Jumpstyle is a dance mainly practiced in Europe, specifically the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The dance is also called Jumpen (English word Jump + the Dutch en which means "to jump" or "jumping"). Jumpstyle also refers to a style of music to which Jumpstyle can be performed.

Origin of Jumpstyle

Jumpstyle originated in 1997 Belgium. Jumpstyle is an off-shoot of the Gabber music and dance scene.

Growth

Even if Jumpstyle started in 1997, it wasn't until 2005 that the dance has gained main attraction. The number of search queries in popular search engines, such as Google, has increased since late 2005.

In 2007 jumpstyle spread from The Netherlands & Belgium to France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Nordic Region which includes Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania & Latvia.

Jumpstyle is growing in popularity constantly and spreading to new countries since videos are being uploaded to popular video sharing websites such as YouTube.

Performance

Jumpstyle is performed through a series of steps, jumps, kicks, stomps, torso positioning, and arm swings. The dance is rather hard to perform, even if it seems to be easy when watched, because it is very cardio-intensive.

Variations

Jumpstyle can be performed in various ways:

• Oldskool jump: Was based on the first move that was used in the dance called 'skieën'. Later a certain standard routine came that was a combination of kicking forwards and backwards both legs on the basslines; even later certain moves came such as a spin.
• Tekstyle: The jumper dances to French tek or Hardstyle. The jump is more sidewise than the others.
• Hardjump: This is the hardest variant of Jumpstyle. The basic step is different from the others and the jumper has to pitch hard on the ground.
• Freestyle: With this style, the 'jumper' does whatever he/she feels like; there are no specific restrictions of jumping and it usually involves a mix of Oldskool Jump & Hardjump & tekstyle.
• Duojump: Jumping with two (or more) people at the same time; usually the people performing the Duojump have practiced it before performing it, since they both do exactly the same routine and try to synchronize it as much as possible.

Quotes on Jumpstyle

"Jumpstyle has become a lifestyle, like hip-hop or techno. For me, it’s the best party music around. There’s no other style that makes you go so crazy and forget about all your worries."

References