Yes, I know DDR is dead/dying. I’m not trying to bring it back from its grave. I am just exposing a side of DDR most people never saw and those who did never really appreciated - DDR Freestyle.

DDR Freestyle is simply actual dancing to DDR songs while still hitting the steps. Rather than looking like a penguin robot having a seizure, you actually look like you are dancing. A sketchy idea in theory. As you can imagine, it is incredibly difficult to choreograph a routine when you have already been given the steps. Steps which rarely make sense in any genre of dance.

As you can imagine, freestyle never really panned out for 99% of the population. Most people could never choreograph anything which was actually pleasing to watch. They would just waggle their arms and hips while dropping the occasional knee. After the novelty of watching them make an ass of themselves wore off, freestyle became embarrassing to watch.

Freestylers were like the LARP (live action role playing) nerds you occasionally see down at the park in their cloaks and costumes. 99% of freestyling was just horrible. Don’t take me the wrong way, though. Despite the bile I am spewing about freestyle, there are some genuinely fun and original routines.

There is hope!

Some people actually combined the time and effort with enough artistic ability to create something entertaining and fun. I’ve picked some of my favorites and they are as follows:

Top 3 (As Picked by me)

1st Place - Kevin Kim’s Single Freestyle Dam Dariram routine at SVGL Golfland. Best. Freestyle. Ever. His whole routine is just amazing.

2nd Place- Then we have the A-Team (My favorite DDR freestyle group, ever) throwin down Brilliant. They never fail to disappoint. Not to mention they almost single handedly invented freestyle.

3rd Place - The smidget playing Pump It Up (PUI). Moves are impressive, musicality is pretty bad. Still, he’s so smooth it’s worth a watch.