Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Dancing the Time Warp
• Method 2 of 2: Dress up for the dance
• Tips

The "Time Warp" is from the musical "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", which is still frequently performed almost 40 years later! It's a crazy and easy dance, with most of the instructions being sung out loud. Make it more fun by dressing up once you've mastered the dance moves.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Dancing the Time Warp

1. Jump to the left! Place your legs close together, with your feet facing forward or slightly apart. Jump off the ground with both feet and land slightly to the left. Keep looking in the same direction during this jump.
   • If you want to spice up the jump, wiggle your hands in the air as you jump, or move up and down to the beat after you land.
2. Step to the right (four times)! Keep your left foot on the floor and stay in the same direction for this part of the dance. Move your right foot far to the right and then bring your legs back together. Usually the dancers repeat this movement four times, the first three times only touching the ground with their toes. On the fourth time, you plant your foot on the ground, so you end up standing wide-legged.
   • If you want, move your hands out and in again, at the same time as your feet.
3. Place your hands on your hips! Then put your hands above your head and make an excessive wiggling motion back to your hips.
4. Push your knees together! Stop for a moment, long enough for someone to sing "bring your knees in ...". When "... tight" follows, quickly bring your knees together without moving your feet. Keep your hands on your hips and bend your hips if you are about to lose your balance.
   • Don't worry too much about the timing of this movement while you are practicing. It's easier to get the timing done with the music, or when you practice in sync with other people.
5. Do the pelvic thrust twice! Push your butt back and then suddenly thrust your hips and pelvis forward. Lean your legs forward and your head and shoulders back slightly as you push to make it a bit more exaggerated. Repeat this movement a second time.
   • Keep your hands on your hips.
6. Swing your hips! This is not part of the lyrics, but it is still one of the dance moves. Keep your hands on your hips and rotate your hips and pelvis in a circle. You can do this in one smooth motion, like spinning a hula hoop, or wiggle while spinning to the beat of the song.
   • When listening to the song, do this move on the lyrics: "that really drives you insa-a-ane".
7. Finish by jumping back and forth and waving your hands to the beat of the music. Jump into place and at the same time turn 90º to the right so that you are looking at the place where your right arm was before. Jump a second time and turn 180 degrees so that you turn around completely and look the other way. Move your arms and legs in and out of time when the chorus ends.
   • If you are dancing along with the song, time it so that you do the first jump during "Let's do" and the second jump during "the Time Warp" and the arm movements during "Again".
   • You can come up with your own dance moves for this part of the song as there are no specific instructions. You could even just wave your arms and jump around during this part.
8. Fall to the ground. At the end of the song, after doing the Time Warp during all three choruses, you fall dramatically to the floor as the music fades away.

Method 2 of 2: Dress up for the dance

1. Wear a Halloween costume. From zombies to princesses, Halloween costumes fit the Time Warp right. The flashier and crazier the better - whether you opt for an abundance of pink ruffles and glitter, or a skull face.
2. Dress in glitter and sequins. One of the dancing characters from the Rocky Horror movie version, Columbia has the flashiest costume of all. Cover yourself with gold or rainbow sequins and glittery makeup to imitate her. You get bonus points if you wear a glittery top hat and fishnet stockings, or do heavy eyebrows.
3. Dress up in one of the simpler costumes from the show. The characters Janet and Brad are the quiet, "normal" people who are trapped among a group of strange people, which means that their costumes are usually easier to imitate. Dress like Janet by wearing a light pink dress and white sweater, plus a sun hat. Dress like Brad in "hipster" attire, such as a tucked-in shirt, khaki pants, and hair combed back.
4. Avoid streaks when going to a Rocky Horror show. At many performances of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, where the Time Warp dance comes from, you may be ridiculed by wearing stripes. This is believed to refer to a scene in the movie when someone wearing a striped shirt accidentally came into the picture, but it has become a tradition in its own right.

Tips

• When you go to a performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the audience almost always takes part in the Time Warp dance.
• Try dancing to this clip from the Rocky Horror Picture Show movie, or to this audio track from the song, when the chorus starts with "Jump to the left!"