Grooves - The Rhythmic Foundation of Dance Relatability

In freestyle dance, Grooves represent the most important part of understanding dance in general, serving as the rhythmic foundation that connects dancers with audiences and music. This element focuses on the understanding of a song's rhythm and pulse (feeling) and visualizing it to the audience.

Central to groove mastery is understanding "the 1"—the downbeat emphasis that transformed rhythm perception. This focus was a change from musicians highlighting the "2" and the "4" and focusing the accent on the downbeat of the "1" allowing for more space in the music for other instruments to create rhythms.

Each dance style has characteristic groove patterns:

Funk: Sideways movement landing on the 1 (practice the "Leo walk")

Breaking: Sharp movement in any direction landing on the 1 (practice "Toprockin'")

Popping: Sharp movement landing on even numbers 2/4/6/8 (practice "Hits")

Hip-hop: Movement flowing up then down making sure to emphaise landing on even numbers 2/4/6/8 (practice the "Bounce")

House: Movement flowing down then up landing on the "and count" (practice the "Jack" )

For dancers developing groove awareness, start with these basic patterns while listening specifically for the emphasized beats in different music genres. Practice maintaining these core pulses while gradually adding limb variations, direction changes, and level shifts.

The competitive advantage of strong groove foundation cannot be overstated. Mastering groove allows you and the audience to match tempos, and in turn elevate you to the realm of guide, as you then begin to show the different rhythms in the song. This connection creates the essential relatability that judges recognize as musicality.

Remember that while technical movements might impress, groove creates the authentic foundation that distinguishes dancers with genuine musical understanding from those merely executing moves to counts.

An example of groove by Oomoo