Dance
Freestyle dance: 5 profound insights from the pros to expand your skills
Let's explore the beginnings of freestyle dance while arming you with the tips and tricks to take your moves to the next level.
Dancing, much like in life, is best enjoyed in the moment. It's all very well having a strict routine to your favourite K-pop hit (and TikTok followers will thank you) but nothing beats getting truly lost in sound and seeing what happens, unaware quite which way you'll sway on the dance floor.
Freestyle dance is more than movement, it's a state of mind. Now let's break down the basics:
01
What is freestyle dance
Freestyle dance is an incredibly popular art form that goes beyond choreographed sets and allows dancers to channel their inner creativity and develop unique moves. While there's certainly no wrong way to freestyle dance, there are some tricks and tips you can implement to get the most out of your dance session. In many ways, breaking is a perfect example of freestyle in action. Although b-boys and b-girls spend countless hours refining their most gravity-defying moves, they still depend heavily on improvisation, stepping into major battles without knowing what music will be played.
02
Who invented freestyle dance?
Freestyle dancing, sometimes referred to as street dancing, is a unique type of dance based on improvisation rather than the choreography seen in other dance varieties. Coming up with moves on the spot, throwing shapes in the spur of the moment.
As the era of disco died, freestyle dancing was born in the early 1970s US when dancers began to show off their freestyle skills on the streets and in public areas. New York and Los Angeles were home to several important locations that contributed to the birth and growth of freestyle dancing, while Jamaica played a role in the incarnation of reggae seen in some forms of freestyle dance.
Today, freestyle dance has evolved to be edgier and harder and has given birth to several other forms of dancing like krumping, street jazz, breakdancing, and popping and locking.
B-Boy Wing dancing at the Hotel Couvent des Minimes in Lille, France
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
While freestyle dancing is based on uniqueness and improvisation in the moment, there's no harm in picking up tips from the pros. Read on for some of the most useful:
03
Where to start: just start moving
“Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.” – Iconic US dancer Martha Graham
This tip may seem obvious; it's easy to get stuck in your head when first starting to freestyle dance. The purpose of freestyle dance is to express your own unique voice and create moves that are individual and improvised. Getting caught up with the ins and outs of freestyle dance often has a negative effect on the dancer's actual dancing. So, before anything else, push your fears and judgments aside and just start moving your body to the music.
Majid freestyles on the Red Bull Dance Tour
© Little Shao
Dance is nothing without good music, so find a groove that works and start listening to it deeply, tuning into the beat until you feel fully in sync. Then switch it up with some simple freestyle moves:
- Two-step: Shifting your weight side to side to the rhythm of the music. Don’t overcomplicate it, just get into the flow.
- Body roll: As Shakira said, those hips don’t lie—so now’s the time to engage them, moving your upper torso and hips together in a smooth, flowing ripple through your body.
- Bring the arms into play: Don’t fight it. Let the music overpower you and sway with your whole body, eventually bringing those shoulders into play. Give it a shoulder bounce or two. And then activate the arms and, guess what, you're freestyling. These moves may seem basic but are the foundation upon which much of freestyle dance is built.
04
Focus on one or two styles of freestyle dance
"Don't compare yourself to anybody. Just keep going. It'll happen eventually." – The Crown, a Red Bull Dance Your Style favourite
Rather than trying to master every style of freestyle dancing, choose one or two styles that feel right and focus on mastering those. There are several foundational styles of dancing that are based on where the people are dancing and the music that's popular in their area. Popular styles include rump, popping, locking, house, and breaking. Pick which style you gravitate most to and spend your time practicing the techniques of that style regularly.
B-Girl AT
© Maarit Halonen / Red Bull Content Pool
For example, if you really like robot freestyle dancing then practice the popping and locking technique that's commonly seen in this style of dancing. Sure, early on you may have the same success as your drunken uncle on a wedding party, but stick at it and the rewards will follow. Akin to a magician on the floor, it blends dance performance with mime-levels of theatre. Once you've mastered popping and locking, develop some moves of your own. Music that's great for robot dancing is techno, dubstep, and electro-funk.
05
Take a Dance Class
“I learned to appreciate repetition. That's why I can dance. It's how I learned to act. I have a high tolerance for repetition.”
Ginger Rogers? Michael Jackson? No, those are the immortal words of Channing Tatum, star of 2006’s Step Up, and 2008’s sequel Step Up 2: The Streets. While it’s not exactly a cinematic heavyweight, the film series does excel with its dance scenes and it’s clear Tatum put those lessons to good use.
Lessons are a surefire way to expand your skillset. Sure, freestyle dance is based on improvisation, but that doesn't mean you can't take a dance class or two to learn new moves to incorporate into your freestyle dancing. Learning from an expert will improve your movement and give you ideas on how to broaden your freestyle dancing experience. A dance class will also introduce you to other movers' styles, which may ultimately lead you to find a new style of dancing you enjoy just as much.
Breaking in Greece
© Red Bull Content Pool
In most dance studios there's a mirror to help keep track of your form. We’re not saying you’ll get asked to star in your own Hollywood film, but you will look good once you can string a few moves together. There’s also nothing to stop you recording yourself dancing in your own time to glean insights you wouldn’t necessarily notice while in motion.
The closer you are to big cities, the easier it will be to find a dance studio. Dublin, for instance, has Mind the Step, offering a range of user-friendly classes such as shuffling for beginners, though fans of urban dance will want to head to Fly Dance Studio, which offers plenty of freestyle-themed classes.
And if you aren’t able to find a dance studio locally, there are really good classes online, such as Steezy, a giant platform for all things freestyle boasting over 1500 classes ready at the click of a button. There’s nothing wrong with using your house as your own dance studio – just be sure to give yourself room.
06
Activate Your Creativity
“Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made.” – Legendary US choreographer Ted Shawn
Brickdance
© Red Bull Content Pool
Freestyle dance is an incredible way to release your creativity and expand your understanding of yourself. But before you can do this, you must first learn how to activate your creativity. Most people don't go through the day focused on how they can express their creativity. In fact, for many, everyday life is a way of stifling our creativity.
Luckily, there are several ways you can broaden your creative horizons and tap into your own unique spirit. Visit an art show, watch a new TV show, read books, and take time to be in nature. Immerse yourself as much as possible in creative settings, even if it's just a walk through a new park. The more you can tap into your creativity, the better you'll be at freestyle dancing.
Incorporating these tips into your freestyle dance practice will help you hone your skills on the dance floor and add to your library of moves. It’s nice to have a few weapons at your disposal, freestyle moves you can call on at any time, but if you really want to make progress then work on making strong transitions between the movements, connecting some of your biggest hitters in seamless fashion.
Additionally, it’s vital that you do not stick to a single style, but pick up new disciplines as you go, which is bound to give you a more dynamic understanding of just what your body can do. Variety is the spice of life, and it’ll certainly spice up your repertoire.
07
Overcome the awkward phase
"I had an option to do ballet when I was a kid, but thought it was too girly. So I didn’t spend the time on it that I should have. But I really wish that I had, because it can bring such a benefit to your life.” – Actor, and star of La La Land, Ryan Gosling
Nerves are fine. Heck, even Napoleon Dynamite’s gangly freestyling to the sounds of Jamiroquai won over his high school classmates in the end. You’re not going to get anywhere by falling at the first hurdle, so embrace the challenge and treat dance like you would studying a new language.
Keelan Reynolds's electrifying Red Bull Dance Your Style Ireland
© Szymon Lazewski/Red Bull Content Pool
Take a leaf out of the book of Ireland’s own Rhys McClenaghan, the Olympic gold medallist and Red Bull athlete who tried his hand at TV’s Dancing With the Stars with no dancing experience at all. Being a sportsman he leaned into his inner athletic competitor and, together with his pro partner, won the entire series.
“When the opportunity and challenge came, even if I'd never danced before in my life, I tackled it head on,” he says. “There was a competitive side to it, but it was more that I was being myself. So much is out of your control, especially with the public vote and everything. So, what I wanted to do each week with my dance partner Laura [Nolan] was to put out the best performance possible and make sure everybody enjoyed it. I feel like that was achieved each week. It was fascinating.”
And if he can go on national television and put himself out there, his body quite literally on the line, there’s no reason you can’t dance in a class and give it your all.
FAQs
How to become a better street dancer?
Find the groove that works for you, be it an artist, genre or new sound of a subculture, and lean into it – literally. Allow yourself to get lost in the beats and then, slowly, start to incorporate body moves, starting with a side-step, moving onto a nice body roll where you can engage your upper body. It may sound simple, but these toe-tapping basics will provide your entire foundation for freestyle.
Why do dancers say 5 6 7 8 instead of 1 2 3 4?
Because most dance choreography is based on a 1-8-count phase, the dance leaders are simply counting the last four beats of the previous phrase to ensure everyone is ready. If they started on ‘1’ it might risk rushing everyone. This way the ‘5 6 7 8’ is a forewarning that the real ‘1 2 3 4’ is coming up.
What is the fastest way to become a better dancer?
In the words of Rihanna: work, work, work work. Yes, you’ve simply got to put yourself in positions where you can expand your skills, be it in classes or clubs or recording yourself at home. Fitness and dancing go hand in hand, particularly in freestyle where a good stretch can go a long way.
Why am I so awkward dancing?
One man’s awkward is another man’s avant-garde. There will come a time when you’ll feel more at home in freestyle. The lack of rules can leave dancers feeling a little ‘out there’, but that’s the place you’ve got to be if you want to push boundaries through art and music. You’re not lacking in skill – just confidence.
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