Waacking (alsowhacking) is astreet dance style with origins stemming frompunking, a dance created in the gay clubs ofLos Angeles[1][2] during the 1970sdisco era.[3] The style is typically done to 1970s disco and 1980s post-disco music[4] and is mainly distinguishable by its rotational arm movements, posing and emphasis on expressiveness.
In the early 1970s a dance style known as punking emerged,[5] with "punk" being a derogatory term for gay men at the time. The term "whack" was a specific movement within the punking style which involved moving the arms over the head in a rhythmic fashion. Although the wider club-going community took part in punking, they did not want the dance to have negative connotations attached to it and therefore renamed the genre "Waackin". Later,Jeffery Daniel added the "g" to waackin to make it "waacking", the name by which the style is commonly known today.[6] The terms 'Whacking' and 'Wacking' are also occasionally used to refer to the dance style.
The originators of waacking were said to have danced to underground and imported Disco music, which was often sped up to create a more energetic atmosphere on the dance floor. The style remained largely underground until it became popularized by the American music-dance television programSoul Train and influenced the creation of Outrageous Waacking Dancers, a Los Angeles–based waacking dance group.[7][8] Waacking gained renewed attention through the American TV seriesSo You Think You Can Dance in 2011 when a dance routine was choreographed by Kumari Suraj.[2][9] Over time the dance style has received growing recognition and has been incorporated by dance programs such as the Department for Theatre and Dance atUniversity of South Carolina.[3]
As with many other street dance styles that emerged from the late 20th century, waacking picked up various influences from other forms of movement and dance such asjazz,gymnastics andmartial arts.[10] Its visual similarities with the dance stylelocking can be attributed to the fact that both styles were developed around the same period of time in the Los Angeles club scene. The main differences lie within the communities that created them. Whereas waacking was created mainly in LGBT clubs, locking was created by the wider club-going community. Furthermore, the music of the two styles differs, in which waacking uses disco and locking usesfunk music.
Another big influence on waacking was Hollywood, whereby dancers took inspiration stylistically from movie stars such asLauren Bacall,Marlene Dietrich,Bette Davis andJames Dean.[1] These inspirations manifested themselves not only through the movements and poses but also through other aspects of the dance such as dress styles and facial expressions.
In modern pop culture, the style of dance is famously likened to the movements of the characterGarnet in the cartoon showSteven Universe as a catalyst for many of her magical powers, including summoning magical weapons and fusing with other characters.[11]
During the2022 Winter Olympics, theice dance duoGabriella Papadakis andGuillaume Cizeron famously won the gold medal and set a world record with ashort program[12] mainly influenced by waacking (choreographed byAxelle Munezero). They stated in an interview the primary choice (while training withKim Gingras) wasvoguing, but shifted to waacking when their coachMarie-France Dubreuil brought the idea.[13]