Shuffle📷

The shuffle, the commonly known term, is a dance form which emerged in the city of Melbourne, Australia around the late 80's and gained popularity in the 90's. It found its popularity in the underground rave scene, mainly affiliated with music genres like house music, trance, acid house, hardstyle etc.

The dancers in Melbourne shuffle are called "Rockers", the term rocking is originated from the hip-hop culture, or the acid house scene, rocking is a moment where one moves to the music in sync by shrugging their shoulder and throwing their waist in the opposite direction, two and fro, creating a rocking motion like a rocking chair, but the basic moment of the shuffle is the modified version of the running man with a faster heel slip toe action and later comes the T step and spinning.

The shuffle scene started in 1989 when few people from England came to Melbourne and stayed there for a year because they really like the underground scene, they figured out a night club called Chevron where they could go to in the weekends, so the DJ 86' who used to spin there had recognized a person in that group called Richie Rich and his peculiar style of dancing which was different and new. People around him tried to copy his style, the scene grew when people started liking the dance form. When the dance form is copied from a person, the style may be similar and in sync but the steps are not similar because different people throw in different elements on the dance floor, the contemporary form of shuffle often when is done in duo or a group is choreographed in a more organized and coordinated way.

The Basics, break down (how it’s done):

T-Step: The t step is a slight variant of the Crisscross, but has a more glide than the traditional movement

1) Place your feet in a V shape, heel touching toe ,

The left foot forward and right foot behind.

2) Lift the right foot up simultaneously turn the left foot inwards.

3) Place your right foot down and behind the left foot simultaneously turning it inwards

Repeat the same by switching the feet left foot, practicing the T step both sides will help you glide on the dance floor.

Running Man: It is a dance move which looks as if a person is running but still stationary at one axis.

1) Lift your left foot up, simultaneously slide and drag the right foot behind

2) Place the left foot down

3) Lift the right foot up , simultaneously slide and drag the left foot behind

4) Place the right foot down.

Shuffling as a subculture

Rave culture and Shuffling are closely associated but their union is not justified since the culture Melbourne shuffle is more convoluted than that. Though its roots lie in the rave culture the form has evolved and bifurcated to become a subculture of its own. The usage of drugs is mostly a myth because all urban cultures are believed to be indulged in those and thrive in its presence. But specifically for shufflers drugs are not a viable option because they think that it will hamper their potential and diminish the pleasure of dancing. According to sociologists drugs in nightclubs and raves is a pretty common phenomenon but what people fail to understand is reckless drug abuse is not compulsory for recreation at a rave, some people, like shufflers are in it just for the fun of dancing. Their expectation of a rave are very different from an average raver. They see their work as an art and are devoted to it religiously. Drugs don’t go well with the zeal and dynamism of the shufflers so presence of serious drugs in Melbourne shuffle is negligible. The average raver is present there to achieve a sublime or transcendent experience through drugs and alcohol but for shuffles their dance is sublime and superlative. Though both of these groups have a collective interest in electronic music which brings them there.

A rocker is considered an Orchestral genius, in sync, becoming one with the music like fitting an orchestral piece together like an epileptic fit going around a pole without losing any pieces of his or her body.

The basic form of the shuffle is infamously known as noobie shuffle which is promoted by the famous duo LMFAO in their music video back in 2011, which has the basic running man and some sloppy slides in the song “Party Rock Anthem”, it instantly gained popularity on YouTube which kind of deviated the philosophy of the Melbourne shuffle, it has received a backlash from the original shuffling groups.

The main soul of shuffling lied where people brought different things to the dance floor but danced in unison with the beats, it was more about self-expression of an individual than the rave altogether, It is about one experiencing the spirituality on the dance floor through the dance form. It is more of mixing street style and sense together then letting it go on the dance floor without thinking if it seemed gay or dainty. One is definitely expected to push the boundaries, while practicing shuffle, bringing fresh movements and combination to the dance floor creates an interest among the other shufflers and keeps the creativity alive throughout the party.

The rave scene usually attracted a crowd of hundreds whenever the DJ’s organized an event post Melbourne shuffle they attracted crowd with amazing numbers approximately twenty thousand , they used to spray talcum powder on the floor or tape their soles so that they could glide on the dance floor, this became a popular practice in the shuffle community, the popular joke on the Melbourne underground music scene as explained by a few DJ’s that a normal nightclub would smell of cigarettes and alcohol, but when in Melbourne it would smell of babies. The underground music culture in Melbourne has become strictly about the music rather than the intoxicants associated with the rave culture.

The art form gained more popularity after the release of the documentary Melbourne shuffler in the year 2006, people started to notice the shufflers worldwide. They were approached with the most obvious question if they were from Melbourne. The style spread quickly inspiring the dancers of all kinds, new styles of the same dance form emerged , few examples like “Thailand shuffle” the “Cali shuffle” took place among the existing styles such as Hardstyle etc. The YouTube moment kicked off in 2008 with the involvement of shufflers all over the world , creators uploaded their videos and the viral growth in views led to promoting the dance form further even more simultaneously evolving . During the 90’s the shufflers are recognized in the dance world because of their peculiar lower body movements. The style is about individual expression of emotions and strengthening community development for the shufflers. The shufflers attract a wide range of convivial people sharing a common love for dancing. The sense of identity and self-expression can’t be explained so easily, the experience is what matters the most. Shufflers believe the dance form is organised freedom of movement in its more advanced form and is Euphoric for the dancers. Even though the form basically concentrates on leg movements and the basic steps are the same, one can still individuate the personality and style of a certain dancer. The eccentricity and quirk of the form attributes to a significant part of their personality and some even say a piece of their identity. The present day shuffling (2017) still stays true to the most of the principles which were followed back in the90’s but breaks the rule of the upper body not touching the floor. Even elements like the top rock from the break dancing are borrowed.

Fashion

An exclusive set of Phat pants or Phatties distinguish Melbourne shufflers . This unique garment comes with many variants with prints and stripes and other designs on them. These are loose fitted to provide uninterrupted movement for the shufflers. Loose fitted sweatshirts or t-shirts along with caps is very popular among them. Usually made out of reflective glow in the dark material the items are custom made.

Pushing the boundaries and standing out from the crowd is one important pursuits of the dancers which can been seen through their erratic clothing too. Some people also wear gloves and girls sometimes wear shorts and most of these items have their own personalised crew logos. Glow in the dark stick, is another peculiar item used from time to time. Face piercings are also very popular among shufflers.