France, 2000s
ELECTRO
The Parisian electronic gesture
Electro dance (sometimes called Tecktonik, after the Parisian parties that popularized it in 2005-2007) is a dance born in France in Electro-house and Hardstyle clubs. It borrows fast, angular arm movements from Vogue, bouncy footwork from the Melbourne Shuffle, and isolations from Popping.
Its media boom in 2007-2008 (with acts like Yelle or the duo Tecktonik) was as sudden as its decline. It survives today in international Electro battle circles, notably through figures such as Dmitry Masloboev or the French dancers of the Electro Bunny school.
How it's danced
Technique & figures
Electro is danced to electronic music at 140-160 BPM. It favors the arms — fast, angular, often above the head — and light, bouncy footwork. It is a vertical, visual dance, made to be seen from the front.
Styles and fundamentals
Two main styles: "Vertigo" Electro (fast arms, tall silhouette) and "Milky Way" (fluidity, undulations). Figures follow one another in freestyle over the music's drops.
Main figures
- 01
Arm swings
Fast arm movements in circles or figure eights above the head. A visual signature of the style.
- 02
Vertigo
Fast rotations of the body on itself, with the arms spread wide. An emblem of the Parisian style.
- 03
Milky Way
A fluid sequence of body waves and slow rotations, closely related to Waving.
- 04
Melbourne shuffle steps
Fast forward-backward footwork, borrowed from the Australian Shuffle scene.
- 05
Hakken
Fast lateral jumps, elbows in the air, borrowed from the Dutch Hardstyle scene.
Reading the music
High-tempo electronic music: Electro-house (Justice, Ed Banger), Hardstyle, Trance, Bigroom. Drops and build-ups structure the figures.
Did you know?
Explore the rhythms
Same family
Clubbing