Monastery Dance: How to Do the St. Louis Hip Hop Move

Introduction

The Monastery is a fundamental move in hip hop dance styles like popping, locking, and breaking. It requires precise control, rhythm, and coordination to execute smoothly. The move involves shifting the body weight between the toes and heels in a fluid, rhythmic fashion, often accompanied by complementary arm and head movements.

Video Demonstration

Dance History of The Monastery

While the exact origins are unclear, the Monastery gained popularity in the early 2000s, emerging from the hip hop dance scene in St. Louis, Missouri. It quickly spread to other regions and became a staple in hip hop dance battles and cyphers.

Step By Step Instruction

1. Start with feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent.

2. Shift your weight to the balls of your feet, lifting your heels off the ground.

3. Quickly shift your weight back, putting your heels down and lifting the balls of your feet.

4. Repeat this toe-heel motion in a rhythmic pattern, creating the "bouncing" illusion.

5. Complement the footwork with arm movements pushing down and a loose, bobbing head motion.

Tips For Learning The Monastery

• Keep your knees bent and engage your core for balance and control.

• Start slowly, focusing on the smooth weight transfer between toes and heels.

• Use arm and head movements to accentuate the rhythm and add style.

• Practice transitioning the Monastery into other hip hop dance moves.

Conclusion

The Monastery is an iconic and visually captivating hip hop dance move that showcases footwork skills and rhythm. By mastering this foundational move, dancers can build a strong base for improvisation and self-expression in hip hop dance styles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Monastery dance?

The Monastery is a hip hop dance move built on a rapid toe-heel weight shift, lifting the heels while keeping the toes planted, then reversing the motion, which creates a subtle bouncing illusion. Complemented by arm and head movements, it's used across popping, locking, and freestyle hip hop, particularly in battle and cypher settings.

Where did the Monastery dance come from?

The Monastery emerged from the St. Louis, Missouri hip hop scene in the early 2000s. It quickly spread to other regions through battles, cyphers, and music videos, becoming a staple move in the broader hip hop footwork vocabulary. It shares technical DNA with LA's Pepperseed and house dance's heel-toe family.

Is the Monastery the same as the Pepperseed?

They're close cousins. Both use the toe-heel weight-shift mechanic to create a bouncing illusion. The Monastery is the St. Louis version with a specific rhythm and arm vocabulary; the Pepperseed is the LA version. Most dancers who know one can quickly learn the other, the core footwork action is identical.

How long does it take to learn the Monastery?

The basic toe-heel motion takes 10-15 minutes to pick up physically. Getting the SMOOTH weight transfer that makes it look like bouncing (rather than hopping) takes 30-60 minutes. Layering in arm pushes and the loose head bobs that give the Monastery its signature groove is another 1-2 practice sessions.

What's the most common Monastery mistake?

Bouncing too high. The Monastery illusion works when the heels barely leave the floor, you should feel the weight transfer more than see vertical movement. Beginners who lift the heels too high break the illusion and turn it into a hop. Keep it low, controlled, and quick.

More Hip Hop Dance Moves

If you liked the Monastery, these moves share the same toe-heel bounce illusion and rhythmic footwork-based groove:

• How to Do the Pepperseed Hip Hop Dance Move, the Pepperseed uses an identical toe-heel shifting mechanic as the Monastery, originating from LA while the Monastery comes from St. Louis, both are in the same technical family.
• House Dance | Loose Leg, the Loose Leg is the house dance root of this heel-toe bounce family and helps build the smooth, controlled weight transfer that makes the Monastery look effortless.
• How to Do the Heel Toe Hip Hop Dance Move, the Heel Toe applies the same heel-and-toe pivot mechanics but creates a rocking side-to-side motion rather than a vertical bounce, making both moves great for cross-training footwork control.
• How to Do the Party Machine Hip Hop Dance Move, the Party Machine's kick-and-hop alternation pairs well with the Monastery in battle and cypher settings, as both moves are footwork-centric and work at similar tempos.