How to Dance Reggae

Feel the beat. Reggae music usually uses a steady, mid-tempo beat — perfect for newcomers to the style. To start, play some reggae music and try to pick out the beat. As you do this, count along with the flow of the music from one to four. Your counting should match up with the rhythm or "feel" of the song — for most reggae songs, this isn't too hard. When you reach four, start over from one again. You should sound like this: "One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, one..." (and so on.)

• Reggae music almost always has a strong offbeat rhythm. For our purposes, this usually means that you should hear the steady strum of a guitar or a repeating piano chord between your numbers as you count them. In other words, your counting should sound like this: "One (strum), two (strum), three (strum), four (strum)," and so on.
• If you're having a hard time counting in time with the music, listen to the drums in the song. Most reggae drumming has a strong "hit" on beats "two" and "four".

Move with the "ridim." Once you've got a feel for the beat of your reggae song, start to move! Start swaying from side to side with the "ridim" ("rhythm," in Jamaican patois) of the song. Bob your head up and down and lean from side to side, turning your shoulders as you do so. Try to match up your movements with each beat of the song — in other words, lean right on "one", lean left on "two", lean back again on "three", and so on. Don't be shy — the only way to learn how to dance is to start doing it!

• When you're comfortable with a basic swaying or leaning motion, try swinging your arms back and forth with the music. You can leave your hands at your sides while you do this, but you can also try bringing your hands up to chest level and moving them rhythmically with the music — it's up to you.

Move your hips in a rhythmic motion. Dancing reggae is all about "wining" ("winding"). Once you've found the groove of the music and are comfortable with your basic leaning and swaying motion, try moving your hips. To start, roll your hips in a circular, rhythmic, "hula hoop" motion along to the beat of the music. Try to match each rotation of the hips to every beat (or every other beat) of the song — this should feel natural.

• Note that this movement is usually more pronounced for women — men on the dance floor usually use more subdued motion of the hips.

Grab a partner or two. What fun is dancing on your own? Like most other forms of dance, reggae dance is a highly social experience. Try practicing your moves alongside a few other people. Once you start to feel the groove of the song, you should naturally start to split off into groups or partners — don't be afraid to single out someone on the dance floor for one-on-one dancing.

• Traditional reggae partner dancing is somewhat similar to ballroom dancing, but the partners usually stand close to each other (or with bodies touching) and, obviously, make rhythmic hip movements.
• Modern reggae dancing may more closely resemble hip-hop or pop dancing and incorporate a female-back-to-male-front stance.

Express yourself!. The key to reggae music isn't following a strict set of rules — it's all about just relaxing and doing what feels natural. There's no one "right way" to dance to reggae music — the way you move to the music should be an expression of how you feel. Approach the dance floor with an open attitude, try to focus on the music, and let your body do the rest of the work.

• As you express yourself, however, be sure to share the dance floor. In reggae, the dance floor is a public space — something for everyone to enjoy. While particularly good dancers may get the attention of the crowd for a while, they shouldn't hog or command the dance floor.

Practice with classic reggae tunes. Need some listening material to get in the reggae mindset? Try listening to some old-school (also called "roots") reggae. This classic style is great for reggae beginners because it's usually smooth, medium-tempo, and has a strong back beat, making it extra-easy to feel the "ridim" of the song. Below are just a few reggae artists associated with the roots reggae movement that you may want to investigate:^[3]

• John Holt
• Culture
• Israel Vibration
• The Abyssinians
• Gregory Isaacs
• Sylford Walker