skank

One who is skanky. Usually a remark made to females(though can be made to males), means that the person is dirty, smelly, gross, slutty, you name it. Kind of a "catch-all" phrase.

Skanking seems best when listening to traditional ska, like The Skatalites. It's mostly the bending of the knees to the offbeat and doing something goofy with the hands. Sometimes it looks like the twist, or like you're juggling invisible items, or like you're pulling on a rope with both hands, but it's fun and nobody around you cares because they look sort of goofy too.

Third wave skank is actually a kind of retarded, mutated version of old skank, and since lots of third wave ska is fast and punk influenced, it looks spastic and weird. then again, lots of third wave bands like the articles and the New York ska-jazz ensemble are nice to skank to like the Skatalites are, too.

Skank is the sound that a guitar or keyboard makes in reggae music. That steady upbeat chop that is perhaps the most definitive sound of reggae. The skank was invented by the Skatalites as a way to make a unique sound to Jamaican music. It has lasted from the early 60's ska days until present day.

Keyboard players also can do a variation on the skank that is called the bubble. The bubble is kind of a triplet skank.

It is interesting to note that the mandolin part in much bluegrass has the same feel as the reggae skank.

A simple guide in three easy steps.

1. Bend slightly at the waist and place your arms in a position as if you are hugging a tree with hands in fists.
2. Turn your upper body slightly to the right while moving your arms in a arc in front of your body keeping them in the same relative position.
3. Repeat by swinging back to the left and then right again in time with the music (preferably ska).

Basically, its just the twist, but your arms move with your body instaed of staying still.

Ahh but you are not truely skanking until you add the kicking element.

Step one - stick out arms, either in tree hugger technique as above or slightly out and relaxed, bent at the elbow (so your elbows are a few inches off your body)
Step II - bend slightly at the hip
Step 3 - sway side to side while keeping feet still.
Step D- Kick. Turn the sway into more of a swing and kick on the same side. For instance, when going right, kick with your right leg out. Magnitude of the kick is dependant on style, and speed of music and amount of space available. Anything from a simple kick that barely passes the other foot to a full waist high kick with a recovery is acceptable.

Part 4 - repeat