# House dance

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/House_dance
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/House_dance.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_dance
> Source revision: 1338289904
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Freestyle street and social dance

**House dance** is a [freestyle](/source/Dance_improvisation) [street dance](/source/Street_dance) and [social dance](/source/Social_dance) that has roots in the underground [house music](/source/House_music) scene of [Chicago](/source/Chicago) and [New York](/source/New_York_City).[1][2] It is typically danced to loud and [bass](/source/Bass_(sound))-heavy [electronic dance music](/source/Electronic_dance_music) provided by [DJs](/source/Disc_jockey) in [nightclubs](/source/Nightclubs) or at [raves](/source/Rave).

## Elements and characteristics

The main elements of House dance include "[jacking](/source/Jacking_(dance))", "[footwork](/source/Footwork_(genre))", and "lofting".[3] The element of "jacking", or the "jack", – an ecstatic, sex-driven rippling movement of the torso – is the most famous dance move associated with early house music.[4][5] It has found its way onto numerous record titles like the *Jack Trax* EP by [Chip E.](/source/Chip_E.) (1985), "Jack'n the House" (1985) by [Farley "Jackmaster" Funk](/source/Farley_%22Jackmaster%22_Funk) (1985), "[Jack Your Body](/source/Jack_Your_Body)" by [Steve "Silk" Hurley](/source/Steve_%22Silk%22_Hurley) (1986), or "Jack to the Sound of the Underground" by [Fast Eddie](/source/Fast_Eddie_(producer)) (1988).

Jacking style involves the whole body in energetic, often ecstatic movements, going beyond traditional dance movements. Reynolds[6] links 'jacking' to both the 'jerk' movement and a collective, intense dance style, resembling a robot in a charged dance. In house music's more sexually charged tracks, 'jacking' often happens during climactic energy peaks, where the beat becomes a continuous, sexually charged motif, driving the audience to heightened excitement.[7] This results in a collective, almost impersonal experience, where dancers become part of a unified group, often showcasing extravagant identity transformations. House dance movements carry spiritual and political meanings, creating a sense of unity and connection through the genre's energy.[8] House dance is often improvised and emphasizes fast and complex foot-oriented steps combined with fluid movements in the torso, as well as [floor work](/source/Floor_work). There is an emphasis on the subtle rhythms and [riffs](/source/Riff) of the music, and the footwork follows them closely.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Notable dancers

In the early progressions of the dance, there were hundreds of phenomenal dancers that were key in its progression in this social dance scene. However, out of the many there were few instrumental in the introduction of house dance culture across the globe. Some of these dancers are Ejoe Wilson, Brian "Footwork" Green, Tony McGregor, Marjory Smarth, Caleaf Sellers, "Brooklyn" Terry Wright, Kim D. Holmes, Shannon Mabra, Tony "Sekou" Williams, Shannon Selby (aka Shan S), Voodoo Ray, and others.

In Los Angeles, as seen in the local television series, "Pump It Up" hosted by Dee Barnes, the "underground" house dance episode, co-hosted by Stefan of L.A. Posse, recognizes some of the following to be instrumental to the house dance culture in LA: The Scheme Team, Club House, L.A. Posse, Just As Hard, The Groovers, and the Soul Brothers.[9]

## Competitions and festivals

- [House Dance International](http://www.HouseDanceNYC.com): International competition and festival focusing on House Dance (USA)

- [Juste Debout](http://juste-debout.com/): Urban dance competition and festival, including House Dance as one major part of the event (France)

- [SDK Europe](http://www.sdkeurope.com/): Competition focusing on Hip Hop New Style, House Dance, Popping and Locking (Czech Republic)

- [House Dance Europe](http://www.lifestyledance.com/) (Italy)

- [WDC (World Dance Colosseum)](http://wdc.feelin-co.jp/wdc2011/wdc2011.html/)[*[permanent dead link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot)*] (Japan)

- [HOUSEDANCEFOREVER](http://www.housedanceforever.com/): International House Dance battle (Netherlands)

- [House Dance Conference](http://www.theybarelyunderstandhello.com/house-dance-conference) (USA)

## External links

- Sommer, Sally R. (2001). ["'C'mon to My House': Underground-House Dancing"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/Services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/A243FA2CF22949B6B44F1AB6BDDA49CB/S0149767700006446a.pdf/cmon_to_my_house_undergroundhouse_dancing.pdf) (PDF). *Dance Research Journal*. **33** (2): 72–86. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/1477805](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1477805). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [1477805](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1477805). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [191461352](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:191461352).

- [Czarina Mirani: Spin Slide and Jack: A History of House Dancing](https://5mag.net/features/house-dance-and-dancing/) on [5 Magazine](/source/5_Magazine), 2005.

- [Makkada B. Selah: Powder Burns – Essay on house dance](http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-06-26/music/powder-burns/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110524114146/http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-06-26/music/powder-burns/) 2011-05-24 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) in [Village Voice](/source/Village_Voice), 2007.

- [Barry Walters: Burning Down the House](https://www.spin.com/2014/04/burning-down-the-house-chicago-club-80s/), in SPIN magazine, November 1986.

- [Phil Cheeseman: "The History Of House"](http://music.hyperreal.org/library/history_of_house.html), on DJ Magazine, December 2003.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-HistoryofHouse_1-0)** [Phil Cheeseman: "The History Of House"](http://music.hyperreal.org/library/history_of_house.html), DJ Magazine, 2003.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["What is house?"](http://www.dance.net/topic/7292552/1/House/What-is-house.html&replies=3) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120319030104/http://www.dance.net/topic/7292552/1/House/What-is-house.html%26replies%3D3) 2012-03-19 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), discussion board on www.dance.net, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Czarina Mirani: Spin Slide and Jack: A History of House Dancing](https://5mag.net/features/house-dance-and-dancing/) on [5 Magazine](/source/5_Magazine), 2005.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Barry Walters: Burning Down the House](https://www.spin.com/2014/04/burning-down-the-house-chicago-club-80s/), in SPIN magazine, November 1986.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Simon Reynolds: *Generation Ecstasy: Into the World of Techno and Rave Culture*. Routledge, 1999. pp. 28-29.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Reynolds, Simon (2012). *Energy Flash*. Berkeley, Calif. : Soft Skull Press. p. 21.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Hawkins, Stan (2003). *Feel the beat come down: house music as rhetoric. In Analyzing Popular Music*. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 98.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: publisher location ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_publisher_location))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Sommer, Sally R (22 July 2014) [Print Winter 2001]. ["C'mon to my house: Underground-House Dancing"](https://www.cambridge.org/core/Services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/A243FA2CF22949B6B44F1AB6BDDA49CB/S0149767700006446a.pdf/cmon_to_my_house_undergroundhouse_dancing.pdf) (PDF). *Dance Research Journal*. **33** (2). [Cambridge University Press](/source/Cambridge_University_Press): 72–86. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/1477805](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1477805). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0149-7677](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0149-7677). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [1477805](https://www.jstor.org/stable/1477805). [LCCN](/source/LCCN_(identifier)) [76012179](https://lccn.loc.gov/76012179). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [66613879](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/66613879). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [191461352](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:191461352). Retrieved 5 October 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** mysterious murasame (2010-01-09). [*The Soul Brothers*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=4DwXvam84O4YKtHh&v=lNKamVB3VJA&feature=youtu.be). Retrieved 2024-10-06 – via YouTube.

v t e Street dance Hip-hop 2 step Breakdancing Toprock Downrock Freezes Power moves Boogaloo Bird Walk Cabbage Patch Cat Daddy Chicken Noodle Soup Crank That Crip Walk Cupid Shuffle Dab Dougie Electric boogaloo Gangsta Walking Harlem shake John Wall Jerkin' Krumping Laffy Taffy Lean wit It, Rock wit It Locking Popping Robot Running man Shoulder Lean Stanky Legg Twerking Turfing Uprock Wop House dance Footwork Hustle Jacking Vogue Rave dance Electro dance Hakken Hard dance Industrial Jumpstyle Liquid and digits Melbourne shuffle Para Para Rebolation Wu-tang X-Outing Jazz dance Cakewalk Charleston Lindy Hop Swing Tap dance Other Air guitar Azonto Budots Capoeira Dancehall dances Flexing Flossing Folk dance Clogging Headbanging Grinding Moshing Moonwalk Novelty and fad dances Pantsula Pogo Salsa Gwoka Tango Waacking

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [House dance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_dance) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_dance?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.