How to do the robot dance?

How to do the robot (or mannequin) dance?This i an illusionary street dance with origins in the 1970s that attempts to imitate a dancing robot or mannequin.

What is the robot?

Although the robot dance has been around since the 1950s, it first became really famous after ‘The Jacksons’ performed their hit 'Dancing Machine' live on the American pop show, ‘Soul Train’ in 1973. It was Michael Jackson who did the best robot dance ever though other famous robot dancers include English footballer Peter Crouch, who attempted some of the robot moves during the 2006 World Cup, each time he was successful on the pitch.

How to do the robot?

Basically the dance consists of movements that imitate a robot. It normally starts and finishes with a very abrupt stop, to give the impression of motors starting and stopping. It is not quite the same as the ‘popping’ dance, although so-called ‘poppers’ have also been known to do the robot with a pop to the beat. As long as the illusion of being a robot is maintained, it is considered the robot. Method - Robot dancing How to be a robot means you have to think ‘robot’ and dance like a robot would.
- Lose any human fluidity and keep your legs locked as robots don’t have knees. Most people don't walk while doing the robot, but if you do, think about 1960s space movies.
- Bend your arms at the elbow, hold your elbows at your waist, and have your hands open, as if you're going in for a handshake.
- For a basic robot dance, extend one arm while bending the other inward.
- Only move your arms at the elbow.
- Keep your torso stiff - the only movement it needs to do is to pivot forward at an angle along with your arm movements.
- Shake your head slightly to make it look as if it's going to fall off. As for the face, people usually go with a blank, wide-eyed stare. Author's suggestion
To perfect the robot dance, study the master, Michael Jackson and practice! Music style Lastly, the style of music needs to be electro or synth with a distinctive beat. The robot dance enjoyed popularity in the 1980s when music became more dance orientated. Move your limbs in a stiff jointed fashion but only every few beats, as robots do not move very fast. Repeat the steps until the end of the song. Simple!