History and Origins
Litefeet, also known as "getting lite," is a dynamic street dance and vernacular style that emerged from Harlem, New York, in the early 2000s, officially established around 2006. The term "litefeet" itself originates from the dancers' light and seemingly weightless footwork.
Initially, litefeet performances were common in the subways of New York City, where they are known as "Showtime," and in public spaces like Union Square. The style has since transitioned from these underground origins into mainstream culture. Chrybaby Cozie, a Harlem-born hip-hop dancer, is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of litefeet, having started dancing at age five and progressing through the party scene where the dance originated.
The evolution of litefeet from its origins in Harlem's subway performances to its current mainstream recognition illustrates a common trajectory for street dance styles. These forms often begin as grassroots expressions within specific communities, gaining visibility through informal public showcases before eventually influencing broader popular culture. This progression highlights the organic development and eventual widespread appeal of vernacular dances.
Core Characteristics
Litefeet is characterized by its high energy, fast footwork, and improvisational style. It has been embraced as a symbol of Harlem's urban musical social scene. The dance style incorporates elements from hip-hop, breakdancing, and house dance.
Key Movements
Litefeet incorporates a distinct vocabulary of movements, often seen in high-energy routines:
Harlem Shake: Commonly integrated into litefeet, this social dance involves leaning into one side, stepping, and dipping the body. The movement emphasizes a full-body engagement, with dancers stepping, dipping, and bringing their feet in and out.
Chicken Noodle Soup: Another popular move incorporated into litefeet. The basic steps involve bringing hands down like rain falling ("Let it rain and clear it out"), followed by side-to-side leg movements and flailing arms to match foot movements. It also includes "chicken wings" and "throwing your soda" motions.
Tone Wop (Toe Whop): A foundational and iconic hip hop dance move originating from Harlem, characterized by rhythmic footwork and a distinctive style.
Execution: Begin with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and weight evenly distributed. Shift your weight to one leg, lifting the other slightly. Take a small step with the lifted leg, returning it to the start. As you step back, transfer weight to the other leg, lifting the first. Repeat, alternating legs to create a rhythmic, bouncing motion. Incorporate arm movements like swinging or pumping. A common execution involves swaying the body to the right on each beat, bending knees and dropping the right shoulder, while swinging the left arm from beside the ear to in front of the right shoulder, and mirroring with the right arm.
Rev Up: A high-energy move often combined with the Tone Wop and Chicken Noodle Soup. It involves dynamic body and arm movements, including grabbing, hip movements, flicking arms, and rolling on the back. It can involve smooth wrapping motions and hitting various points.
Bad One: A popular litefeet dance, described as a 3-count move: step, ball, change foot. It often involves rolling arms in a half circle and can be varied with different body parts like shoulders, knees, or head.
All In: Listed as a popular litefeet dance.66 It involves a specific bounce and wiggle motion, emphasizing standing on the toes.
Lock In: An abrupt, energetic move that typically ends a combo, functioning like a period at the end of a sentence.
Execution: Can involve raising a leg and bringing it down in three steps, or balling hands together. Dancers can lock in from various positions, including over the top or from the side. Another common lock-in involves clasping hands behind or over the head, bringing them down in a "one-two" motion with the lower body.
Fake Out: A move designed to trick the audience into thinking a combo is ending with a Lock In, but then delaying it with an extra move. It can involve specific leg switches and micro bounces.
Hat Tricks: These involve manipulating a hat as part of the dance. Tricks can include putting the hat on the tip of a foot and catching it with teeth, kicking it onto an elbow or back, or improvising movements with the hat on the floor. Litefeet popularized this style of tricking.
Shoe Tricks: Similar to hat tricks, these involve manipulating shoes as part of the performance. Litefeet is known for making this style of tricking exclusive to the dance.89 Tricks can involve placing the foot on the shoe, ensuring the heel is deeply inserted, then bringing the shoe up, grabbing the foot, or throwing the shoe in the air.
The innovative incorporation of everyday objects like hats and shoes into complex dance manipulations, as seen in Hat Tricks and Shoe Tricks, demonstrates a unique form of artistic resourcefulness within litefeet. This highlights how street dance continually redefines what constitutes a "prop" or "movement," transforming ordinary items and actions into intricate, signature elements of the dance.
Cultural Impact and Musicality
Litefeet is a vibrant and energetic form of expression that celebrates urban culture and creativity. It has gained popularity in the underground dance scene and spread globally, with new generations of dancers continuously developing new moves and techniques while remaining rooted in Harlem's dance culture.
Alongside the dance style, there has been a rise in "Litefeet music," which typically consists of fast-paced (100-110 BPM) rap beats and drum kits. This upbeat hip-hop music provides the rhythmic foundation that allows "litefeeters" to express their movements and build their "Lock ins". The music often reflects the urban lifestyle and experiences of young people, sometimes incorporating the names of dance steps into chant-like hooks, such as "bad one, bad bad one".
The strong connection between litefeet dance and its accompanying music, where upbeat hip-hop beats directly facilitate and shape movements like "Lock ins," illustrates a profound symbiotic relationship between sound and physical expression. This dynamic interplay reinforces community identity and provides a resilient platform for cultural articulation, demonstrating how music and dance co-evolve to reflect and reinforce the spirit of their originators.