It’s always a treat when creative dancers transform a widely familiar dance into something entirely unique, combining it with lesser-known genres to produce a whole new species in itself.
This is exactly what a group of young tap dancers managed when they put a boogie woogie take on their dance routine for a competition way back in 2007.
The moment the music starts, we know we’re in for a treat. The girls strut onto the stage to the lively opening chords of “Do Your Thing” by Basement Jaxx, dressed from head to toe in bright pink bodysuits with flared pants. They start by taking it in turns to tap dance from side to side, punching their arms either side and above their heads.
After clapping their hands to get the audience on their side, they get into their complex routine, clicking their fingers and striking poses with hilarious sass.
Though their routine is so entertaining, it’s clear the girls have some obvious tap dance talent too. It’s easy to forget they’re even pulling off impressive sequences with their feet, as the focus is very much on their whole bodies. But when they’re not standing still, they’re tapping the floor in complex rhythms.
The girls manage to stay perfectly in sync with one another throughout the routine, and it clearly took lots of practice to pull off something that looks so effortless.
There’s a lot more to this dance than a standard tap dance, which sees a dancer consistently tapping their feet in rhythmic patterns on the floor. With their boogie woogie style routine, the girls mix up the expected moves with shuffles, poses, and even a period of choreography on the floor.
Perhaps the best thing about the routine is that the dancers are grinning from ear to ear throughout the whole thing, clearly having the time of their lives. The competition environment must be incredibly tense and nerve-wracking, but these girls added some cheer and excitement – and they don’t look nervous in the slightest.
If you’re new to boogie woogie, it’s worth checking out a video of boogie woogie dancing, like this one, to get a better idea of how the girls combined this style of dance with their own.
As a lesser-known music genre, boogie woogie originated in African American communities in the 1870s. It wasn’t until the 1920s when this genre really took off, and full bands became dedicated to performing boogie woogie tracks.
Boogie woogie is said to be most similar to blues, but is characterised for being fast-paced and upbeat, which is reflected by the lightning speed at which boogie woogie dancers move.
While boogie woogie might not be one of the most well known music genres or dance forms today, it’s unlikely that we will ever forget it. Artists like these girls are finding their way to make the genre their own, to modernise it, and there are even artists who keep the genre alive by mimicking the exact boogie woogie moves.
There’s no denying that these girls nailed their competition performance. Their energetic dancing was only half of their appeal. The other half came from their beaming faces and infectious confidence.
You can check out the full dance in the video below.
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