Shoulder Bumps (5 counts ; 10 musical beats)
Also known as: Hip to Hip.
Steps
- 1: (Step back)
The lady faces south directly in front of the man, who faces north.
The man holds the lady's right hand in his left hand.
The man leads the lady to move backwards — by pushing her right hand slightly with his left hand — as he moves backwards and offers his right hand for the lady to take his right hand in her left hand.
- 2: (Step in)
The lady faces south stepped away directly in front of the man, who faces north.
The man holds the lady's right hand in his left hand and holds the lady's left hand in his right hand.
The man leads the lady to move forwards — by pulling her right hand slightly with his left hand and pulling her left hand slightly with his right hand changing to a flat palm-to-palm handhold at shoulder height — as he moves forwards.
- 3: (Step apart)
The lady faces south stepped away directly in front of the man, who faces north.
The man holds the lady's right hand in his left hand and his right hand is palm-to-palm with the lady's left hand — the man's right hand is at shoulder height.
The man leads the lady to move backwards and rotate 90o anticlockwise (with weight on her right leg) — by releasing her left palm after pushing it slightly with his right palm — as he moves backwards and rotates 90o clockwise (with weight on his left leg).
- 4: (Step in)
The lady faces east stepped away on the left side of the man, who faces east.
The man holds the lady's right hand in his left hand.
The man leads the lady to move right — by pulling her right hand slightly with his left hand and bringing his left hand (and the lady's right hand) slightly forwards to create compression in the handhold — as he moves left.
- 5: (Step away)
The lady faces east close to on the left side of the man, who faces east.
The man holds the lady's right hand in his left hand — the man's left forearm and left shoulder are in contact with the lady's right forearm and right shoulder.
The man leads the lady to move left and rotate 90o clockwise (with weight on her left leg) — by pushing her right hand slightly with his left hand and bringing his left hand (and the lady's right hand) slightly backwards to create tension in the handhold — as he moves right and rotates 90o anticlockwise (with weight on his right leg).
Don't just step in/away from each other — otherwise the move starts to resemble a ballroom sequence dance, e.g. a “dashing white sergeant”,
Depending on your partner you may spring away by bouncing-off sprung elbows, or by “bouncing” off each other's hips/shoulders. Can optionally do a kick, or flick step, during the “step away”.
- 6: (Finish)
The lady faces south stepped away directly in front of the man, who faces north.
The man holds the lady's right hand in his left hand.
Notes
Variations
Can repeat Shoulder Bumps on the opposite side, e.g. with a Glide between them.
A more energetic version is to kick away from your partner and then bounce together. Similarly, any joining Glides may be adapted to include “scissor” footwork.
Links
- Shoulder Bumps at Bath Leroc. Hosted at The Internet Archive.
- Side To Side Shoulders at Ceroc Kidderminster.
- Side To Side at Dance Yourself Dizzy. Alternative link 1.
Videos
- Side-to-Side Shoulders in Beginners Modern Jive — The Easy Way To Learn. QLD Dance, 1A Great Northern Street, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 7HJ, UK, volume QLDVD6010, 2003.