Afrobeats
100–130 BPM· All levelsFind the bounce, drill the steps, ride the polyrhythm.
West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana), 2000s–present
What makes Afrobeats special
Afrobeats dance sits around 100–130 BPM and is built on a grounded bounce, expressive upper-body movement, and a deep relationship with the polyrhythmic percussion. From Azonto to Zanku to Gwara Gwara, the named steps are the vocabulary — but the bounce underneath them is the foundation.
Why looping helps for afrobeats
- 01Loop a section to drill the bounce until it's automatic — every step sits on top of it.
- 02Slow a fast track to 80% to break down a step like the Zanku leg work count by count.
- 03Drill a single named step on repeat until it's clean, then layer in arms and personality.
- 04Practice catching the percussion accents by looping a section with a strong drum break.
Drills to try
Grounded bounce
Loop any afrobeats intro. Bounce on every beat with soft knees for 64 reps. This is the engine — get it comfortable before adding any step.
Step breakdown
Pick a named step (Zanku, Gwara Gwara). Slow a track to 80% and loop a 16-count. Drill the footwork slowly, then bring it to full tempo once it's clean.
Accent and freestyle
Loop a section with a strong drum break. Drill hitting an accent on the break, then freestyling for the rest of the loop. Build the instinct to catch the music.
Songs to practice with
- · Rema — Calm Down
- · Burna Boy — Last Last
- · Wizkid — Essence
- · CKay — Love Nwantiti
These are suggestions, not endorsements. Use your own audio files or stream from supported sources via BeatLoop.
Practice afrobeats with BeatLoop
Loop any section. Slow it down without changing pitch. Record yourself. Available on iOS and Android.