I took my first waacking class a few Tuesdays ago at Rhythmhood Studio. Waacking is a dance form created in Los Angeles in the 1970s by the LGTBQ+ community. “Punk” was once used as a derogatory term for gay men. The LGTBQ+ community repurposed the term, and used it to refer to a new style of dance. The distinctive style of waacking, with its sharp, expensive arm accentuations, developed from the punking style.

Wide, big, expressive arm movements are characteristic of the waacking style. In the first class, we practiced extending our arms to their full length. We did this while learning a few standard moves.

The wrist roll begins with arms by the sides and rolling up through a bicep curl. The elbows then pivot so they are point ninety degrees upwards. From there, the arm extents and twists. The move ends by reaching behind the head. The pattern is then reversed.

The behind-the-head is also a common waacking movement. It is simple to execute, hard to make look good. It begins with the hands held together in front of the chest. Our instructor suggested we pick a stylistic shape to the hands, with one option looking like the fingers were holding spoons. The arm then extends and moves the hand behind the head and back, before returning to the original position.

We practiced the wrist roll and behind-the-head at three speeds. The third speed was very fast. Consequently, the day after the first class, both of my elbows were sore. During my second class, I wore glasses. While practicing a move at high speed, I sent them flying and caused my hearing aids to explode out of my ears.

Similar to voguing, posing is an essential aspect of waacking. We paired off in lines, traded poses, then copied one another’s poses. I have much room for improvement with hip mobility, and the poses that required thrusting one out tested my body coordination. Posing is a key expressive tool, and a big, loud pose can go a long way in communicating a feeling.

We spoke as a class about how the interaction with other waacking dancers is different from hip hop dance. In hip hop sessions, there are battles. This battling is in the spirit of showcasing skill within a community of dancer. In waacking, the community of dancers interact less oppositionally. Rather than staging a sort of confrontation, dancers create a supportive, celebrate environment.

During my second waacking class, our instructor led us through a short piece of choreography. It incorporated wrist rolls and behind-the-heads. We learned pony’s, which feel similar to camel walks, and a series of quick, unnamed movements. Our instructor had created the choreography for a short filmed video she filmed in front of a series of Chicago murals related to waacking. One of which was a picture of Shabba Doo, a Chicago dancer famous for their role in Breakin’.