The
Melbourne Shuffle (also known as
Rocking or simply
The Shuffle) is a
rave and
club dance that originated in the late 1980s in the underground rave music scene in
Melbourne,
Australia. The basic movements in the dance are a fast heel-and-toe action with a style suitable for various types of
electronic music. Some variants incorporate arm movements.
People who dance the shuffle are often referred to as rockers, due in
part to the popularity of shuffling to rock music in the early 1990s.
The origins of the name "Melbourne Shuffle" are unknown. The term was first brought to the public attention by
Sonic Animation's Rupert Keiller during a TV interview in Sydney.
The Age referred to it as looking like "a cross between the chicken dance and a foot stomping robot" to the untrained eye,but locals simply called it "stomping".
Some dancers sprinkle
talcum powder
or apply liquid to the floor beneath their feet to help them glide more
easily, some including 360 degree spins or jumps into their moves. Others apply smooth plastic tape or duct tape to the soles of their shoes.
Originally consisting of the "T-Step" combined with arm movements,
during the 1990s the "Running Man" has been adopted into the dance,
accentuating the new focus of keeping time with the beat. The "Running
man" involves a 2-step motion in which the front foot is brought
backwards with two hops while the back foot is brought forwards in a
walking motion, creating a "running on the spot" motion, hence the name.
The "T-Step" is a fast sideways heel-toe motion on one foot twisting at
the ankle. The dance is embellished by spins, arm pumps, slides, and
kicks. Modern implementations of the dance include motions from other
dances such as
Crip Walk,
Toprock and
Jumpstyle, which have brought the less-adaptive t-step to the background. Some dancers even omit the t-step completely.
Although
Hardstyle
has been a dominant genre to dance on within the Melbourne Shuffle for
many years, referring to the dance with "hardstyle" is incorrect.
"Hardstyle" is an umbrella term for many different
rave dances
globally, as well as a genre of electronic music. Hardstyle is a rave
dance, while most other styles were typically performed in clubs and
dance parties.
With the spread of the Melbourne Shuffle through YouTube, dancing
styles have evolved from each other to a point in which people refer to
styles with an abbreviation coming from the area in which the style came
from, such as "AUS"/"Melb" (Australia/Melbourne), "MAS"/"Malay"
(Malaysia) or "Cali" (California). These distinctions cause a lot of
confusion for newcomers and those who are unfamiliar with the dance.