Saturday, August 4, 2007

American - Melbourne Shufflers

We know you're out there :) Time for some shout outs to our American Melbourne Shuffle friends.

Some of you have emailed and told us you're the only person you know of in town who's even heard of the Shuffle, but there's probably others, you should hook up. Please feel free to post in the comments section of this article, somewhere in town, a club, party, park, street, mall etc to meet some other shufflers in your neigbourhood.

Here's a list (in no particular order) of shufflers from about 150 cities across America who have visited Melbourne Shuffle Oldskool in the past 4 weeks.

So, Howdy, good to meet you! Now how about showing us some vids of your Shufflin! Come on don't be shy ;) We wanna see what you're up to...

Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Irvine, Phoenix, Roslyn Heights, New Orleans, Louisville, Pleasanton, Seattle, Atlanta, San Diego, Houston, Rochester, Washington, San Francisco, Danville, Jacksonville, Sunnyvale, Malden, Denver, Mc Keesport, Orlando, Miami, Bakersfield, Cranberry Township, Rockville, Cambridge, Newark, Austin, San Antonio, Orem, Providence, Elmhurst, Bala Cynwyd, Hartford, St Louis, Oxford, Camden, College Park, Longview, Rocky Mount, San Jose, Boston, Dayton, Malvern, Dallas, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City, Rocky Hill, Columbia, Glendale, Browns Mills, Mountain View, Norwalk, Plano, Meriden, Ft Collins, Spokane, Thomasville, Conway, Stow, Milford, Milton, Madison, Warrenton, Needham, Bellevue, Clinton Corners, Hot Springs Village, Morgantown, Tallahassee, Watervliet, Bolton, Lake Elmo, Arden, Corvallis, Oklahoma City, Fremont, Lawrence, Bishop, Spartanburg, Pittsburgh, East Rutherford, Fresno, Springfield, Sioux Falls, Hagerstown, Sonora, Lansdale, Bend, Manchester, North Prairie, Commack, Burlington, Poughkeepsie, Philadelphia, Pennsauken, Exeter, Holt, Lancaster, Pasadena, Mount Laurel, Hamilton, Hamburg, Raleigh, Campbell, Kalamazoo, Salina, Sarasota, Tampa, Milwaukee, Jackson, Phoenixville, Center Moriches, Norfolk, Sandy, Orange, Englewood, Wichita, San Rafael, Eatontown, Tempe, Ormond Beach, Herndon, Newtown, Nap, Boise, El Segundo, Ft Belvoir, Winston Salem, Charlotte, Littleton, Baton Rouge, Levittown, Little Rock, Marked Tree, Roanoke, Fairfax, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Reno, Walled Lake, Lawrence, Sayreville, Pompano Beach, Anchorage, Bridgeport, Ft Worth, Utica, Middletown, ...and adding... Albuquerque, Detroit, Coeur d' alene


UPDATE 14 AUGUST 2007

Albuquerque New Mexico added, we’ve just been visited by Detroit too and hey, well spotted Zefrenm, with the Rubber legs Al Norman clip (See comments), and welcome to Melbourne Shuffle Oldskool.

Absolutely right with the early Melbourne Shuffle influence.

Tap was one of the main influences of the Melbourne Shuffle, Tap is actually where the term ‘Shuffle’ as a dance step comes from, usually a soft shoe shuffle, where instead of talcum powder sprinkled on the dance floor to give slip, sand or pumice powder was sprinkled to give percussive sound effect, like wire brushes on a snare drum, to go with the music.

Tap, which originated in New York around the turn of the 19/20th century, was a street dance where African Americans and Irish immigrants both showed each other their stuff, combining to become tap. You can still see the Irish/Scot folk dance footwork in the Shuffle today. Melbourne has a large Celt population. My Scot/Swedish Aunt in her 80’s, still does Scottish highland dance!

Most of the oldskool girl shufflers learnt tap from when they were about 6 years old at the local dance schools. The schools are as popular for girls in Melbourne as football is for boys. So the bboys learnt the tap moves from the girls. Actually the ‘Do like a T’ which Bigmilan suggests starting off with, in his great learn Melbourne Shuffle basics clip, is actually ‘Position 1’ in ballet, which the girls taught the bboys too.

I had a clip of master tap dancer Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson and Shirley Temple doing the ‘ Stair dance’ too, but it got removed. If anyone spots it online, please post the link. Bojangles was also famous for putting his hand gun on the table when he played pool – GanstaTap ;)

Here’s some stills from the clip Zefrenm mentions, Rubber Legs Al Norman – I’ll put this clip in the beginnings and brief history post as well, it’s an important reference. Thank’s Zefrenm.

Rubber Legs Al Norman doing what is definitely one of the earliest filmed examples of Melbourne Shuffle influences



Gotta have the ladies in there as well. How come they don't dress like this at Raves ;)



Kings of Jazz: Happy Feet:pt2

22 comments:

  1. You should add Alburquerque New mexico to the List ^-^ and heres a vintage shuffle By al norman http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuu0nmK_1S8

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  2. I am from Tallahassee, and am just starting. I am looking for anyone else here in tally who knows how to shuffle.

    fullmetalalchemist123@yahoo.com

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  3. Lansdale?? that's crazy I thought I was the only one in this town that still goes to parties.

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  4. hehe, 'the truth is out there' Sounds like Lansdale is still kickin on ;)

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  5. go ahead and throw coeur d' alene, Idaho on there too: ]

    i just got started and i'm looking for people in the inland northwest area who shuffle:D

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  6. Well i live in Miami and well its not a real big scene please if your in the Miami area and have shuffle/jumpstyle experience please contact me

    Aim=XxTechnoxXFreak
    MSn=c_l_o_u_d_s_c_r_a_p_e_r12@Hotmail.com
    Myspace=www.myspace.com/bleachfan221

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  7. Hi, Hip Hop in SO CAL is soooo boring. We are into Hard Core Metal but easily relate and enjoy Raves, its hardstyle music and fashion. Our friends and I stumbled onto YouTube Melborne Shuffle Videos. All we can express is WOW! We're now praticing and will break it out in Orange County, California this summer. Put the "OC" on the map!

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  8. Hey, I'm from Philly and HaHaHa this is hilarious. I was just introduced to the Melbourne Shuffle YESTERDAY. And I really want to learn it. But the friend that told me about it lives in a different state all the way across the country. So yeah I'm very upset about this. D: I want to learn it so bad! Anyone out there that wants to help me out?

    If so E-mail me at: Takeovermars@aol.com

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  9. check out the MSO 'Where do I start' topic on the forum, that should get you Shuffling

    Garry

    http://mso1.cultureforum.net/new-to-the-shuffle-f15/where-do-i-start-t54.htm

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  10. No Northridge or Reseda. D: I'm all alone *sniffle*

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  11. Jacksonville, Florida! Lookin for some more to shuffle with

    illoz7@yahoo.com hit meh up

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  12. Jacksonville, Florida lookin for some shufflers.

    im new to the scene but im workin on it.

    myspace: myspace.com/snortincheezwhiz

    hit me up.

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  13. hey, i live in broward county Florida, and wanted to see if anyone knew of any dance competitions around broward or miami this summer.

    also if anyone is interested in having a meet up this summer is broward lemme know.

    AIM - Bloodsugxr
    Myspace - myspace.com/eazul
    im also on facebook.

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  14. Hey guys im here rocking it from Las Vegas its a big place with little shufflers that i know.
    Hit me up!
    Wanna start a shuffling crew? hit me up lol
    so yeah hit me up if your a shuffler in las vegas ^,.,^

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  15. Las vegas here
    I need to find some good shufflers here
    Myspace.com/oneeyedweasel
    aim-giveyoubassline

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  16. yo its austin from salt lake city, UTAH so hit me up on youtube- (harddeadstyle) or myspace (floydaustin89)... I would really like to know some other people who shuffle from here!!!!!!!!!!

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  17. Orange County, CA. Looking for people that shuffle. Lets go to Hard Summer and shuffle!!

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  18. I'm a new shuffler in SLC Utah baby! Hit me up sometime. :) message me on youtube(StrawberryScene)or myspace (myspringgarden)

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  19. Hello..
    I am interested in learning to shuffle dance as a gift of dance to my girlfriend.. (Also because I just want to learn Melbourne shuffling)..
    Are there any dance studios located in Orange County Ca. USA ???

    Thanks All

    Michael
    mmr5656@yahoo.com

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  20. i hardstyle.. somewhat, well if your in dallas hit me up at streetfighterzan@yahoo.com

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  21. hey my name is Lorenzo looking for shufflers here in San Francisco i think that im the only one "sniffle" if there is some one here in California at lest lets talk may be we can help each other
    facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000558193714
    yahoo:lorenzomadrid142@yahoo.com
    SO YEAH

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  22. Beginner in Jacksonville,fl. Email me: amber.robertson527@gmail.com

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