2009

In early to mid 2009 the infectious popularity of the Melbourne Shuffle on YouTube began to calm, but not die, bringing on a new age of shufflers. The dance began to revert back to what some people call "Oldschool". This reversion of shuffling consisted mostly of wide variations of the "T-Step" and minimal running man, and is accented by glides and spins. Although this may be referred to as "Oldschool" this new age of style is still very different from the way rockers in the '90s danced. Many of the new wave of rockers perform in cypher. Some of the younger people of this new wave are referred to as teeny boppers (or 'TB(s)' for short). TBs are also generally described as being young people that are not old enough to attend raves, so they dance at school, in a street or in a park instead. Whereas individuals who participate in those aspects of the dance argue that enough of the current Shuffle scene is influenced by Hip Hop (such as the now widespread inclusion of the 'Running Man') that these activities are justified.

[edit] Dancing

The origins of the name "Melbourne Shuffle" are unknown. The term was first brought to the public attention by Sonic Animation's Rupert Keiller during a TV interview in Sydney. The Age referred to it as looking like "a cross between the chicken dance and a foot stomping robot" to the untrained eye,^[1] but locals simply called it "stomping".
Some dancers sprinkle talcum powder or apply liquid to the floor beneath their feet to help them glide more easily, some including 360 degree spins or jumps into their moves.^[1] Others apply smooth plastic tape or duct tape to the soles of their shoes.
Originally consisting of the "T-Step" combined with arm movements, during recent years the "Running Man" has also been adopted into many common styles, accentuating the new focus of keeping time with the beat. The "Running man" involves a stomp forward followed by a single or double hop backwards with the same foot, the other foot repeats the action leading to a running-on-the-spot motion. The "T-Step" is a fast sideways heel-toe motion on one foot twisting at the ankle. The dance is embellished by spins, arm pumps, slides, and kicks.
Hardstyle is performed to music that features a fast 4/4 beat (also known as a 'four-on-the-floor' beat), and is normally accompanied by a heavy, booming (or hollow) bass. For this reason, many people in the US and Europe incorrectly refer to the "shuffle" as just "hardstyle". This is despite the term "hardstyle" being an umbrella term for many different rave dances globally, as well as a genre of electronic music. Hardstyle is a rave dance, while most other styles were typically performed in clubs and dance parties.