For anyone with two left feet, YouTube dance tutorials are essential to mastering the hottest moves. While there are many options for all sorts of dance styles, we’ve gathered five tutorials that teach you some of the most popular choreography, from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to Beyoncé’s iconic “Single Ladies” hand wave.
With this arsenal of the best YouTube dance tutorials, you’ll be the life of any party.
1) “Bye Bye Bye”
NSYNC’s classic breakout hit “Bye Bye Bye” seems simple, but it’s more than just waving your hand and hopping. Anyone can mimic the moves, but to get them down correctly the essential lesson comes from Darrin’s Dance Grooves, an aughts DVD that taught superfans how to be their best Justin, JC, or, if they couldn’t cut it, Lance. Thanks to the Internet, this educational gem has been preserved for future generations. As Darrin points out, there’s a military vibe and a certain level of precision you need to master to be the perfect boy band.
2) “Single Ladies”
For the lazy dancers, all you need to do is wave your hand around and point at your ring finger to move to this track, but that neglects so much about Beyoncé’s 2008 hit, “Single Ladies.” Before you throw a ring on it, you have to clap, drop, and smack the behind. YouTube dancer Andrea Wilson takes you through all the basics to be the best Beyoncé—or Beyoncé backup dancer—you can be.
3) “Thriller”
There’s more to this dance than just swinging your arms side to side. Everyone’s got a subpar Michael Jackson impersonation in their pocket, but mastering the “Thriller” moves with the help of a dance tutorial will elevate your game. For this one, a huge percentage of the presentation is attitude. If your audience doesn’t believe you’re undead, you’re not selling it.
4) “Rhythm Nation”
This is for the ambitious dance student. Mastering Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” moves will surely impress at a party, although it’ll be even better if you get a group together and bust out the routine. Precision is key, and an all-black outfit won’t hurt. You’re also going to need to dedicate some solid time to learning: YouTuber BayArea Flashmob has split his tutorial into four parts. No one said dance tutorials were going to be quick.
5) “Bad Romance”
Monsters, get your claws ready. There’s a lot to live up to with Lady Gaga’s dramatic performances, but thanks to this dance tutorial you can stage your own version of “Bad Romance” as you see fit. Danceislife9 puts viewers through the paces, from the hands-forward butt-shake move to the twisting monster claws. She even goes into the attitude required to master Gaga’s “Walk, walk, fashion baby” moments. A few times through this dance tutorial and you’ll be ready to throw on your very own meat dress.
Screengrabs via YouTube | Remix by Max Fleishman
