energy to the watchers. Thanks to the freedom of style, the person who dances creates the dancehall by himself. There is one rule: movement must flow throughout the body.

It is extremely difficult to describe dancehallmovements - you just have to show them and dance them!

Original dancehall from Jamaica

Watch the video to feel the atmosphere of the sunny island!

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Names of steps in dancehall

The steps in dancehall are often named after the actions to be performed while dancing and are therefore quite easy to remember. However, dancehall is not about perfect mapping of specific movements, but about giving each of them its own unique style. Here are some of the dancehall steps:

  • Defense- consists in rhythmically stepping from foot to foot and moving the hand away and closer to the chest.
  • Earthquake- shaking your hands left and right at waist level while rocking your hips.
  • Frog back- it consists of rhythmic steps to the left, then to the right in a slight inclination. To this is added shoulder movement up and down. You can also perform this step sideways.
  • Gogo wine- it is moving in circles with joined hands above the head while twirling the hips and turning around their own axis.
  • In har heart- this movement involves putting the leg on and off, at the same time pushing the hand against the chest.
  • Jiggy- this is rocking sideways on the joined, bent legs, with swinging arms to the side, and performing a sit down from time to time while pushing your arms up.
  • Log on- it thrusts the leg forward and the hip movement outwards. The hands assist in this movement by joining together and leaning sideways. The movement should be performed with bent legs.
  • Now you see me now you don’t- it consists in imitating the name of this step, i.e. hiding behind crossed arms and tilting them sideways. During this movement, we put our legs freely, walking in one place or crossing them in exchange.
  • Row di boat- it consists in rocking the whole body to the sides and making the movements of the hands as if we were rowing.
  • Thunda clap- in this movement we put our leg to the side and place our hands to the side as if we wanted to shoot a bow. Then we add a leg and make a clap. You can point your hands down or up. The movement is performed balancing on bent legs.
  • Urkle- while urkle, place one leg in front of you and at the same time wave your hand upwards. We make the movement alternately.
  • Xuse me plz- stepping in place, bend over and put our straight hands back, then straighten up and bring our hands to the cage while clapping.

Music for dancehall - sunny vibrations

Music forFrom the very beginning, dancehall is indispensably connected with dance. It was created for people on the dance floor. The energetic Jamaican sounds are meant to make the dancers dance and inspire the dancers to come up with new steps. The first live dancehall sounds were started by musicians such as General Echo, Barington Levy, Junjo Lawes, Yellowman, Eek-A-Mouse. On the other hand, Capleton, Buju Banton and Shabba Ranks were in the lead in the new electronic trend.

Currently, danceholl music is dominated by, inter alia, Sean Paul, Busy Signal, Major Lazer, Beenie Man, Elephant Man, Demarco, WizKid, Charly Black. This type of music has also been successfully practiced by women for several years. The most famous of them are: Cecile, Spice, Lea-Anna.

Music for dancehall is divided into different styles, depending on who it is intended for. Formerly, dancehall was created by men and they initiated the first dancehall movements - then the sound of the music was strong and energetic. Today, mainly women dance dancehall and songs are created with them in mind. The feminine version of dancehall is joyful in sound and light on the ear, it adds energy and makes us smile while dancing. There is also a male dancehall, which often touches upon difficult topics such as violence, fear, everyday life in the ghetto.

Sample song choreographed by dancehall

Who is dancehall recommended for?

Dancehall is recommended to everyone who loves movement and having fun with music. Dancehall is usually danced on bent legs and activates the whole body to work, so it will be perfect as a training for a shapely figure. Effectively improves the appearance of body parts such as thighs, buttocks and abdomen. Moreover, with dancehall you will discover your femininity! During this dance, you have to boldly move your curves, which become our advantage. You can't do well with this Jamaican style of dance if you don't accept yourself. However, it is worth going to dancehall classes even when the awareness of your body is low, and so far we considered ourselves embarrassed - dancehall will change it! Music will give us strength and energy, and the dance of femininity and self-confidence.

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Meet other types of dance:

  • Viennese w altz
  • argentinian tango
  • rumba
  • samba
  • kizomba
  • bachata
  • jazz
  • salsa
  • cha-cha
  • swing
  • rock and roll
  • hip-hop
  • zumba
  • flamenco
  • bokwa
  • belly dance

Category:

Dance