What is the Shaku Shaku?

A Lagos street step danced with crossed wrists and a dragging half-gallop, which spread from Agege to national and then international Afrobeats culture between 2016 and 2018.

Where did the Shaku Shaku originate?

The Shaku Shaku originated in Agege and Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria in 2016.

What tempo is the Shaku Shaku danced at?

The Shaku Shaku is typically danced at 100-115 BPM.

What is the character of the Shaku Shaku?

The Shaku Shaku is characterized as slouched, sly and low-effort by design; deliberately unpolished street swagger.

Dance History›Afro-Diaspora Popular Dance›Shaku Shaku

Afro-Diaspora Popular DanceAFP-SHK

Shaku Shaku

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

The Shaku Shaku is danced in 4/4 Nigerian street-pop, heavy kick with shaker and rim patterns filling the offbeats.

Also known as: Shaku, Shaku Shaku dance

OriginAgege and Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria

Era2016–2018

Rhythm4/4 Nigerian street-pop, heavy kick with shaker and rim patterns filling the offbeats

Tempo100-115 BPM

CharacterSlouched, sly and low-effort by design; deliberately unpolished street swagger

History & Cultural Context

Shaku shaku is a Nigerian street step from Agege in Lagos that spread nationwide between 2016 and 2018. It has no single credited author. Accounts consistently place its emergence among Agege and Bariga street youth, the so-called awawa boys, and the broadcaster DJ Real has said the name describes the loose-limbed way those young men moved; any claim of an individual originator should therefore be treated as contested. The dance is performed with the wrists crossed in front of the chest, the knees bent and slightly apart, the body dropping into what one account calls a graceful half-gallop while the feet improvise a shuffling, dragging pattern. The comparatively quiet upper body is what distinguishes it from the earlier alanta and galala steps it grew up beside. It reached the mainstream through records: Mr Real's 'Legbegbe' in 2017, Olamide's 'Wo!!' video in 2017 and his 'Science Student' in 2018, alongside tracks by Slimcase, Idowest, Small Doctor, Zlatan Ibile and Reminisce. By the end of 2017 Davido, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage had all been filmed doing it. Shaku shaku gave Nigerian street-pop a visual identity and seeded the zanku and legwork wave that followed in 2018.

Cultural Significance

Shaku shaku came out of poor, heavily policed Lagos neighbourhoods and carried that association with it; its rise coincided with the mainstreaming of Nigerian street-pop and of the artists and slang that came with it. Its originators were collective and unnamed, which is precisely why credit for it has been so contested.

Characteristic Movement & Technique

Wrists crossed at chest height, knees soft and turned slightly out, the body sinking into a dragging half-gallop while the feet shuffle, scuff and improvise. The head and shoulders stay comparatively still.

Partnering Dynamics

A solo and group step with no partner hold. Dancers form loose lines or circles and take turns, with unison used for emphasis rather than as a rule.

Competitive Context

Contested through street cyphers, club challenges and viral video rather than any formal competition structure; artists' music videos effectively served as the judging platform.

Regional Variations

The Lagos mainland original is looser and more improvised; the version that spread through music videos and diaspora studios is tidier, more upright and more evenly timed.

Common Misconceptions

Shaku shaku was not invented by Olamide, Zlatan or any other recording artist; those artists popularised a step that already existed on the street. It is also frequently conflated with zanku or legwork, which is a distinct and later 2018 step with different footwork.

Peak Popularity

2010s

85% estimated global awareness

Signature Figures

Olamide
Mr Real
Slimcase
Zlatan Ibile
Idowest

Dance Lineage

Evolved from:Afrobeats Dance

Shaku Shaku Music & Tempo

Drawn from 16 Shaku Shaku tracks in the LODance music library.

Typically danced around124 BPM· most tracks fall between 114–128 BPMBPM = beats per minute.

Example tracks at practice tempo

Shaku Shaku (feat. Team Salut) — Afro B114 BPM
Handkerchief — CashWale & Idowest125 BPM
Legbegbe — Mr Real, Obadice & Idowest125 BPM
Diet — DJ Enimoney, Slimcase, Reminisce & Tiwa Savage122 BPM
Issa Banger — D'banj feat. Slimcase & Mr Real125 BPM
Assignment — DJ Consequence & Olamide123 BPM

Browse & play all 16 Shaku Shakutracks in the Music Library →

What to Wear

Attire guidance for Shaku Shaku 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

Shaku Shaku emerged from Agege and Bariga, Lagos, Nigeria 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

Signature Movement Vocabulary:

Olamide, Mr Real, Slimcase, Zlatan Ibile, Idowest

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.