Hip-Hop Dance Videos You Can Groove with and Learn From

After all, you've been living for the weekend for five whole days. But now when it's time to get your party on, do you find yourself trying to bring it with the same tired dance moves from back in the day? Are you getting bored with your workout, and need a little funk injected into the routine? The last time you went to "kick it at da club" were you sued for damages? Well, never fear, friend. Whether you're only moderately rusty, or the proud owner of two left feet, you can learn hot to turn some simple steps into pretty impressive hip-hop moves. With a little research, you can find just the right hip hop dance video to help you get your groove back (or ON if you never had it). I've started you off here with a few of my favorites hip-hop dance videos, and you can take it from there. Because when it's Friday and you're up in da club, you are there to dish it, and maybe even take it, but you are NOT there to get served.

1) Street Fusion - Street Jazz & Hip Hop Dance with Karen Gayle

Karen Gayle's Street Fusion is set like an actual dance class, with a backup crew and everything. And while there is a bit of choreography to learn, the steps are for all skill levels, and she works the entire body with full body movements. Even if you're not really into hip hop, you'll find that the moves are pretty cool, the music easy to get into and the energy level high. This video, however would probably not be the best one for those seeking modern or jazz dance moves, or yoga and flowing routines.

The routine consists of a 20 minute warm-up that starts with stretching, foot work and rhythm work. After the warm up, you can choose from three routines, at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. Each section has instructional and performance sections. The beginner's routine is repeated twice at the end. The intermediate routine is repeated three times, and the advanced routine is repeated four. At the end of the dvd there is a section called "performance" where it jumps from one routine to the next. There is no cool down, which makes the routine fun and challenging.

The first routine is simple. The second routine is a mix of intermediate moves, and the third routine is an advance level, like you would see on P. Diddy's show, "Making The Band", or on the show "So You Think You Can Dance" on the Fox Network. Believe me, you'll have cool moves for clubbing by the end of section one.

2) Kelly Peters - Make It Happen - A Hip Hop Dance Video

I have quite a few dance videos for break dance and hip-hop, and this is truly one of the best hip hop dance videos I've found. Many hip-hop videos that I've seen teach a routine that requires a football stadium just to do it by yourself, and couldn't possibly be performed in any social situation. This video teaches you moves that can look impressive without breaking anything at the typical party. Many of the videos I've tried also have lots of jazzy, modern dance moves, but Kelly Peters is straight hip-hop here. Finally, the instruction is at a slow pace so that you can actually learn each move rather than watch the impossible dream through a blur of sweat and tears.

Kelly Peters is a great instructor, and she makes it unbelievably easy to learn the moves. This one's definitely a winner, with easy to follow instruction and lots of fun. The split screen concept is a great idea, and Peters does a nice job of walking through each move by starting off slowly, and then gradually advancing to a faster pace. This one is truly one of my favorites.

3)Dance Fitness for Beginners with MaDonna Grimes: Urban Street Heat

This DVD is a hellovalotta fun, but be warned: It is a beginner's level workout. It lasts a little over 30 minutes (including the video warm up and cool down), and is very low impact with fitness dancing that may be too slow paced for intermediate and advanced levels.

But one of the great things about this DVD is that Madonna Grimes and her background dancers are friendly, upbeat and interactive. The dance moves are not at all difficult to learn, and a beginner can pick them up quickly since much of the music is rather slow. The set is professional, and the production is good.

This is a great DVD for days when I don't feel like exerting a high impact effort, or when I want to loosen up after a strength training workout. For a more intense, high impact workout, Madonna's African Beat, Latin Heat DVD is a fantastic, energetic option that demands my all.

These are just a few of my favorite hip-hop dance videos. There are many, many choices currently on the market today. It's important to know a bit about the background of the instructor, and what kind of dance they specialize in. Some videos are available online for immediate download, but so far I've only found hard copies of each. Before you buy, I recommend renting these and any of the hip-hop dance videos out there for a test drive. Take your time, find your pace, have a blast, put in some practice, and in no time you'll be one of the ones, up in da club, impressing yourself and everyone else with your new found skills.