5 African Dance Moves You Should Learn in 2023

One feature that is certainly inexcusable in the world of music is dance. African dance has accompanied many genres of music and has been identified with the cultures and traditional music of different worlds and civilizations. 

Contemporary times have witnessed the evolution of different dance steps and sometimes an amalgamation of traditional and contemporary dance steps, more like a hybrid. This definitely cannot be denied, and it is in view of this that the Afrobeats genre has grown popular. These are African dances you can vibe with:

Sika Lekhekhe – South Africa

In this type of dance, the dancer moves the leg front and back in a tip-toeing manner while swaying the arms back and forth, the hands making a wrapping gesture at the mid position of the body. 

Dakiwe – Zimbabwe

It involves bending the knees and swaying the hips while nodding the head, hands raised to the head length alongside the whole body in a rotating manner. 

Nkaote tempela – Botswana

In this dance, the dancer tosses his/her leg to and fro while sweeping the hand vertically, in a cutting manner, from the chest to the knee. He/she changes sides and does the same thing. 

Umlando – South Africa

This is a waist move dance. When a right leg is lifted, the right side of the waist is moved which makes the butt bang in rhythm with the leg when it is released from its lifted position. The same goes for the left leg. It is done in a series of steps, moving forward or sides and shaking the waist. 

Happy Feet / Butterfly leg work (Nigeria)

The dancer moves both legs in quick succession and in a sweeping manner. The body is mostly bent while the legs alternate poses against each other. This achieves a butterfly posture for the dance. It is often danced to fast-beat songs. 

Here is a bonus African dance! 

Network

Network is a popular dance and easy to learn. The right hand and the right leg move in an angular shape while the body is bent. The same goes for the left hand and left leg. Alkaida dance and pouncing cat are also making the rounds, you can check them out. All these dance steps are popular and mostly vibe with Afro-pop music.