How to Step Dance

Stepping is a unique style of dance, often done without music—because you’re really making your own! In this guide, Howcast will teach you how to step dance with free video lessons taught by professional instructors.

How to Do a Beginner Step

For this beginner step, there are actually two sets of steps you need to learn: the “bass beat” and the actual steps. To create the step in its entirety, you combine the two sets.

Bass Beat

Right step, left step-clap
Right step, clap your right hand on right knee
Left step, clap hands together
Right step, left step-clap
Left step, clap hands over right knee, and then clap under right knee
Repeat

The Steps

Left stomp, clap over right knee, and then clap under right knee
Right stomp, clap over left knee, and then clap under left knee
Left stomp, clap hands
Right stomp, hit both thighs with hands
Left stomp, clap twice
Repeat
Once you hit both thighs again, use two doubles and a single (right-left, right-left, right) to end

This can be difficult to learn, but with enough practice, you can get it. We recommend that you watch how the pro, Victor Sho, and his partner pull this off in Howcast’s video tutorial above.

Power Stepping

Power stepping is so-called because there’s lots of power in each step. Because there’s so much more force, this is a relatively slow-paced step. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Keep your feet pretty close together
Stay grounded
Stomp hard and drive your body down while stomping
Incorporate arm movements between stomps

To see how this is done, be sure to watch Howcast’s video tutorial at the top of this section. Victor Sho breaks down how to power step, well, step by step (pun definitely intended).

Party Strolling

Party strolling is considered a subset of power stepping. The major difference is that party strolling is usually done to music, giving it a freer feeling and more flexibility of movement. Here are a couple of tips:

Keep your movements loose but precise (sort of like in locking).
Because party strolling is done to music, don’t be afraid to incorporate other dance styles.
To get a better idea of how this looks, watch Howcast’s video tutorial at the beginning of this section.

Arm Movements

Okay, time for the arm movements. The most important things to aim for here are precision, accuracy, and strength. To do this:

Move at the joints without moving your entire arm. Using your joints conserves energy and gives your moves more precision.
Keep your arm movements at shoulder level. This is especially important for faster tempos, where accuracy and flexibility are crucial.

To see how your arm movements should look in power stepping, watch Howcast’s tutorial at the top of this section.

Now Practice Those Steps!

We hope that after reading this article and watching the pro Victor Sho, you feel more confident to start practicing. Browse the rest of the videos in this series below for even more step dance lessons!

ABOUT THE EXPERT

Victor Sho

Victor Sho is a choreographer, dancer, model and actor. Born in Lagos, Nigeria and raised in the Bronx, he has made a name for himself in this industry working with Madonna, Nikki Minaj, Rhianna, Alicia Keys, L'Oreal, AT&T, Old Navy, Bloomingdale's, Target, and SNL. He is currently on tour as a part of the cast of "50 Shades! The Musical" and teaches step dance, hip-hop, and street jazz at the Broadway Dance Center when not doing shows.