Submitted by Tina Morgan, Mississippi

Idea posted July 19, 2002

Someone e-mailed me recently about The Shuffle, and I promised to respond when I knew more about the dance, but in a delete-frenzy, I deleted the original message. Sorry... but I figure some of you will be interested in this.

I've seen a couple of variations, and I haven't heard the music that the kids say "go" with it, but we did this version with KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's The Way I Like It." Let me try to explain:

  • Beats 1 & 2: Hop forward - rest
  • Beats 3 & 4: Hop backward - rest
  • Beats 5 - 8: Hop forward 3 steps - rest (Most of my kids do this by being on the toes of the right foot, so that the right leg is bent slightly as they hop forward.)
  • Beats 1 & 2: Step touch to the right
  • Beats 3 & 4: Step touch to the left
  • Beats 5 - 8: Two "cha cha" steps (as in Cha Cha Slide)
  • Beats 1 & 2: Right foot step - left knee up
  • Beats 3 & 4: Left foot step - right knee up
  • Beats 5 - 8: Repeat Beats 1 - 4

Here's where some of the variations come in, during this sequence. Many of the kids make a quarter turn during beats 1 - 4, then stay in place for the next 4 beats before beginning again facing a new direction. A group this afternoon was making a complete rotation plus a quarter turn, which confused me because I could never remember which wall I was supposed to be facing.

I also had a group this afternoon tell me that this is the "OLD" Shuffle and tried to show me another one, but they couldn't remember it completely. It looked like a combination of the Bus Stop and the Cha Cha Slide.

Maybe some of you can use the dance in your classes.