My Shuffle Journey

Learning how to shuffle was a BATTLE, let me tell you.

I’ve been dancing for over half of my life, I even have my bachelor’s degree in dance, but it was so hard to not only learn how to shuffle, but also feel like I was good at it and get comfortable with it. There’s many chapters and memorable moments to my shuffle journey, because I spent literal YEARS thinking I wasn’t good enough and putting off learning, so I’ll divide them up below.

The Intro

When I decided to go to my first festival, I did my homework and learned all about the history of raving. I came across shuffling, which as a dancer, caught my interest. I had seen it before on Cici Stamper’s (@cici) instagram videos. (The GOAT, check her out!) I then watched her YouTube tutorials on how to do the running man and t-step, and was able to do it at SAMF; I wasn’t great, but I did it.

I didn’t lace up the shuffle shoes again until a few months later. I tried practicing at home, but I felt so awkward that my practice sessions didn’t last long. As an experienced dancer, I should have remembered that learning a new style takes time and will be uncomfortable, but I felt down on myself that I wasn’t picking it up as quick as I’d like.

The Buildup

At Lights All Night 2019, we were at AC Slater’s set, and he played Fly Kicks; it’s one of those songs that just really gets me pumped up. I remember watching people shuffle around me and wishing I was comfortable enough and skilled enough to do that. I vowed to get back on the grind after the festival. It took a couple months, but I did.

I again picked up the shuffle shoes on March 1st, 2020. My goal was to shuffle everyday until Buku so that I could achieve my goal that I set at LAN to just feel more comfortable with it. I was actually making progress! But then covid happened, and Buku cancelled. All motivation: gone.

During quarantine, I completed a 30 day instagram shuffle challenge, which led me to achieving my goal: feeling comfortable while shuffling. I still wasn’t as skilled or consistent as I would have liked, but I achieved a huge accomplishment.

The Bass Drop

During the summer of 2021, as events were slowly returning, I wanted to take my training further. I joined a program called Shuffle Shred led by Alex Kennedy, where I did what was called a “Lightning Round.” The lightning round was 2 weeks of daily online shuffle classes, learning different technical elements and finding my flow. Just 14 days of consistency and guidance absolutely changed the game for me! I am so appreciative of Alex and her program. I then went on to invest in her program called “Mini Month,” which is a Dropbox of over 30 modules she’s created that I have lifetime access to.

In March 2022, I took my first in-person shuffle class with Ciara Castro and Cici Stamper, and it was one of the most impactful nights of my life. The class was called "Divine Shuffles" and was during women's history month, so the entire theme was to tap into our feminine power through dance. They're both huge inspirations for me, and not only learning from them but them calling me out to do a solo unlocked so much confidence and power that I didn't even know I had!

After 4 years, I am a completely different shuffler and raver. I was able to tie my original passion and new passion together through shuffling, and it’s given me such a purpose and drive. I’m still not where I’d like to be, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made. I’m enjoying the journey and have a lot of things in the works, and am excited to see where it takes me :)

Video Credit: @the.souz

Choreography: Ciara Castro and Cici Stamper

Music: Maneater by Nelly Furtado