Feel the music. Dancehall music has a strong beat, a heavy bass line, an infectious musical composition and usually a deejay who knows how to take revellers to a higher level in a party. Put on some dancehall music (anything by Sean Paul or Mr Vegas will do), close your eyes, appreciate the music and allow yourself to move naturally without telling your body what to do. You will soon find yourself rocking and wining like a Jamaican hot gyal (men generally don’t wine).
Learn how to wine. Wining (winding) is the rotation of the hips in a sensual and seductive manner (though it does not have to come across as flirtatious). This move truly allows one to be free to explore your instinctive loving human nature. You were made to love and be loved – express this! Wining represents a love of dance, people, music and freedom.To do it: simply relax your knees and rotate your hips in a circular motion. Keep your top half still and let your hips do all the talking.
Learn how to isolate. Many moves within dancehall involve separating one part of the body almost if it isn’t connected to the rest of it. This is often done with the chest and the waist (wining is a form of body isolation). Try chest isolation by imagining you are standing in front of a wall. Push your chest out (just your chest, keep the rest of your body relaxed), touch the wall and then bring it back to where you started. Once you get the hang of it, do it faster and faster.
Create your own moves. There are so many dances within dancehall, such as: The Cowfoot, Skip to my Lou, Tek it to Dem, Bogle, Over the Wall, The Butterfly, Head Garn (gone), Chaplin and so many move.Everyday, people in Jamaica and all over the world are choreographing moves to dancehall music and giving them names in the hope that people worldwide will learn their dance. Have some fun creating your own! You could try dances like: Brush your Hair, Drive de Car, Stamp on the Cigarette, or even Iron de Clothes. Allow your mind to create whatever it desires.
Finally, Don’t believe the hype. Some people will not entertain dancehall music because of a minority group who have over sexualised it and have been very derogatory towards certain groups of people in society such as women and gay people. Not everyone in the industry supports this type of dancehall. In fact in Jamaica there are many people who oppose deejays and dancers who have taken things way too far.
The majority of dancehall music is good, clean and created to get people shocking out (partying hard) in the night club. Keep this is mind when you are bubbling (dancing) and as Marley would say ‘Heveryting will be alright.’
