If you aren’t much of a dancer or skateboarder, chances are you’ve never heard of longboard dancing. This fast and furious sport is growing steadily, with competitive riders emerging from all around the world.

As the name eludes, a long board looks like a longer than standard size skateboard. However appearances can be deceiving, as it was inspired by surfers in Hawaii in the late 1960’s who wanted to take their surfing to land when waves were too small to surf. So they figured out a way to configure skateboards by shaping plywood into smaller smaller surfboards to bring surfing to land, then they started by imitating moves done on a surfboard while going down hills on land as if they were waves. The sport remained more or less underground within small networks of boarders for some time, however the internet allowed far off groups to connect, ultimately blossoming into a larger international community with various styles of boarding. The dancing revolution has seen an explosion with international workshops, classes and competitions worldwide. Even giving way to youtube celebrities of the sport-art. 

While there are numerous long board competitors worldwide, two of the most known for their fancy footwork are teenager Ana Maria Suzano from Brazil and Seo Yoon Ji from South Korea. When you see the intricate footwork, it’s hard to believe that they are balancing on such a narrow board while moving at top speeds along the cement. It’s hard enough for many people to grasp such steps on solid, flat ground, let along atop a fast moving object!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrlAKm-bemk

Longboarder Seo Yoon Ji from Korea moves effortlessly on and off her board.

 

Reminder of how dangerous a simple ride with no tricks on a board can be!

 

 

Hans Wouters breaks down basic longboard dance moves step by step in his simple tutorial.

 

Melanie Golz effortlessly glides and grooves through a picturesque, abandoned cobblestone lot of sorts.

 

Ana Maria’s seamless footwork along the streets of Sao Paulo.

 

 

Lee juae Hyo joo demonstrates a few simple dance moves on the board.

 

This helmet may have saved this long boarder’s life.

 

Longboard dance workshops and classes are growing worldwide!

 

Compilation of awful longboard crashes, further exemplifying how skilled the longboard dancers are.

 

Ana Maria Suzano and Doyoung from South Korea face off – Longboard Dancing Freestyle Session

 

So You Think You Can Longboard Dance? Skaters come together from across the glove for the Longboard World Cup championships. Keep watching until the end to see who wins.