Level 1 Workshop Prep
Please complete this prep before your workshop
This prep is designed to help you arrive ready for Level 1 Foundations.
Shuffle dancing asks a lot from your body: hopping, pivoting, twisting, landing, rhythm, and decision-making while moving. You do not need to be perfect before you arrive — but you do need to understand the basic mechanics so we can spend the workshop actually dancing.
Think of this as your Level 0 prep.
What you’ll work on
By the time you arrive, you should have practiced:
1. Perch & Landing
Learning how to stay stacked, land safely, and control your weight.
2. Pivoting
Getting comfortable turning on the ball of the foot to move laterally.
3. Strength & Stability
Building the ankle, calf, and quad muscles to support shuffle movement.
4. Beginner Shuffle Patterns
You’ll get an introduction to the movement families we’ll build from in the workshop.
Watch this video to understand shuffle requirements.
Watch this video and this video to understand physical requirements.
Start Here: Perch & Landing
This is the foundation of everything we do.
Perch & Landing teaches you how to move from one foot to two feet while staying balanced, controlled, and safe. This shows up constantly in shuffle dancing.
Pivoting Basics
Pivoting is the foundation of cutting shapes, which is a huge part of modern shuffle dancing. Pivoting allows us to travel and change orientation.
The goal is not to force rotation. The goal is to learn how to let the foot, hip, and body turn together so your knees stay happy.
Strength & Stability Prep
Shuffle is fun, but it is still athletic.
These drills help prepare your ankles, calves, and quads for the impact and coordination of Level 1.
How much should you practice?
Aim for 10–15 minutes at a time, a couple of times a day, most days of the week. This video explains why short, frequent practices are ideal.
Do not cram. Do not wreck your calves the week before the workshop. The goal is familiarity, not exhaustion.
Important note
If anything causes sharp pain, stop.
Muscle fatigue is normal. Joint pain, sharp pain, or “something feels wrong” pain is not something to push through.
Modify, slow down, or take a break.
What we’ll do at the workshop
At the Level 1 Workshop, we’ll build from these basics into:
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Happy Feet
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Running Man
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Charleston
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Side Charleston
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T-Step
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Polly Pocket
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Crisscross
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W-Step
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Diamond Step
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Transitions
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Short combos
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A 32-count choreography
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Timing and rhythm
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Freestyle confidence
This prep gives us a shared starting point so we can move with more confidence once we’re together.
Final reminder
You do not need to show up perfect.
You just need to show up prepared.
Do the videos. Practice the basics. Get familiar with the language.
Then come ready to learn, sweat, laugh, and actually dance.