Melbourne Shuffle

The Melbourne Shuffle is a dance style which began in the late 1980s in the Melbourne, Australia underground dance scene. The basic movements of the dance are very quick heel-to-toe action moves performed to an electronic expedient beat. In later variations of the dance, rapid arm swings and movements have been added to the list of steps. Other dancers have even added 360 degree spins to their list of moves. The dance also utilizes a large amount of gliding and sliding.

At its roots, the Melbourne Shuffle was performed to Techno music, but as the time progressed the dance moved to trance and house musical styles. The dance held some popularity in the mid to late 1990s and gained exposure by having documentary footage filmed about the dance. The burst in popularity, though, did not begin until 2006 when international dancers shot video of the dance and posted it on YouTube.

The dance is known by Melbourne locals as “Shuffling”, but became known as the “Melbourne Shuffle” by overseas DJs, tourists, and visitors to the Melbourne dance scene.

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Also known as

Shuffle, Stomping 

Originator: 

Melbourne, Australia underground dance crews 

Region of origin: 

Melbourne, Australia 

Popularized by: 

YouTube