The Melbourne shuffle

The Melbourne Shuffle is a style of dance, originating in the late 1980s in the Melbourne underground scene. The movements are typical jazz dance steps incorporated with a modern twist


Introduction

The basis of the Melbourne Shuffle has traditionally been footwork performed by combining three basic steps.

1. Sliding to the left or right and then back and forth. When performed well Shufflers can seem to be gliding across the floor defying gravity.
2. Shuffling on Spot is used for different reasons. A Shuffler using this step can conserve energy for a few moments prior to a change in beat and pattern of music. A Shuffler may step back and allow another dancer to take centre stage meanwhile Shuffling on Spot. Arm movements come into play more often while in this step as it allows the dancer to express a connection with the music as to the beat with the feet.
3. Shuffle in a triangular pattern is a very energetic step which can be performed with great flair.

The modern shuffler usually performs around 5 different moves while shuffling:

1. The running man is the most popular move where the shuffler “runs” on the spot. One foot is lifted from standing position and placed in front while the other slides back, then the foot at the back is lifted up into the standing position while the forward foot slides into the standing position and the process is repeated to the beat.
2. The shuffle is like a t-shaped movement which is well documented by “BigMilan” on Youtube.com
3. Slides, where the shuffler normally slides left and right occasionally, the slide is usually and long “glide” along the dance floor and is mostly followed by a spin.
4. Spins can be “normal” or “inverted”. A normal spin meaning you lift one foot from standing position and use it to propel your body in a clockwise direction. An inverted spin is the opposite, where you lift one foot from standing position and use it to propel yourself in an anticlockwise direction. Both spins are common and are incorporated into the shuffle.
5. Kicks are done with one foot while the other is used to “shuffle” along to one side. Kicks can be low (some shufflers prefer to kick at the ground while shuffling to one side) and high (some shufflers kicking up to their waists). The point of kicking is to look balanced and controlled, so when kicking multiple times shufflers prefer not to bend their knees while their leg is in the air.

Dance moves from other styles such as mimeing, popping, locking, liquiding, running man and breaking can also be incorporated into shuffling.

History

The Melbourne Shuffle was one of several dances that emerged during the acid house era. Some have described the main dance styles in that period as jacking, stepping, and shuffling. However, as the acid house genre became more diverse, two different but not mutually exclusive, dance philosophies evolved: the back-step and the shuffle. The Shuffle has continued to evolve in Melbourne nightclubs and events over the years, and has adopted moves from established dance styles such as hat tricks, spins, and running on the spot.

Some of the major events, clubs and communities that took part in the evolution of the shuffle over the years are:

Raves and Event Organizers: Land of the Giants. Pureflow. Every Picture Tells A Story, Centre House, Melbourne CBD Commerce House, Melbourne CBD Hardware. Pharmacy (aka Kill Rock Star). Earthcore. Omniglobe / IF? Events. Smile Police. Future Entertainment. Oracle Events.

Clubs: Chinese Laundry @ Dome - 1993 by Hardware This club has since been restarted. Climax @ Inflation Night Club - Tuesday Nights from 1994 - 1997. Filter/Switch - Wednesday night and one of Melbourne’s longest running nights 1992-2001. Originally Awol Then called Escape on Friday nights run by S.O.N. @ Club CBD 1996-1998 (Pre-Bassstation). Bass Station (changed names to just “Bass” in 2006). Frantic. Wetmusik. Teriyaki Anarki Saki. The Zoetrope Live Electronica sessions @ the Punters Club, 1997-2001 Hard Kandy. PHD (Pure Hard Dance). GOD (Gospel of Dance). Bubble Nightclub (Melbourne’s Weekly Rave Playground). [1] Elevation - Thursday Nights @ Shiva (Previously at Altitude)

Rave Venues: TVU Warehouse (Footscray)See video, Center House, Melbourne CBD, Commerce House, Melbourne CBD, Global Village. See video, Docklands(The Old Sheds)See video, Kryal Castle. The Palace (St. Kilda). CBD (Hardware Lane). Cage. Brown Alley. The Metro. See video. QBH. Bubble Nightclub (Francis St, CBD)

* 1985 - 1988 - Melbournians dance on the spot with a bit of bopping. (Not recognizable as the Melbourne shuffle).

* 1989 - 1990 - People mixed skanking with funk, additional leg movement while remaining in one position and a bit of bop still in it. Classically trained dancers incorporated tap and contemporary dance with break dance steps. B-Boys and mainly female trained dancers, exchange moves and experiment with new steps to suit the new music style, generically called Techno.

* 1991 - 1992 - The Melbourne shuffle begins to emerge as a distinct dance, incorporating more hand movement than previous styles. Techno music is gradually replaced with trance music and house music

* 1993 - 1995 - Was the centre point, people were gliding because now trance music & house music was a big part of the Melbourne Party/Rave culture and the foot movement of the Melbourne shuffle was well into existence. The key move to the Melbourne shuffle was one foot lifted off the ground and the other foot was making a heel to toe movement along to the beat of the music for a short period of time and then reversed. This allowed a dancer to glide side to side whilst holding their hands in front following the trebles of the music, making the dancing style look hypnotic. Some dancers could spin in a 360 circle before changing to the other foot. There are many variations of this dance but the main heel to toe movement remained the key motion giving it the term “The Melbourne Shuffle.”

See videos from this era featuring the Melbourne Shuffle: Mel-ben Shuffle 92-94, Every Picture Tells A Story - 1992-94, Ra/Natural One - 1994, Hardware 5 - 1994 Melbourne Shuffle OldSkool Conversations

* 1996 - 1997 - The Melbourne Shuffle is recognized by interstate and overseas partygoers as a unique dance.

* 1997 - 1998 - Minimal house was gradually introduced, and the glide reverted to a funk again.

* 2000 - 2001 - Dancing style returns to more “on the spot”, with less hand movement. The key turning point in the evolution of the Melbourne Shuffle.

* 2002 - 2007 - The hat dance was incorporated involving having a hat flicked off the head and caught and quickly putting it back on. Funk was around still but more of a hard edge funk incorporating jumping a very energetic dance but with far less hand movement compared to the mid 90’s. There are also Shufflers who have incorporated liquid, popping and glides into their dance, while a sub-style known as “hardstyle” (as representing the music genre it is danced to) depicting the harder, more distinct movements fundamentally based on a harder “running man” has now become very prominent.


In 2006 with the emergence of Youtube Melbourne Shuffle Channel, dancers internationally now contribute to the Shuffle, posting their own versions and learning from each other on-line.
Music

The music that Melbourne Shufflers originally danced to was House Music and Acid house in the late 1980s. In the early 1990s as Trance music came in the dancing style changed to a glide which changed back when Minimal House came in. In 2007 Melbourne shufflers listen to hard trance, hardstyle, jumpstyle, hard house, psytrance, breakbeat, drum and bass, Tribal House and Techno.
Dancing

Today known as “rocking” to the Melbourne locals, the name “Melbourne Shuffle” has been derived from overseas DJs, partygoers, visitors and the media trying to describe this phenomenon. Locals have simply called it the “shuffle” since 1992. The Melbourne rave/electronic music dancers don’t generally dance for competition; or to show off, but for themselves, for fun and self-expression. Learning is generally achieved through watching other dancers and incorporating variations into their own style, by which they create an individual style representing their own personality.

Some dancers sprinkle talcum powder on the floor beneath their feet to help them glide more easily. The use of talc to improve dancing has been around for decades, particularly popular with dancers at Northern Soul all-nighters in the u.s

Media

“The Melbourne Shuffle” dance style remained relatively underground since its birth in the late 80s and early 90s. The Term “The Melbourne Shuffle” was not used till 1998 when Sonic Animation’s Rupert Keiller was interviewed by RAGE. When the interviewer asked Rupert what his unique style of dance was, his reply was “The Melbourne Shuffle” since then the word circulated around the scene for a couple of years before finally being brought to light by a front page newspaper article which appeared in Melbourne’s The Age newspaper in 2002, attempting to illustrate what the Melbourne Shuffle was for the first time to the mainstream public because thousands of young Melbournians were shuffling at dance parties every week.

Recently the shuffle has spread to Malaysia, most likely due to Malaysian students studying in Melbourne, discovering the electronic dance music scene and taking the unique shuffle back with them. Since 2005, there have been ‘Shuffle Competitions’ held in Malaysia. There were also Street shuffle exhibitions which were held at different places with the main reason as to promote this dance to the public. There were even talks about this Melbourne Shuffle on the radio and television by a team from Sarawak, called “Hazard Minors whom previously called themselves as the Kuching Shuffle Team KST)” and also were publicized on Chinese newspapers, magazines and dance journals.

Shufflers have taken their art form and self-expressive dance style overseas and are a regular sight to be seen at rave parties in the UK, Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand. Melbourne socialite and jetsetter, Jason Fabbri aka. “Dr. Shuff” is an ambassador of this particular dance, and is a regular sight at overseas dance clubs, especially in the United States. The internet has also been a factor in spreading knowledge and interest in the shuffle.

A documentary entitled Melbourne Shuffler was in production during 2004-2005 and was recently released in late 2005 on DVD.

The Video




Hardstyle Dance Revolution [Melbourne Shuffle]