Move · Videos · Technique · 7 min

House Dance for Beginners: The Jack and Reverse Jack

House Dance for Beginners: The Jack and Reverse Jack — video by Versa-Style Street Dance Company Play · 6:32

Video by Versa-Style Street Dance Company on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Alli 'Mama Alli' Gray of Versa-Style Street Dance Company teaches the jack, the foundation groove of house dance, with loose knees waving forward and back, then the reverse jack that digs down and lifts up, each practised slowly, then to music. A first house lesson.

  • 7 min
  • Beginner
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • No equipment

Good forDancing for fun

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Step by step 6

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Loosen the knees and find the bounce to the beat. 0:51
  2. The jack: let the knees wave forward in a circular motion, shown from the side too. 1:08
  3. Catch it back, as if about to sit down, keeping the knees loose and flowing. 1:31
  4. Practise the jack to music, slowly, then faster and to the side. 2:15
  5. Reverse jack: dig down through the knees, then lift the body up, with a clear stop. 3:06
  6. Practise the reverse jack to music, slowly, then at double time. 4:21

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

Form cues from the coach

  • Keep the knees loose and let them wave forward with the beat
  • Reverse jack: dig down, then lift the body up, with a clear stop each time

What it works

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses light on the joints

  • Lower back movestorso jacking forward and back
  • Hips movesjacking forward and catching back
  • Knees movesloose knee bounce, jack, dig-down reverse jack
  • Ankles & feet movesbouncing on the feet

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 Versa-Style Street Dance Company; 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