Move · Videos · Dance · 34 min

Old-School Hip-Hop and Funk Steps for Over-60s

Old-School Hip-Hop and Funk Steps for Over-60s — video by Sadler's Wells Play · 34:05

Video by Sadler's Wells on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Professional dancer Tommy Franzen (So You Think You Can Dance UK, West End) teaches over-60s old-school hip-hop and funk social steps: funky step-touches, front and back steps, the grapevine, the breakdown, the penguin, funky four corners and a chest groove, then strings them together.

  • 34 min
  • Beginner
  • Moderate impact
  • No equipment
  • Hip hop

Good forHealthy ageingDancing for funFun workouts

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Step by step 12

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Funky step-touch: step side to side with a chest pop and a slight turn away, knees loose. 0:57
  2. Try the step-touch to music, adding any arms you like. 3:20
  3. Front step: step to the side, then touch in front, slightly crossed, leaning like a pendulum. 4:11
  4. Back step: step to the side, then behind, lifting the opposite shoulder; add a swivel if you like. 7:15
  5. Grapevine: step, behind, step, touch each way, then add a lean and a swing. 11:02
  6. Link the step-touches, front and back steps and grapevine to music. 13:20
  7. The breakdown: bend forward with relaxed hips, sliding flat-footed and sinking on each beat. 14:39
  8. Dance the breakdown to music, leading from the elbows, then link it to the earlier steps. 19:46
  9. The penguin: double, single, single hops with flexed penguin arms, or just tap instead. 21:10
  10. Funky four corners: circle the hips front, side, back and side, knees rolling with them, then reverse. 25:14
  11. Chest groove: chest up, sink down, hip back, then neutral, with the arms in opposition. 29:17
  12. Put every step together, from the step-touch to the chest groove, to the music. 31:50

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

Form cues from the coach

  • Keep your knees soft and bent; balance is much harder with straight legs
  • Skip the hops in the penguin and just tap, or do only the arms
  • Clear a safe space, wear trainers and keep a chair nearby to rest

What it works Whole body

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses 2 takes load

  • Knees takes loadbent-knee bounce, breakdown sinks, penguin hops
  • Ankles & feet takes loadpenguin hops, swivels, grapevines
  • Shoulders movesfunky arms, penguin arms
  • Lower back moveship circles, chest groove
  • Hips movesstep-touches, grapevine, four-corners hip circles
  • Jumping or hopping. Impact goes through the ankles, knees and hips.

Easier option from the coach: Tap instead of hopping in the penguin, or do just the arms; rest on a chair

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 Sadler's Wells; 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