How to do the Hotline Bling dance, move by move
No routine to memorize: five loose moves, a plain wall and a bit of confidence. Here is each move, why Drake dances like that, and how to film it, with or without AI.
By Hotline Bling AI · Last updated
What dance is Drake doing in Hotline Bling?
Drake is not doing a named dance in Hotline Bling. The 2015 video, directed by Director X, shows him dancing alone in glowing single-color rooms with improvised-looking moves borrowed from salsa steps, two-steps and casual party dancing. The looseness is the point: the moves look easy, slightly awkward and fun, which is why millions of people copied and remixed them.
How do you do the Hotline Bling dance, step by step?
Practice each move on its own to the song, then chain them in any order. Each one lasts two to four beats.
- The two-step. Step right, bring the left foot in, step left, bring the right foot in. Keep the knees bent and let the shoulders rock with the steps.
- The knee-bend sway. Sink low with the feet wide, arms out to the sides like you are balancing, and sway the hips slowly left and right.
- The shoulder lean. Stand still, lean one shoulder toward the camera on the beat, then the other. The face stays relaxed, almost bored.
- The hand wave. Lift one flat hand to shoulder height and wave it outward, palm first, as if saying “no thanks”. This is the move frozen in the famous yes/no meme.
- The one-leg bounce. Lift one knee, bounce on the standing leg twice, swap legs. Add a laugh and a little shuffle to finish.
Why does Drake dance like that in Hotline Bling?
There is no official explanation of the moves, and no choreographer is credited for the video. What made the dancing stand out is the contrast: one of the biggest rappers in the world doing relaxed, slightly dorky moves in a minimalist art-gallery set. That contrast made the clip easy to parody, and the dance became one of the most remixed memes of 2015.
How do I film the moves at home?
- Find a plain wall. The original rooms are empty and one color. A bare wall lit by a colored LED bulb or a phone torch through colored paper gets close.
- Film vertically, full body. Prop the phone at waist height and leave space above the head.
- Change clothes between takes. The 2026 version of the trend swaps the outfit at every cut: film four to seven short takes, each in a different top, and cut them on the beat.
- Add the sound in the app. Search “Hotline Bling” in the TikTok or Instagram sound library so the music is licensed for your post.
Can AI do the dancing for me?
Yes. An AI Hotline Bling generator does the moves for you from one photo. On this site you pick the 18-second clip (7 shots, from a cream turtleneck to an orange hoodie) or the 17-second Pt 2 (5 shots, with the corridor and the white staircase), upload your photo, and get a vertical MP4 of you doing the dance in the light-box rooms. Start in the Hotline Bling dance video generator.