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Amapiano Dance for Beginners: Three Popular South African Moves

Amapiano Dance for Beginners: Three Popular South African Moves — video by African Dance Dictionary Play · 9:57

Video by African Dance Dictionary on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Teachers Isaac M and Tempa of the African Dance Dictionary online academy break down three popular amapiano moves from South Africa for beginners: tobetsa (pressing), sika lekhekhe with three hand variations, and the tshwala bam bounce, each practised to music.

  • 10 min
  • Beginner
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • No equipment
  • Afrobeats

Good forDancing for funFun workouts

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Step by step 7

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  1. Tobetsa: press down with a finger while the chest pulses down and the toes twist. 0:45
  2. Tobetsa variations and big facial expressions, then dance it to the music. 2:10
  3. Sika lekhekhe: left foot grounded on its toes, hands cutting in as you step and turn. 3:39
  4. Butterfly hands variation, letting the hips flow as you turn. 5:20
  5. A third variation with one hand out, then all three variations to the music. 6:15
  6. Tshwala bam: feet apart, a small side-to-side jiggle with the fists up and the upper body firm. 7:24
  7. Take the bounce down and up, then dance it to the music. 8:29

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Tobetsa: press down with a finger while the chest keeps moving and the toes twist
  • Sika lekhekhe: keep the left foot grounded on its toes as you step and turn, moving the hips
  • Tshwala bam: a small side-to-side bounce with the upper body held fairly stiff

What it works

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Joints it uses light on the joints

  • Shoulders moveshand cuts, butterfly hands, fists up
  • Upper back moveschest pulsing in tobetsa
  • Hips moveship flow while stepping and turning
  • Knees movesbent-knee steps, turns, bounce down and up
  • Ankles & feet movestoe twists, turning on the ball of the foot

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by African Dance Dictionary; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety