Litefeet
Also known as: Lite Feet, Litefeet Dancing, Showtime
History & Cultural Context
Litefeet is Harlem's fast, buoyant, trick-driven street dance — the name refers to dancers who look as though they weigh nothing. It coalesced in Harlem in the early 2000s and is generally dated to 2006 as a named style, the same year Webstar and Young B's 'Chicken Noodle Soup' pushed one of its steps onto national radio. Its vocabulary is a catalogue of named moves: the Chicken Noodle Soup, the Harlem Shake, the Tone Wop (often mislabelled 'Toe Whop'), the Rev Up and Aunt Jackie, strung together with shuffles, rapid weight changes and hat and shoe tricks in which the dancer flips a fitted cap or a sneaker off the body and catches it back on the beat. The music is purpose-built: producers including Kid the Wiz and HANN make litefeet tracks around 100–110 BPM over hard drum kits. Crews such as W.A.F.F.L.E. (We Are Family For Life), MonzterInc, Brotherhood and Team Rocket compete and perform, and Chrybaby Cozie — a founding figure who started the Bwreckfast Club E.A.T in 2005 and later Lite Feet Nation — links originators to younger dancers. Litefeet is also the dance of subway 'Showtime,' performed in moving train cars and at Union Square.
Cultural Significance
Litefeet is a Harlem youth culture that turned the subway into a stage: 'Showtime' sets in moving train cars are both performance and income, and have brought dancers into repeated conflict with policing of the transit system.
Characteristic Movement & Technique
Quick shuffling footwork and hopping weight changes with a light, bouncing carriage, layered with named party steps and with hat tricks and shoe tricks — flipping a cap or sneaker off the head or foot and recovering it exactly on beat.
Partnering Dynamics
Solo dancing within a crew, with members trading short bursts back to back; in Showtime sets the crew works as a unit, splitting a train car's limited space and timing entrances to the track.
Competitive Context
Battled in Harlem circles and at organised litefeet events, judged on trick execution, freshness of steps and the ability to ride the drum kit. Reputation also travels through filmed sets and crew rivalries.
Regional Variations
Harlem remains the source, with Bronx and Brooklyn crews adding their own step preferences and heavier trick emphasis; outside New York litefeet is usually learned through video and adapted into studio hip-hop.
Common Misconceptions
Litefeet is not just 'the Harlem Shake' or a set of viral moves — the Harlem Shake is one step inside a much larger named vocabulary. Subway Showtime is also a venue, not the origin: the dance was formed in Harlem's parties and streets before it moved underground.
Peak Popularity
Signature Figures
- Chrybaby Cozie
- Kid the Wiz
- HANN
- DJ Webstar
- Young B
Notable Codifiers
- Lite Feet Nation
- The Bwreckfast Club E.A.T (founded 2005)
- W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew
- MonzterInc
Dance Lineage
Sources & Further Reading
Cultural & Historical Context
Litefeet emerged from Harlem, New York City, USA during the 2000s—present day. 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:
Lite Feet Nation, The Bwreckfast Club E.A.T (founded 2005), W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew, MonzterInc
Signature Movement Vocabulary:
Chrybaby Cozie, Kid the Wiz, HANN, DJ Webstar, Young B
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: August 2026 — This dance profile synthesizes historical research, cultural documentation, and contemporary practice knowledge to provide authoritative context.
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