[Dance Basics] Simple Choreography for Middle School Students
You probably have a lot of chances to dance at events like sports festivals and culture festivals.
For people who already do dance as a hobby or take lessons, being good at it might be a given, but beginners often don’t even know the names of the moves.
Here, we introduce easy-to-understand basic steps and choreography for dance beginners.
Once you learn the basic movements, you’ll find that trending dances on social media are easy to do!
Try combining different moves and use them as inspiration for your own original dance!
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[Dance Basics] Simple dance choreography for junior high school students (11–20)
Roger Rabbit
The Roger Rabbit, named after choreography that looks like a rabbit hopping, is also known as a classic hip-hop dance.
For the footwork, bend your knees and switch your feet, then bend your knees again and extend one leg backward, repeating this motion.
For the upper body, move with the rhythm by dropping and expanding your chest.
Bending your elbows when you drop your chest and extending them when you expand it, along with keeping a slight forward lean, creates a cool silhouette.
In hip-hop, riding the rhythm is crucial, so when you use this in creative dance, be sure to keep the rhythm as you try it.
Point(s)
A signature choreography point featuring finger-pointing in the up, down, left, and right directions.
With your hips as the center, bend your knees and repeat the four movements.
While turning your face to the left and right and pointing, open both arms upward into a Y shape and point.
Be sure to lift one leg firmly at this moment.
Finally, face straight forward, point ahead, and strike a pose with one leg extended back.
The dynamic movements make it great for dance beginners.
Try incorporating it into original choreographies for K-pop or dance music.
troupe
It’s a simple step where you just lift your feet as you keep rhythm forward and back.
Don’t only think front and back—be aware of the lateral direction too.
The key to a dynamic step is coordinating your body and feet as they move diagonally.
Keep your core engaged to hold the rhythm, avoid arching your lower back, and aim to express both power and lightness.
How you use your arms when your foot lifts is also important—if you maintain solid balance there, you can make the step look even bigger.
Be mindful of shapes that look more beautiful, such as the height of your jump and the angles of your arms and neck.
Tut
Tutting is a choreography that uses the arms from the shoulders, wrists, and so on, and its name is said to derive from Tutankhamun because it evokes the hieroglyphs used in ancient Egypt.
It consists of freely combining the angles of the shoulders and wrists to the rhythm, and the dance holds up solidly using only the upper body.
If you do it only in front of your body, it can give a compact impression, so try incorporating moves like spreading your arms to the sides and lower-body movements to make it appear larger.
Balancing the quick, intricately interlocking motions of both arms with the dynamism of the whole body is the key to making tutting stand out.
body wave
Movements that make your body look like it’s undulating in large waves can create a sexy impression by coordinating your entire body.
It’s important to do this while your body is turned sideways and to stay mindful of which parts you’re moving.
Starting with pushing your head forward, then your chest, and so on—project each part forward in sequence and connect the actions smoothly so it looks like a wave.
Begin by executing each step precisely, then gradually practice to increase speed and smoothness.
Moonwalk
The body glides smoothly backward, moving as if on the moon in zero gravity.
This technique, also known as the backslide, spread worldwide after Michael Jackson showcased it during the interlude of “Billie Jean.” The steps are simple: place your weight on the tiptoe of one foot and pull the other foot back.
Repeating this smoothly creates the uncanny, zero-gravity look.
Key points include switching your weight quickly and angling your body as if you’re about to step forward.
[Dance Basics] Simple Choreography for Middle School Students (21–30)
Backskip
A back skip with fine, sharp footwork that leaves an impression.
It’s quite a challenging step for beginners.
It may seem simple, but as the name suggests, this step mainly involves pulling your foot backward, which requires muscles you don’t typically use in daily life.
Keeping rhythm while doing that kind of step can be difficult for beginners.
Keeping your center of gravity lifted is important, but I also recommend a practice method where you repeat the movement over and over until you no longer have to think about the step itself, and only then focus on riding the rhythm.
