For a guy who haven’t frequent the club scene or even rave parties for quite sometime, I just don’t understand why so many youngsters are into this fast-leg moving dance called the “Melbourne Shuffle”.

I admit it, I’m from the old school and I grew up breakdancing with MC Hammer, headbanging with Guns & Roses, Techno dance with 2 Unlimited and Pop dancing with Paula Abdul. In college, I danced to trance and R&B. Then I begin to frequent Rave parties when I started working. For the next few years, I’ve seen alot of dance moves coming in and out of trend.

It’s only lately that I learnt about liquiding and the Melbourne Shuffle. Both dance move grooves along well with trance music. Here’s a quote from a website talking about the Melbourne Shuffle.

Melbourne shuffle is an art form, and recognised in international dance circles as Melbourne’s own.

The shuffle is a fast heel-and-toe movement, coupled with a matching arm action. While the dance is free-form (no two people ever shuffle exactly the same) the basic step involves repeatedly shuffling your feet inwards, then outwards, while thrusting your arms up and down, or side to side, in time with the beat. The upper body continues to “bop” with the music.

With practice, shufflers can add a 360-degree spin, a fancy side-step or two, and even a double-footed jump to match the peaks of the music. Talcum powder is sometimes sprinkled on the floor so dancers can slip and slide faster as they shuffle. There’s even a competition, the Shuffle-Off, held in Melbourne every few months.

The shuffle is one reason why, to the thousands of Melbourne people who go nightclubbing every week, this city has a unique dance culture. More than 100 clubs - most but not all of them in the central business district and inner suburbs - cater to the electronic dance scene.

I mean seriously, do you really think that a dance where people wearing pants bigger than MC Hammer’s can become a culture of its own? Hmmm….I don’t know but I do know of another shuffling culture. A culture that have been practised since the dawn of mankind…it’s called the ‘Five Knuckle Shuffle’

The Five Knuckle Shuffle

Five Knuckle Shuffe is truly an art form, and dated back to the dawn of mankind.

The shuffle is a fast palm-and-hand movement, coupled with a firm grip to give more satisfaction. While the shuffle is free-form the basic step involves repeatedly shuffling your hand inwards, then outwards, while thrusting your body up and down, or a rub on the tip with your thumb, in time of heat. Your body will quiver to the rythym of your shuffling.

With practice, shufflers can add a 180-degree rub, a fancy up-down rub or two, and even a double-handed shuffle to reach the peak. Soap or lubricant are sometimes used on the palm so shufflers can slip and slide faster as they shuffle. There’s even a competition, a marathon, held in San Fran.

The shuffle is one reason why, to the millions of single, lonely and bored people stays back home every weekend.

The best part about Five Knuckle Shuffle is that you can change your shuffling partner everyday and not just with one…but two!

Pick your favourite name and JERK OFF!!!

The Five Knuckle Shuffle is also better known as ‘tar fei kei’, ‘pak chiu cheng’, jerking off or ‘melancap’.