The move I chose to use is Swirl, a House Dance move that I cover in my EDM dance programs, though I believe many other Club Dance moves I cover such as stepping, shoulder hits, and grooving. It’s also a good song to partner dance to, so I also recommend some grinding and basic turn patterns from my Club Dance Partnering programs.
For full “I Don’t Care” lesson, check out the full subscription program with over 400 videos and ongoing dance lessons.
]]>Most importantly, the song has a syncopated rhythm, so besides this lesson, a dance practice covered in another video will be critical.
For full “I Don’t Care” lesson, check out the full subscription program with over 400 videos and ongoing dance lessons, click here!
]]>For the full Moonwalk lesson and how to integrate it with Shuffle Dance, check out the full subscription program with over 400 videos and ongoing Shuffle Dance lessons.
Or get the basic Shuffle Dance program here.
]]>For the full Moonwalk lesson and how to integrate it with Shuffle Dance, check out my full Masterclass subscription program with over 400 videos and ongoing Shuffle Dance lessons! Or get the basic streaming Shuffle Dance program alone here.
]]>Zedd, Katy Perry - 365 (Zedd Remix) Nice and deep.
Nikki Vianna & Matoma - When You Leave (Breathe Carolina Remix) This one is EDM pop with a deep/progressive house mix
Trey Songz - Chi Chi (feat. Chris Brown) [Croatia Squad Remix] Also deep/progressive house. This track is a nice mix of urban and house.
Zara Larsson - Don't Worry Bout Me (Rudimental Remix - Visualiser) EDM pop with deep house elements. The video is kind of retro fun.
Marshmello ft. Bastille - Happier (Matt Medved Remix) A ridiculously Billboard track with several remixes, this one's nice and deep.
FISHER - Ya Kidding - Purse. Pure deep house. Awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5hGevKd6tM&list=PL_mANyy8aek23BoJgoUOMd4myBXh7h7SV
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For the full dance practice and my Club dance programs, including highly relevant partnering lessons on how to dance with a girl, check out the Club Dance Partnering programs.
Also, some of you follow my Courage Republic vlog on unconventional travel and inspirational living. It's veering off in direction, so I'm moving it to its own Youtube channel. Please click here to subscribe!
]]>Kygo - Happy Now (R3HAB Remix) EDM Pop + Progressive House chours. The original track is a pop track with Kygo's signature tropical house synths that's more suited for listening to in your car. This remix has heavier beat for dancing EDM/House/Shuffle dance moves to.
Sofi Tukker - Fantasy (R3HAB Remix) Also EDM Pop + Progressive House chorus. Remember to use your "slow moves" such as body/shoudler rolls for all the sections with no beats.
MØ - Sun In Our Eyes (Don Diablo Remix) EDM Pop with Deep House/Progressive house chorus. Excellent house section - try some classic house dance moves.
Ava Max - Sweet but Psycho (Morgan Page Remix) I've heard a lot of remixes of this track. This one is EDM Pop + Trance. It's a bit fast, so I'd do less Shuffle Dance and more EDM/House. Switch to jacking/rocking if it's too fast.
Khalid - Talk (Disclosure VIP) Classic house. House dance moves all the way!
Beginner club dance moves work for all the tracks.
If the embedded videos don't play, click here to watch directly on Youtube.
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Once you have this basic down, then it will elevate the dance moves covered in my Club Dance Partnering programs, which work perfectly well with reggaeton!
In other news, stay tuned for the release of my Shuffle Dance program!
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My Shuffle Dance program is almost complete! I've come up with a subscription program that will include a full 4-hour Shuffle Dance basics tutorials, followed by ongoing lesson drops (especially combo lesson) ever week or so. It will also include several of my other dance programs, also with ongoing drops. By supporting me, it will allow me to keep creating dance tutorials that will help shape you into a freestyle dancer! Stay tuned.
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I've got Part 2 and 3 already recorded, as well as the practices. It's all going into the new Shuffle Dance program which will be part of a subscription program unlocking over 100 of my videos as well as new lessons dropped continuously! Stay tuned and thanks for your support!
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Jesse
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First off, I have to apologize for the huge blast of emails you received a few weeks ago. I upgraded my website, and all the blog posts were marked as new and sent out again. The good news is that I also updated most of the posts to be more relevant. Here's a fully updated version of an older post breaking down the types of EDM:
If you have no knowledge about the different music styles/genres played in a nightclub, then this series of articles will help you sort out the confusion. By recognizing different styles of music, you can match your dance style to the music, have a lot more fun in the club, and show a bit of musicality to impress the ladies.
I generally prefer clubs that cater to a wider club crowd so I can get a feel of each genre and switch up my dancing. Recently, a significant clubs are skewed for EDM (electronic dance music). I dare to say most spin EDM, but it also depends on where you live and the demographic. I also hit up Latin clubs often to keep myself sharp as well as go out to a music-specific nightclub once a month. I recommend searching for playlists on Spotify to get a better feel of the genres.
In this article of a series of three, I'll introduce some different categories of electronic dance music - specifically Club/Top 40 Dance, House, and rave. Rave is actually not a style, but it refers to music associated with a rave. I've put the sub-styles together since this article is only an introduction and rave music isn't as pronounced in most nightclubs.
Electronic dance music is usually the easiest to dance to because of a consistent beat. Regular nightclubs that play all kinds of music will often play a lot of Club Dance, some Classic House, and almost no Rave music. However, if you find yourself on a dark nightclub with lots of lasers and lighting, and where only electronic dance music is played (no Hip Hop/R&B), then you'll hear a little Club Dance, some Hard House, and lots of Rave styles.
This style of electronic music is heavily associated with pop and is characterized by catchy vocals. If you listen to a Top 40 radio station, it's the "danceable" songs you'll hear. Visit Billboard.com's dance chart "Hot Club Dance Play" for more examples. Often, pop songs are remixed to be danceable club songs and fall into this category. David Guetta/Calvin Harris tend to pump out crowd-pleasing club dance tracks continuously.
This music style is difficult to identify for newcomers to the club scene. It is a form of EDM (electronic dance music). It has several sub-genres and can range from a hard dance style (tech house) to chilled-out background music (lounge house, beach house). However, the percussion pattern is similar across all house songs. Just listen to the example above, or if you want to get technical, it's characterized by a kickdrum bass on every beat, with a hi-hat , snare, or clapping sound on every other beat (beats 2 and 4). More commonly, people call it "unce, unce, unce".
There's also a distinct style of dancing for house music, though I teach a subdued nightclub version that's less bouncy and energetic in nature. Venues that usually play only house music, especially lounges, are generally smaller with a niche crowd. Top 40 clubs will often play a set of classic house music (not so hard hitting) that averages 15 minutes in length.
Junior Jack's "My Feeling" is an example of a pretty old Classic House song while "Jackie Chan" is a newer song incorporating Classic House elements. Along with Classic House, Deep House usually has a deeper bass line and a slightly slower rhythm making it very nice to dance to. For Deep House, try this Spotify playlist.
As mentioned in the introduction, rave is actually not a style of music, but a term referring to music associated with a rave. Rave music can be more high-energy in nature, either with a higher beat rate or a harder bass line, and can included techno, progressive house, tech house, hard trance, and drum and bass. Some songs may be pure electronic and have few vocals. Trance, one of the more popular types of rave music, has more soulful and haunting vocals. Trance songs can best be described as more hypnotic in nature ("trippy") with plenty of echo effects, and sometimes in large clubs, may be played in a separate room. Even though he's sadly gone, Avicii spun lots of progressive house that became more mainstream.
If you go to an EDM festival or a club that plays harder EDM, then dancing well may not be that important since everyone's facing the DJ on the platform at the front, or looking at the laser effects. Of course, to get into the mood (without taking the often associated drugs), dancing with rhythm is key. Large clubs that play rave music often have a smaller room that plays house music or the DJ may play a set of hard house. Rave, and specifically trance, are popular choices for large outdoor parties and festivals.
If you have the space and energy, then the best kinds of dance moves are the dynamic house dance moves I teach in my programs and shuffle dance, which is a combination of high-energy footwork from many styles of dance. Most importantly, drink lots of water if you're at a festival. Dehydration is a serious problem at these events.
Electro has a distinct sound. It has origins in electro-funk which slower in rhythm and popular for popping, but like most music, has integrated with EDM.
Electro typically has a hard house beat, and a distinct robotic synth instrument that gives it that "80's electronic" sound. Compared to classic house, I tend to prefer doing less shuffle dance moves to electro, because the synth sound makes the song less energetic. Often times, electro will mix with house beats or dubstep bass lines.
Most importantly, if you want to learn how to dance to all the styles, make sure you check out my EDM Dance programs!
]]>The dance moves are mostly a mix of contemporary, salsa, a bit of locking, and K-Pop even though the song is more slow tempo EDM, which would work great with my EDM and House Dance Moves programs.
I've actually been vlogging quite a bit about dance, adventure, and more. Some of you who follow me on my Courage Republic blog know that I am a huge believer in lifelong learning. Here are some other episodes!
Making Friends With Street Magic At The Fez Tanneries + Full Adventure
]]>I'm off to no good again with this dance instructional video! I hope you don't mind the more casual tone of this tutorial - I confess, I felt a little restricted in the ways I was making videos before, and felt this style motivates me much more. I hope you don't mind that my pug Bobby is in this video - he just felt like he had to be there!
So in this first of three dance tutorials, I'll be teaching you how a move I named the Avicii Spin. Avicii passed away tragically, and in celebration of his life and music, we'll dance to one of the more popular songs he's known for - Levels. Besides just learning the Avicii Spin move, I'll be showing how to dance to his song 'Levels' completely by transitioning from other dance moves, since the Avicii Spin is considered an accent dance step.
For the chorus of Levels, we'll be mixing in the Pas de Bourree, but we'll make it bouncier to match the song. We'll also be covering another transition in the build up part of the song, in Part 2. And in part 3, we'll tie everything together in a full dance practice. I also show some beginners variations, though to do the complete combination could be considered intermediate or even advanced to some (for EDM/club dance). The nuances of the Pas De Bouree is fully covered in my EDM dance programs.
Don't forget to click like, subscribe, and leave some comments on things you would like to see. In fact, this video was motivated by a student watching me freestyle dance in one of my travel videos. Speaking of which, here's another episode from my Courage Republic travel vlog:
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In today's lesson, we're going to learn how to do the Fresh Dance from Fortnite, which is also known as the Carlton Dance from the 90's sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It's a fairly complicated dance move, so we'll start with a beginner's version before adding more subtle movement in intermediate and advanced variations!
Oh, and here's a little something from my travel vlog you might like!
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Today's lesson builds on the previous Havana dance lesson for beginners, and I show you some fun (and eye-catching) variations on the cha-cha sidestep. This includes the open break (1:26), cha-cha side step with movement (5:41), and the cha-cha slide (12:15). We'll go through each of the moves individually and slowly. And I'll then show them all facing away from the camera (18:00). Once you're ready, we can move onto the dance practices in another video (coming soon)!
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Dance practice at 8:29 Orange Justice is actually an awesome, funky dance move that works in real life! In this first slowed-down lesson for beginners, we loosen up our hips, and do an Orange Justice dance tutorial before I show you some hand movements, fun bonus variations, and other boogie down moves to complete a full dance. We finish with a mirrored dance practice to a song. I'll revisit Orange Justice in another lesson where we'll learn the advanced concepts of the dance.
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Regardless of the music categories, dancing to Urban Music can generally be placed under hip hop dance, which includes breaking, popping, locking, and freestyle, amongst other styles. I use elements from all these styles in my nightclub dance syllabus.
Whatever style of dance you do, what's important is musicality - how well a dance move fits the song. For example, if the song has a hard, pronounced beat, then you definitely want to pop (flex your muscles to come to abrupt stops) at times. If it has some soulful vocal sections, then perhaps some body waving or a slower, smooth dance move should be used.
Also known as Urban Pop, R&B is so popular these days that it takes up most of Billboard.com's Hot 100 Chart. If you don't know what R&B is, rather than describe it, just listen to the playlist below as well as some of these established artists: Beyonce, Kanye West, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, and sometimes Drake. Although R&B and Hip Hop can be considered separate genres, what's played in the nightclub is usually more a mix of Hip Hop/R&B than just pure R&B. To better showcase your musicality, change your dance style during the hip hop sections.
Expect a lot of Contemporary R&B in nightclubs and focus more of your dancing here if you're planning on visiting different nightclubs.
Also as popular as Contemporary R&B, it is also sometimes referred to as rap, though less and less these days. Because hip hop is based on a rhythmic style of speaking, danceable hip hop songs must have other solid musical elements or a pop/R&B influence. Otherwise, it may get repetitive without a vocal chorus, anthem, catchy beat, clear changes in the song, or faster tempo.
I'm not a huge fan of pure hip hop clubs as my dancing becomes somewhat repetitive and the dance steps tend to be smaller. That said, any music gets repetitive to dance to after a while, but for me, pure hip hop gets there a bit faster.
Some old school hip hop songs make great breakbeats - songs good for breaking (or breakdancing, b-boying). As fun as breaking is to watch, full-on breaking isn't what you want to learn for nightclubs. Girls much prefer a dancer that interacts with them than doing showy moves in front of them. However, the basic breaking steps are appropriate, and I use them for higher energy songs.
Though considered Urban Music, I've moved this to my "Basic Nightclub Music Styles - Latin" article since it receives more club play in Latin music clubs.
Not exactly considered Urban Music, thought the roots of Funk and R&B are both Soul. Recently, dance shows have showcased funky street styles such as popping and locking more, which in turn has made them more popular.
I give my dancing a unique twist with funky moves, which can range from being very stylized to cheesy fun. Disco can be danced similarly. It takes a bit more courage to pull off funky dancing, but they're always well-received. If you're just starting out, try making your steps lower and more exaggerated.
If you're in a typical nightclub, you won't hear a lot of disco and funk since most songs date back over 20 years. At the least, you're likely to encounter an Earth, Wind, and Fire song in a nightclub, probably the above track "September". However, you'll hear the disco-funk influence in many urban pop and house songs. The below Justin Timberlake track is modernized funk.
]]>Once you get this basic step down, you can build off of it with other dance moves. Because Havana has a modern urban feel to it, it's open to a lot of interpretation, including adding hip hop, isolations, and other dance styles. I freestyle a little in the intro, so if you see something that catches your eye, let me know, and maybe I'll make a lesson out of it!
In the second video, we'll do a mirrored dance practice. We're going to dance to the basic cha-cha side step for the song Havana by Camila Cabello (alternate cha-cha song used due to licensing issues). We'll start with a slow practice, and then go into a regular speed practice.
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Of course, you can learn many of these dance moves - taught by me! If you see something specific you want to learn, then make sure you let me know!
]]>The dance practice was designed for Avicii's Levels, though due to licensing issues, we can't actually use the song. If you're ready to dance to Levels though, click here to watch it.
I also wanted to share this video from my travel dance series. I trade my shoes with a poor man, and get a lesson in gratitude. Also, as usual, I do some dancing in the Simien Mountains!
]]>For beginners, I recommend doing shoulder rolls. However, once you got that down and you want more, then there's several moves you can mix in. For the purpose of this lesson and practice, we'll be doing a crossover step that I name Loose Legs Simple in my EDM Dance Programs. Loose Legs Simple is a core dance move I teach in my programs, and I add lots of styling and practices for it. It's important to dance it well since you can build on the dance move.
We'll transition from Loose Legs Simple into the Pas de Bouree dance move for the chorus. I'll show the move facing in front (mirrored) as well as behind since the transition is fast and can be tricky for many. Once you have this move and the steps shown in the first tutorial, it's time to move on to the dance practice!
]]>Today, I'm taking my House and Club Dance around the world as I film some dancing in some sweet spots in Chefchaouen, Morocco. If you're a student of my dance lessons, you'll definitely have seen these moves in the House + EDM programs.
Chefchaouen at night is beautiful, but quite noisy late until night. I'm staying at someone's flat right in the thick of the blue city, and I decide to film some house dancing with a touch of other styles late at night. Because it's still so busy, I have no choice but to wander, find more secluded places to dance, and wait it out. The local residents put out their garbage, the cats raid it, and many parts of Chefchaouen are a mess.
Moroccan youths smoke locally grown marijuana on the streets, while several old men on the streets are selling. Eventually, around 2am, the streets quiet down enough for me to get going. It's getting late, and I have to get my dance on fast as I'm running out of energy. Fortunately, a good house track always gets me moving! Don't forget to click, like, subscribe, and leave a comment if there's a dance move that caught your eye and you want me to break down!
Click here if you don't see the video.
Song: Don't Stop Believing by Ben Ashton feat. Philip Manning (Marty Kurtys Remix), courtesy of Spirit Soul Records
If you like the travel aspect of this video, here are some other episodes I filmed.
Marijuana Farm (Hashish) Hunting In Chefchaouen, Morocco
Chefchaouen, Morocco: Minor Scams + Annoyances
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Next, the colourful Timkat Festival:
And finally, my day 1 arrival and thoughts in Addis Ababa:
]]>Dear Friends and Students,
As some of you who follow me may know, I have a separate personal blog where I write about travel and personal development. I also made some popular inspirational videos such as The Sunscreen Song Tribute and Dance Like No One Is Watching. This is something I've always been passionate about. Long story short, I never stopped filming my exploits, but I was just making short clips to make more inspirational videos like I did before. I wanted more - to share my adventures in long form continuously and to try something new. Last year, I started narrating during my adventures, and now I've gotten the hang of putting together something cohesive, interesting, and hopefully inspiring!
My old blog was named RisingBean, but now I'm releasing it under the new name Courage Republic.
Courage Republic is pretty much the video version of Rising Bean, and is all about being courageous, facing fears, learning - and of course, dancing will always be a part of it. It means constantly being uncomfortable, putting myself out there, and failing quite a bit. But, along the way, I'll engage in and learn several skills: languages, art, music, engineering, dance (of course), street magic, rock climbing, extreme sports, photography, and plenty more. I won't just dabble in these things - I'll do my best to learn everything to a decent proficiency and then combine skills, share, and connect.
It often comes together when I'm on the road traveling, but as you'll see, I don't have to travel to share many things I've learned. Most of all, I hope my experiences help you do something you've always been afraid of. I hope to hear your story and maybe even get to share it!
So, to get things started, I have to first release my vlog. And it's a fear I have to face. I love making these videos, but at the same time, I'm actually kind of an introvert, and it feels awkward to be on camera not as a dance instructor, but as me. To top it off, I have to expose myself to my friends and family, and though I know I have their support, it feels awkward nonetheless. As such, I chose to use my real name, Jesse, in the vlog, rather than my pen name/dancer name, Ki'une.
Also, I could use your support! If you like what I'm doing, or I've inspired you in the past, you can support me as a patron on Patreon for as low as $1/video (around 1 or 2 a week). It also really helps if you share anything. Here are my new social links:
Youtube will be the same, shared with the Pickupdance channel, but I'll create clear playlists for my vlog. If you don't see the above trailer for my vlog, click here to see it on Youtube.
All the best and thanks for your support!
Jesse (or Ki'une)
]]>We're excited to announce our new locking program. Locking is a funk-style street dance that works really well for funk and disco inspired music. Funk music has never died, and you'll constantly hear funk-inspired music in Top 40 tracks, such as in our previously released lesson for Justin Timberlake's single "Can't Stop The Feeling". Locking also really popular in EDM, even forming sub-genres like Disco House. Most importantly, it gets people dancing, and locking is something you can definitely throw into the mix.
In this lesson, Lydia will teach you the signature move that gives locking its name - The Lock. Specifically, she'll show you how to properly do the basic up lock, then regular lock, as well as some variations before going into a slow practice to get you started. This lesson is designed for beginners, and more lessons can be found on the newly released "Locking for Beginners" program. In addition, there is a women's variation on the program, "Locking And Waacking For Women" that extends with women's styling and waacking, and a section that covers how to adapt locking into EDM and Club Dance!
]]>Now, for the chorus we'll dance with Train and the Trance Hop, though we'll do it two different ways: statically and dynamically. When dancing "statically", or more clubby, Train will be more like a Toe Tap. For the final verse, we'll do a crazy combo mixing Train and The Trance Hop every 4 counts. Give it a try! Nailing it will help you dance freestyle, but if you feel like you're losing the step, just do the easier 8 count version. All these dance moves with extra practices and variations are covered in my EDM/House Dance programs.
For more practices to many types of EDM/House tracks, check out EDM + House Dance For Clubs Level 1-2 programs!
]]>In this club style locking lesson, we'll dance to "Can't Stop That Feeling" by Justin Timberlake. This Top 40 track is funky and grooving which makes it perfect to lock to it. Locking is a funky social dance that dates back to the 70's that's evolved and can be mixed it with lots of different music nowadays. For this practice, we'll lock "club style", making the dance moves less pronounced but still having fun with the dance. All the dance moves covered in this practice, such as the Leo Walk, Scoobot, and basic lock, can be found in our Locking program.
For the full program, which covers plenty more moves as well as club/EDM styling, check out the new Locking For Beginners program at In addition, there is a women's variation on the program, Locking And Waacking For Women that extends with women's styling and waacking.
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