Rhythm skating is not one single thing. It is a whole world of regional styles, each one shaped by its city, its music, and its people. If you are newer to the culture, learning to see these styles is one of the fastest ways to fall deeper in love with skating and to start finding how you want to move.
At SK8SHOT, this is our world. Here is a city by city look at some of the styles that make rhythm skating what it is.
Jersey
Rooted in house music. A lot of pivots, with the figure eight living right in this lane.
Trains and Trios
A style all its own. Skaters connect and move together, in lines and in threes, flowing as one unit, locking arms and hands together.
JB (Chicago)
One of the oldest rhythm skating styles there is, JB stands for James Brown. This is skating centered around footwork. One of the most distinct parts of JB is that the vocabulary is original and runs deep:
- Bucky Walk
- Side to Side
- Four Corners
- Old Man
- Long Step
- Short Step
- Low/Front/Back shuffle
- Stan The Man
- Big Wheel
Atlanta
Ryding and sliding, claps and stomps on the beat, leaning and weaving in and out of each other in a line.
Cleveland
Jumps and stomping on the beat, striding, and group skating.
Detroit
High kicks, toe stop footwork, and partner skating.
Cali
LA smooth. Known for sliders, Stacy Adams and dress shoe customs, tennis shoe customs, and fiberglass wheels. Some skate like they "Walk".
St. Louis
Smooth and soulful. Home of the St. Louis Glide, Leggin, the G Slide, and the St. Louis Ballroom.
The DMV and Baltimore
Snap City. A lot of pivots, footwork, and partner skating.
And so many more
This is only a starting map. Many more cities have a style, and even the cities listed here carry sub styles within their own scenes. Do not let social media fool you. Just because you see a little bit of everything everywhere does not mean you are seeing the real thing.
The only way to get the true and full experience of these styles is to travel. Go to these cities, these rinks, these states. Walk into a local adult night rhythm skate session and see it for yourself, and learn from the skaters who live it. That includes places like Memphis, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Louisiana, Kansas, and Indy, plus styles overseas and all around the world.
Here is the beautiful part. Rhythm skating is not confined to a box. It is just like dancing. It is a form of expression, and that means infinite versions can exist at the same time. Yes, there is often a better and a worse way to do a given style, but at its heart this is about freedom of expression and having fun.
Skate with us
Want a guide while you find your flow? That is exactly what we do at SK8SHOT. Come skate with us in Kansas City, join the SK8SHOT Society community online, or follow along on YouTube where we break down the fundamentals that every one of these styles is built on.