Reggae music almost always has a strong offbeat rhythm. For our purposes, this usually means that you should hear the steady strum of a guitar or a repeating piano chord between your numbers as you count them. In other words, your counting should sound like this: “One (strum), two (strum), three (strum), four (strum),” and so on. If you’re having a hard time counting in time with the music, listen to the drums in the song. Most reggae drumming has a strong “hit” on beats “two” and “four”.
When you’re comfortable with a basic swaying or leaning motion, try swinging your arms back and forth with the music. You can leave your hands at your sides while you do this, but you can also try bringing your hands up to chest level and moving them rhythmically with the music — it’s up to you.
Note that this movement is usually more pronounced for women — men on the dance floor usually use more subdued motion of the hips.
Traditional reggae partner dancing is somewhat similar to ballroom dancing, but the partners usually stand close to each other (or with bodies touching) and, obviously, make rhythmic hip movements. Modern reggae dancing may more closely resemble hip-hop or pop dancing and incorporate a female-back-to-male-front stance.
As you express yourself, however, be sure to share the dance floor. In reggae, the dance floor is a public space — something for everyone to enjoy. While particularly good dancers may get the attention of the crowd for a while, they shouldn’t hog or command the dance floor.
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Ball your fists up and start marching in place to the tempo of the music, moving your hands up and down as you go. Start sliding your feet back along the floor after each step. This should make it look a little like you’re running in place. Start kicking your feet out with each forward step you take, continuing to make your exaggerated marching movements with your arms. When you get it right, your skanking should look a little like a cross between the can-can and an old-fashioned jig.
Begin by grooving and swaying to the music as you normally would. Loosely ball your fists and bring your hands up to your chest. Start to roll each shoulder back to the beat of the song — first the right, then the left, and so on. Continue this leaning, rocking movement, exaggeratedly (but smoothly) rolling your shoulders back with each beat. Roll your hips slightly and make pointing or gesturing hand motions for added effect.
Plant your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms out from your sides with your fists and forearms pointing down to the ground. Twist at the waist as far as you can comfortably go to one side. Start to slowly, smoothly twist back in the opposite direction, keeping your arms out as you go. Roll your hips back and forth to the beat of the music in an exaggerated motion as you twist. Repeat back in the other direction or transition into another move when you can’t twist any further.
Plant your feet about foot or two apart and relax your body. Start grooving to the rhythm of the music as you normally would. Place your hands on your hips and start to roll them in a circular motion. As you roll your hips to the front, tighten your stomach muscles, and as you roll your hips to the back, stick them out. If you can, start to open and close your legs to the beat of the music, touching your knees together on each beat (or every other beat). For added flair, throw in occasional swiveling movements of the head and shoulders to accompany your hip and leg movements.
