Booty Clap

Booty clapping, ass clapping or booty bouncing is a hip-hop dance move that literally causes the rear end of the dancer to make a clapping noise. Booty clapping is usually seen in rap videos and in gentleman's clubs. But, these days it's become mainstream and suburban kids and college kids want to master the art of booty clapping.

Steps

Jumping Up and Down

1. Stand with your feet together. Your feet should be at a normal stance with feet under the hips, but less than shoulder width apart. Take a wider stance if necessary to feel balanced. However, feet closer together is the norm.
2. Stand on the balls of your feet. Slowly start to rise up on your toes and shift your weight to the balls of your feet. If you don’t have a good sense of balance, or you feel as though you might fall over, then take this opportunity to take a slightly wider stance. But, if balance is not a problem, keep your feet closer together.
3. Bounce up and down. Once you’ve stabilized yourself on your toes, start to bounce up and down quickly. Do not squeeze your butt cheeks. You should feel your butt cheeks start to clap against each other.
   • This method works best for people that already have a big butt.
   • Try putting your hands against a wall for support. Leaning on the wall will allow you to bounce faster without feeling like you’re going to fall over.
   • To do a variation on this move, you can squat down with your feet shoulder width apart, and bend your torso over about 45 degrees. Then, bounce up and down on the balls of your feet.
   • Practice a lot. It sounds simple, but many people still have trouble with it and are unable to do it.

Bending the Knees

1. Stand with your feet together. Again, just as before, the feet don’t need to be right next to each other. Stand in a normal stance with the feet under the hips and less than shoulder width apart. If you feel more comfortable, bring your feet closer together so that there is only an inch (2.54 cm) or two (5.08 cm) of space between your feet.
   • If you are going to place your feet closer together, lean up against a wall or chair for extra support.
2. Stand on the balls of feet. Slowly, rise up on your toes and shift your weight to the balls of your feet. Use a wall or chair to help you balance if necessary. Or, you can take a little bit of a wider stance to help you balance.
3. Bend your knees slightly. Then, straighten them. Then, bend your knees again and straighten them. Do this slowly at first. Then, move much faster -- as fast as you can go. Once you start moving faster, you’ll have to limit the range of motion, so it won’t look like you’re bending your knees.
   • In other words, your knee bending movements won’t be as large as before. Bounce slightly on your toes while you bend your knees. The two movements together help the booty clap. You should hear a clapping sound when you have done it correctly.
   • This method is easiest those that have a big butt already because it helps the butt jiggle.

Arching the Back

1. Stand with your feet together. Similar to the other methods, your feet can be at a normal stance less than shoulder width apart. However, if you feel more comfortable take a slightly wider stance. In this case you might have four(10.16 cm) or five inches (12.7 cm) of space between your feet.
2. Rise up on your toes. Use your calf and thigh muscles to rise up on your toes. So, shift your weight to your toe box and balance there. Hold on to a wall or chair to help you balance if necessary.
3. Arch your back. As you do this, your chest should poke out. If it helps, think about making a curve in your back that looks like a C. Stand in front of a mirror, and readjust to make sure you don’t look awkward. Your movements should look natural.
4. Rotate your hips down forcefully. Then, move them up again. Continue to bounce as you do this. After you move your hips down, they should almost naturally spring up again because of the momentum. Then, repeat the motions -- pelvis down and pelvis up. Bounce as fast as you can, and you should hear your butt cheeks clap together. You know when you’re doing it right when your butt cheeks make a sound like they are clapping.
   • Use your body weight and the slight bend in your knee to help you create this bouncing motion. When you move your pelvis down, bend your knees slightly.
   • Your arch in your back should help you be mindful of rotating the pelvis instead of just using your legs.

Tips

• To make the actual clap noise, keep your legs together, squat down just a little. When you come up be sure to come back down in that same position. It'll take a little force but you should hear it.
• If you don't have a huge butt, it will take significant time and practice to perfect the booty clap. Smaller butts, may not be able to actually make the clap noise, but you can achieve a booty bounce or booty pop.
• If you have a bigger bottom you may find it easier to booty clap.

Warnings

• Don't booty clap while intoxicated, in most cases it may result in embarrassment.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Ask a Guy to Dance if You Think You're a Geek
• Perform a Calypso Leap
• Become a Fire Dancer
• Start a Dance Group
• Dress for a Jazz Dance Class
• Body Pop
• Organize a Flash Mob
• Heel Click
• Make a Dance Routine
• Decide if You Should Become a Stripper

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