French Electro dance (otherwise known as Tecktonik and Milky Way) is one style of frenetic and quirky form of street dance typically performed to electro house music. It is based on, although is not limited to, a blend of different dance styles, such as industrial dance, Moroccan chaabi, disco, vogue, waacking, hip-hop and freehand glowsticking. It started in the 2000s and originated in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, mainly from the Metropolis nightclubs[1][2] and has spread around the world. Fast-paced techno and electro house music imported from Northern Europe is the usual choice for Tecktonik dancing.[3]
Electro dance is predominantly about arm movement, taking basic elements from glowsticking such as the concept of Freehand, the Figure 8 and the idea of the Leading Hand (one hand geometrically following the other), while staying very much in a disco taste, by amplifying points and poses as a main aspect to this style. Down below electro dancers tend to use their hips, knees and feet to gently shuffle across the floor in beat to the music, quite often in a random and jerky fashion. They also tend to include elements of toprock, b-boy-like footwork, lending to the hip hop-like influences in much of the electro house music.
The term "Tecktonik" is a registered trademark that began in Paris, and this has created issues for dance events or other uses of the name.[4] The creators of the Tecktonik brand (most notably Cyril Blanc, the artistic director of Metropolis) [5] sell official products, such as clothes, Matts CDs, and energy drinks.