Melbourne Shuffle
garry shepherd
Melbourne Australia, during the early 1990's at underground warehouse
parties. By the late 1990's it was spreading with passion across the
world's dance floors, and was dubbed the Melbourne Shuffle.
Today the Melbourne Shuffle is spreading through video, notably
Youtube and also the Melbourne Shuffler DVD
( www.melbourneshuffler.com ) a documentary filmed from 2003-05 and
released Jan 2006. Within months the DVD sold to over 80 countries
around the world.
The Melbourne Shuffle is a freestyle street dance form. Originality,
individuality and experimentation are encouraged. While there are no
set moves, as in strict rules, there are a number of common elements
which make it identifiable, notably in the footwork, sliding,
stepping, hop and tap, in a restricted space.
The restricted space was an element of early warehouse parties where
there was little room to move on the crowded dance floor. Arm
movements are also restricted because you didn't want to accidently
bash people in the face while dancing.
The Melbourne Shuffle grew in the environment of feel good parties.
This is not an aggressive combatant style, and encouragement is
usually offered by more experienced dancers as a matter of principal.
It is common to see experienced dancers giving lessons to others on
the dance floor. While an individual dance, it is also a communal
style.
For more history of the Melbourne Shuffle with pics see the
CybaFaeries site - Technotopia/Melbourne Shuffle link below:
http://mc2.vicnet.net.au/home/cybafaer/web/cyb905/melbourne_shuffle.htm
The restricted space element of the Melbourne Shuffle means it's ideal
for domestic environments, and you can see this by these following
selected youtube vids of current experts, done in their bedrooms,
hallways, kitchens or wherever there's a smooth flat surface for
shuffling.
CURRENT EXPERTS
Daz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl-BBtHuiBg
Flat hat krewwz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lzunT6pcFA
Paulo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TteWapFRwRg
Miki's Shuffle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMTxFNJbMC0
HKshuffler trouser pants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zscdG7bTGCc
oneboneless
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWdtZTbgXcM
pae
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHrZbaSVJhQ
OLD SKOOL
These oldskool vids were filmed by me during the Melbourne Shuffle's
development. While a few years before saw people experimenting with
dance moves to the new electronic dance music form, generically dubbed
Techno, the real boom era where it became a recognisable style and was
simply dubbed 'the shuffle' came from the begining of 1992 -1993.
For clarification: Techno music was different to 'house' as it didn't
have a singer or lyrics as such. House was more of a mainstream pop-
dance form (Madonna etc) where Techno was underground electronic with
heavy bass and percussion and endless sequencing and loops exploiting
the newly emerging digital synthesisers and samplers of the late
1980's early 1990's. The only vocals included were usually sampled
quotes or segements of sampled vocals, often just 2-3 words repeated
throughout the track. Trance is the most recognisable techno form that
exists today - though hardcore, industrial and amibient streams were
equally part of the Melbourne underground techno scene.
Mel-Ben Shuffle 92>94
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehsoECW9ZkI
Melbourne Shuffle Old Skool - Ra/Natural 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-nlkFbeBs8
Melbourne Shuffle Old Skool - Hoodie and girlfriend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUi3vmycHLY
Every Picture Tells A Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6PdyS47O_s
Synergy Hair Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=113Pij1_3Rc
Hardware 5 pt1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb8HwZZsipQ
Melbourne Shuffle Group
http://www.youtube.com/group/melbourneshuffle
garry shepherd
with a track from Chicago (USA) act, Sound Republic.
They were impressed with what Pae had done then posted this...
"AUSTRALIANS CAN DANCE
posted by John, January 29 03:41 PM
This guy, a dude named Pae from Melbourne, Australia, hit us up with
the above video earlier today of himself doing a little dance called
The Melbourne Shuffle to our track Fresh Produce on Bryan Jones'
always-great Control imprint. Those kids are freakin' DANCIN down on
the other side of the world. Keep it up y'all! "
See my blog for more links and the youtube vids, link below:
http://garryshepherd.blogspot.com/2007/02/sound-republic-discovers-melbourne.html#links