Street & Club Dance

House Dance

House dance is a social club style with fast, fluid footwork, jacking (a rhythmic torso pulse) and lofting floor moves, danced to house music.

118–130 BPM Solo / group ≈316 kcal/hr
Origin
Chicago and New York City clubs
Era
1980s – present
Time signature
4/4
Tempo
118–130 BPM
Difficulty
Studios listing it
12

What is house dance?

House dance is a social club style with fast, fluid footwork, jacking (a rhythmic torso pulse) and lofting floor moves, danced to house music. It values freedom, flow and community — "the house" is a place where everyone dances.

History

House music and dance grew in Chicago clubs such as the Warehouse (Frankie Knuckles) and New York's Paradise Garage and Loft in the 1980s, drawing on disco, salsa, tap, breaking and African dance.

Basic technique

  1. Jacking
  2. Footwork — shuffle, loose legs, skate, heel-toe
  3. Lofting and floor transitions

Music & tempo

House music, 118–130 BPM.

4080120160200240280320 BPM

Songs for house dance

SongArtistBPMKeyYear
If You Wanna DanceZumba Fitness118F major2012
DreamerSako Isoyan feat. Irina Makosh118G# minor2018
Pray for MePurple Disco Machine feat. CeeLo Green118C# major2017
Devil in MePurple Disco Machine feat. Joe Killington & Duane Harden120C# minor2017
Dying for YouMystery Skulls ft. Snowblood120A minor2019
Mawa SillahZumba Fitness120D major2012
Love FoundationDJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ120A# major2020
Street LifePurple Disco Machine120C# minor2013
Count to ThreeThe Chalkeaters feat. The Stupendium & Ellen McLain121D minor2021
OdysseyAritus x FIBRE122F# minor2016

BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.

All 37 house dance songs by BPM →

What to wear

Light sneakers with a smooth sole.

How to get started

Look for house sessions or classes; many cities have regular house dance cyphers.

We list 12 studios that teach house dance, or browse all dance studios by state.

photograph Paide Culture House Dance Orchestra 1958

photograph Paide Culture House Dance Orchestra 1958

Järvamaa Museum
nose flute, lollipop, drawing, house, dance club, drawing, drawing

nose flute, lollipop, drawing, house, dance club, drawing, drawing

Museum of World Culture

Openly licensed images via Europeana; rights statements on each item page.

Recent research

More house dance research →

Books about house dance

Full reading list →

Encyclopedia summary

House dance is a freestyle street dance and social dance that has roots in the underground house music scene of Chicago and New York. It is typically danced to loud and bass-heavy electronic dance music provided by DJs in nightclubs or at raves.

From the Wikipedia article “House dance”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Frequently asked questions

What BPM is house music?

Most house tracks are between about 118 and 130 BPM.

What BPM is House Dance?

House Dance is usually danced to music between 118 and 130 beats per minute. Browse 37 songs that fit on our House Dance music page.

How many calories does house dance burn?

About 316 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 4.3 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned house dance for every body weight.

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Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy