What is the Gwara Gwara?

A South African step credited to producer DJ Bongz, danced with a hinged, sweeping leg and winding arms, which reached global audiences via Rihanna's 2018 Grammy Awards performance.

Where did the Gwara Gwara originate?

The Gwara Gwara originated in South Africa in 2016.

What tempo is the Gwara Gwara danced at?

The Gwara Gwara is typically danced at 112-125 BPM.

Dance History›Afro-Diaspora Popular Dance›Gwara Gwara

Afro-Diaspora Popular DanceAFP-GWR

Gwara Gwara

Q: What time signature is the Gwara Gwara danced in?

The Gwara Gwara is danced in 4/4 South African house and kwaito-derived groove with a stepping bassline and offbeat hats.

Q: What is the character of the Gwara Gwara?

The Gwara Gwara is characterized as loose-limbed, unhurried and deceptively casual; a swagger step rather than a display step.

Also known as: Gwarra Gwarra, Gwara

OriginSouth Africa

Era2016–2018

Rhythm4/4 South African house and kwaito-derived groove with a stepping bassline and offbeat hats

Tempo112-125 BPM

CharacterLoose-limbed, unhurried and deceptively casual; a swagger step rather than a display step

History & Cultural Context

Gwara gwara is a South African step credited to the producer and dancer DJ Bongz, who launched it through Instagram dance challenges and through the video for his track 'Ofana Nawe'. It spread from South African schoolyards into nightlife across 2016 and 2017 before crossing over internationally. Chris Brown was filmed performing it in June 2016, and Rihanna's January 2018 Grammy Awards performance of 'Wild Thoughts' with DJ Khaled triggered a worldwide conversation, much of it uninformed, about where the move came from. Childish Gambino's 2018 'This Is America' video, choreographed by Sherrie Silver, also features it. The step is danced standing more or less on the spot: the working leg swings out and drags back in a loose, hinged sweep while the arms alternate in a winding motion and the shoulders shrug against the offbeat. It looks casual, and concealing the effort is part of the point. DJ Bongz has repeatedly defended the move's South African authorship and its longevity, telling TimesLIVE in 2020 that the gwara gwara will never die, and in 2021 he staged a public dance challenge with the actor Jamie Foxx that returned attention to its origins.

Cultural Significance

Gwara gwara belongs to South African township youth culture and reached the world with its origins largely stripped off, becoming a textbook case of an African social step circulating globally while its creator's name did not. South African commentators used the Rihanna moment to insist publicly on the attribution.

Characteristic Movement & Technique

Upright stance with a soft supporting knee; the free leg sweeps outward from the hip and drags back on a hinge while the arms wind alternately across the body and the shoulders answer the offbeat.

Partnering Dynamics

Solo or group, danced facing forward or in a circle. There is no partner hold, though the step is often traded back and forth as friendly one-upmanship.

Competitive Context

Circulated primarily through hashtag challenges initiated on DJ Bongz's own social accounts, including a widely covered 2021 challenge with Jamie Foxx, rather than through staged competition.

Regional Variations

The South African original is small, grounded and behind the beat; international versions performed in pop choreography tend to be larger, more upright and squarely on the beat.

Common Misconceptions

Gwara gwara was not created by Rihanna, Childish Gambino or any American performer, and it is not a generic 'African dance'. It is also distinct from pantsula, an older and far more technically demanding township form with its own separate lineage.

Peak Popularity

2010s

80% estimated global awareness

Signature Figures

DJ Bongz
Rihanna
Sherrie Silver
Chris Brown

Notable Codifiers

DJ Bongz

Gwara Gwara Music & Tempo

Drawn from 15 Gwara Gwara tracks in the LODance music library.

Example tracks at practice tempo

Stuck In Your Love (feat. Azola) — Black Coffee123 BPM
Angelina (feat. NaakMusiQ & Mondli Ngcobo) — Black Coffee125 BPM
Tshinada (feat. Maxy & Makhadzi) — Master KG125 BPM
Come With Me (feat. Mque) — Black Coffee125 BPM
Found You — Da Capo & Berita122 BPM
Love On Fire (feat. Lungi Naidoo & Ribatone) — Black Coffee123 BPM

Browse & play all 15 Gwara Gwaratracks in the Music Library →

What to Wear

Attire guidance for Gwara Gwara and other Afro-Diaspora Popular Dance dances. Each card below is sized to the moment — class, practice, social, or competition — because the wardrobe shifts as the stakes do.

Reading the cards

Class — group instruction; comfort first.

Practice — rehearsal; dress like the dance.

Social — public dance floor; smart casual to formal.

Competition — judged events; rule-bound costume.

In Class

These are club and street dances, so ordinary clothes are correct — joggers or leggings, a tee, layers you can shed, and clean indoor sneakers, since afrobeats, amapiano and their relatives are grounded in the feet, ankles and knees. Some teachers work sections barefoot, especially for more traditional vocabulary; ask rather than assume. Nothing restrictive at the waist or hips, because most of the vocabulary lives there. This is not a costume genre: printed cloth is real clothing and real ceremonial dress in the cultures it comes from, and wearing it as a novelty costume to a beginner class reads badly.

Social Dancing

Parties, clubs, weddings and family occasions are where these dances actually live, and you wear what you'd wear out — the dance is not separate from the night. The only practical concern is shoes you can move in for hours, since these are stamina dances and you will be up much longer than you plan. For an occasion where guests do dress up, dress for the occasion, not for the dance.

Competition

There are battles and competitions — regional Afro dance battles across Europe and Africa, and Afro categories inside broader street-dance events — but no assigned costume: dancers compete in their own street looks or crew kit, and personal style is read as part of the performance. Practical rules are the same as any battle: a visible number, shoes that won't mark the stage, and nothing that can come loose mid-round. Choreography showcases and music-video work do use styled looks, chosen by the choreographer or artist rather than by convention.

Shoes

Clean, flexible, indoor-only sneakers. Afrobeats, amapiano and the Ghanaian and Nigerian vocabulary that feeds them are driven from the ankles, knees and ball of the foot, so a thin sole you can feel the floor through beats a cushioned running shoe, which flattens the bounce and grabs on pivots. Some teachers work sections barefoot, particularly with more traditional material — ask what the class expects rather than guessing. Nothing tight or high through the ankle, since a lot of the footwork happens right there.

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In Practice

Training looks like class, with one real addition: film yourself. This is a movement culture that lives on video, and the reason to wear something fitted at the waist is so you can see whether the isolation is actually happening or whether the fabric is doing it for you. Knee sleeves are worth it if you are drilling grounded, bent-knee material for hours. The rest of practice is listening — the steps are built on specific songs and specific drums, not on counts.

Common Pitfalls

✗Turning up in African print bought as a costume for a beginner class — these are real garments with real meaning, and worn as novelty it reads as caricature.
✗Cushioned running shoes, which deaden the bounce these styles are built on.
✗Stiff jeans or a restrictive waistband; nearly all the vocabulary passes through the hips and waist.
✗Outdoor shoes on a studio floor.
✗Over-dressing for a party or wedding where the dance itself is the point and comfort matters more than the outfit.

Price Range

Budget: Effectively nothing — clothes you own plus a flexible indoor sneaker at roughly $60–100. This is one of the cheapest genres to enter.
Mid: A second indoor pair to rotate, knee sleeves $20–40, technical fabric for high-sweat classes.
Premium: There is no premium gear tier. The money worth spending goes to workshops and intensives with the choreographers and communities who originated the steps — which is also where credit belongs.

Key Terms

Indoor-only sneakers: A pair kept for the studio. Street grit destroys marley and most studios enforce this at the door.
Ankara / kente: Real clothing and, in kente’s case, cloth with specific ceremonial meaning. Worn meaningfully in performance; not a class costume and not a novelty.
Street look: What dancers actually compete and perform in — personal clothing, read as part of the performance rather than assigned by an organiser.
Crew kit: Coordinated clothing worn by a group at battles and showcases; identity, not uniform, and never required of a solo entrant.
Knee sleeve: Compression sleeve worn for extended grounded work — the only piece of protective gear this genre commonly needs.

Quick Tips

•Suede-soled shoes allow controlled sliding and pivoting — essential for most partner dances.
•Avoid rubber soles on dance floors; they grip too much and can cause knee injuries.
•Bring a separate pair of clean shoes for the dance floor to keep it in good condition.

Evolution of Dance Attire →Shop the look · Gear Guide →

Sources & Further Reading

Cultural & Historical Context

Gwara Gwara emerged from South Africa during 2016—2018. Understanding the cultural roots, musical traditions, and social circumstances of this era enriches appreciation for the dance's characteristics and significance.

Formative Influences

Codifiers & Standardizers:

DJ Bongz

Signature Movement Vocabulary:

DJ Bongz, Rihanna, Sherrie Silver, Chris Brown

Primary Source Documents

The Library of Dance contains public-domain primary sources for dance history. Copyrighted modern syllabi are indexed with purchase links to their respective copyright owners. Search by dance name or codifier to discover primary source documents.

Last reviewed: September 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.