Bunny Hop Dance

Bunny hop dance is a very easy dance that can be done by people of all age groups. It is a lot of fun to do this dance and it is also a great choice for a social dance involving large number of people. Although now popularly taught to children in primary schools, the bunny hop is a popular party dance as well. It falls in the same category as the Conga in which dancers stand one behind the other with hands on the shoulder or waist of the person standing in front of him. The dancers then cover the floor doing just what the dance name means - hop like a bunny!

History of Bunny Hop

The dance moves originated in the Balboa High School of San Francisco in 1952. Ray Anthony, a band leader who saw the dance being done by the students of the school, wrote the Bunny Hop song in 1953 that became a hit record. This hop dance is usually done on this song. The dance along with the song soon became a rage in the party circuits of America in the 1950s. What made this song so popular is the fact that the instructions are included within the lyrics of the song itself and this makes doing the dance easier. This song has been rerecorded a number of time and a modified version has also been developed for salsa dancing.

How to Do the Bunny Hop

To do this party dance right and enjoy the steps, here are instructions that will enable one to have the complete fun of this form of dance:

• The participants need to stand in a line on the party floor.
• Each participant should put both his hands on the hip of the one standing in front and expect the person behind him to do the same.
• Now as the song begins kick the right foot out to the side and then tap the heel of the right foot on the ground.
• On the next beat kick the right foot out to the side again as in the previous step. However, raise the foot a little higher this time. Again as in the previous step the foot should be brought back with a firm tap of the heel on the ground.
• This step should be repeated with the left foot. Take the left foot out to the side and tap the ground with the heel. Repeat the step with the foot going higher to the side this time.
• On the next beat the dancers should hop forward with both feet together.
• This should be followed by a hop backwards the same way.
• Hop twice back again at the next two beats. With this the verse ends.

Repeat these steps throughout the song and hop around like a bunny throughout the entire floor.

Although this dance was originally done to the hop song, there are other music options as well. It is best to familiarize participants with the music if it is one that they have not heard or danced on. It is important that the person in the front knows the steps well as he is the leader of the group. Other than listening to the music, every participant should try to coordinate his steps with the one in front of him. If the leader goes wrong in his step, then there would be a confusion in the dance group. Also it is the leader who decides how the group is going to move around on the floor. Although the steps are simple, the key to this dance lies in coordination. Try to keep up with the beats and do not let go of the contact with the person in front of you. That's all. With a little practice you would be able to do the perfect bunny hop dance!

The bunny hop dance is an enjoyable dance form that is enjoyed by the dancers as well as the spectators. It's great fun specially to see grown ups lose their inhibitions and hop all over the floor like bunnies. What is even better about this dance is that no formal training or dancing abilities are required. The main aim of this dance is to have fun and not stage a practiced piece of dance. Just anyone who wants to dance can join in the fun!