What is the Memphis Jookin?

Memphis's gliding, toe-standing street dance, evolved from 1980s gangsta walking at the city's skating rinks into a balance-driven form danced in sneakers.

Where did the Memphis Jookin originate?

The Memphis Jookin originated in Memphis, Tennessee, USA in the 1985s.

What time signature is the Memphis Jookin danced in?

The Memphis Jookin is danced in 4/4 Memphis rap phrasing with heavy triplet subdivision and half-time 808 drops; dancers float across the beat and snap onto accents.

What tempo is the Memphis Jookin danced at?

The Memphis Jookin is typically danced at 70–100 BPM, frequently subdivided and danced in double time.

What is the character of the Memphis Jookin?

The Memphis Jookin is characterized as smooth, weightless and eerily controlled, with sudden ankle-breaking direction changes against a dark, bass-heavy soundtrack.

Memphis Jookin — LODance

History & Cultural Context

Memphis Jookin is the glide-and-toe-stand street dance of Memphis, Tennessee, and the direct descendant of gangsta walking. Gangsta walking took shape in Memphis's Black neighbourhoods in the 1980s, driven by DJ Spanish Fly, who worked it into records and into rooms like Club No Name and Club Expo; by his own account three hundred people would rotate in one enormous circle on the floor. The Crystal Palace roller rink in South Memphis became the hearth of the culture through the late 1980s and 1990s, and the rap group G-Style put the walk on national screens in their 1993 'Gangsta' video. As the vocabulary expanded past the original marching-and-arm-swinging step — absorbing the New Orleans-influenced buck jump, then adding slides, ankle rolls and balance work on the outer edge and tip of the sneaker — dancers began calling it jookin. The result reads like ballet performed in Air Force Ones: weightless glides, abrupt stops and toe stands held in ordinary shoes. Charles 'Lil Buck' Riley carried it to Yo-Yo Ma, Madonna and the Kennedy Center, while Terrance 'G-Nerd' Smith founded the Memphis Jookin Warz battle that keeps the form anchored at home.

Cultural Significance

Jookin belongs to Memphis's rap scene and to the skating rink as a social institution — a place, as locals describe it, to have fun and stay out of trouble. It remains transmitted through 'bump sessions' in parking lots and garages as much as through classes.

Characteristic Movement & Technique

Continuous gliding footwork with the weight rolling across the outside edge of the shoe, punctuated by toe stands, spins on the toe, sharp ankle rolls and stop-time freezes. The upper body stays comparatively still so the feet read as the whole story.

Partnering Dynamics

Solo dance performed in a circle, with dancers rotating in and out; historically the gangsta walk moved as a whole room circling clockwise or counter-clockwise together, which survives in the group energy of a jookin session.

Competitive Context

Battled one-on-one in circles and at organised events, most notably the Memphis Jookin Warz founded by G-Nerd. Judging weighs balance, glide quality, musicality and originality of transitions.

Regional Variations

Older gangsta walking, harder-hitting buckin and the smoother modern jookin coexist in Memphis as distinct registers; younger dancers push extreme toe work while veterans keep the marching walk alive.

Common Misconceptions

Jookin is not simply renamed gangsta walking — the walk is its ancestor and still exists alongside it. And its toe work is not borrowed from ballet: it developed independently in sneakers on rink and street floors, which is why comparisons run the other direction when jookers appear on concert stages.

Peak Popularity

2010s

80% estimated global awareness

Signature Figures

DJ Spanish Fly
DJ Squeeky
G-Style
Charles "Lil Buck" Riley
Terrance "G-Nerd" Smith
Daniel Price
Al Kapone

Notable Codifiers

Crystal Palace Skating Rink
Memphis Jookin Warz
Take Fo'-era Memphis rap DJs

Sources & Further Reading

Cultural & Historical Context

Memphis Jookin emerged from Memphis, Tennessee, USA during the 1985s—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:

Crystal Palace Skating Rink, Memphis Jookin Warz, Take Fo'-era Memphis rap DJs

Signature Movement Vocabulary:

DJ Spanish Fly, DJ Squeeky, G-Style, Charles "Lil Buck" Riley, Terrance "G-Nerd" Smith, Daniel Price, Al Kapone

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.