How to Dance

{{Infobox song

| name = How to Dance

| cover = How to Dance single.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Bingoboys featuring Princessa

| album = The Best of Bingoboys

| released = 1990

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

Dance
hip house{{cite web|first= Tom |last= Breihan |title= The Number Ones: Janet Jackson’s “When I Think Of You|website= Stereogum |date= January 8, 2021|url= https://www.stereogum.com/2112251/the-number-ones-janet-jacksons-when-i-think-of-you/columns/the-number-ones/|quote= The Austrian dance group Bingo Boys sampled “When I Think Of You” on the breakdown of their extremely entertaining 1991 hip-house single “How To Dance"...|accessdate= September 30, 2023}}

| length = 3:46

| label = Atlantic

| writer = Bingoboys (Klaus Biedermann, Paul Pfab, Helmut Wolfgruber)

| producer = Martin Neumayer

| chronology = Bingoboys

| next_title = Borrowed Love

| next_year = 1991

| misc = {{Extra chronology

| artist = Princessa

| type = singles

| title = How to Dance

| year = 1991

| next_title = Rojo Y Llanto

| next_year = 1993

}}

"How to Dance" is a song by Austrian house music trio Bingoboys from their debut studio album, The Best of Bingoboys. The song features American female rapper Princessa. The song was first released in the United States in 1990 and was given a European release in March 1991. "How to Dance" peaked at number two in Austria and reached the top 10 in Australia, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands. In the US, it climbed to number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week in March 1991.

The music video for the song was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the category of "Best Dance Video", but it lost out to "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" by the C+C Music Factory.

Composition

The song borrows heavily from a number of earlier recordings, including "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" by the band Chic, "Dance (Disco Heat)" by the disco singer Sylvester, "Kiss" by Art of Noise feat. Tom Jones, the popular James Brown "Yeah! Woo!" sample loop, the bassline motif from Mantronix's single "Got to Have Your Love", and a synth motif from The Whispers' "And the Beat Goes On". In addition, the song contains audio samples from an instructional recording from the 1970s that attempted to teach people "how to dance" (for example, Step left, around, and together with the right).

Charts

=Weekly charts=

scope="row"\|Denmark (IFPI){{cite magazine\|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-08-10.pdf\|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe\|magazine=Music & Media\|volume=8\|issue=32\|page=19\|date=10 August 1991\|access-date=8 April 2020}} \|8
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1991) !Peak position
{{single chart\|Australia\|3\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Austria\|2\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Flanders\|30\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Canadadance\|3\|chartid=1525\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
scope="row"\|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100){{cite magazine\|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1991/MM-1991-06-08.pdf\|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles\|magazine=Music & Media\|volume=8\|issue=23\|page=21\|date=8 June 1991\|access-date=8 April 2020}} \|24
scope="row"\|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista){{cite book\|first=Jake\|last=Nyman\|year=2005\|title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja\|edition=1st\|publisher=Tammi\|location=Helsinki\|isbn=951-31-2503-3\|language=fi}} \|4
{{single chart\|Germany\|22\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|songid=2259\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Dutch40\|9\|year=1991\|week=21\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Dutch100\|7\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|New Zealand\|37\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Sweden\|30\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|Switzerland\|11\|artist=Bingoboys feat. Princessa\|song=How to Dance\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
{{single chart\|UK\|93\|date=19910406\|rowheader=true\|access-date=8 April 2020}}
scope="row"\|US Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1991-04-13/\|title=Billboard Hot 100\|magazine=Billboard\|date=13 April 1991\|access-date=16 September 2023}} \|25
scope="row"\|US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-dance-singles-sales/1991-03-30/\|title=Dance Singles Sales\|magazine=Billboard\|date=30 March 1991\|url-access=subscription\|access-date=16 September 2023}} \|4
scope="row"\|US Dance Club Play (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/dance-club-play-songs/1991-03-30/\|title=Dance Club Songs\|magazine=Billboard\|date=30 March 1991\|access-date=16 September 2023}} \|1

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1991) !Position
scope="row"\|Australia (ARIA){{cite book\|last=Ryan\|first=Gavin\|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010\|year=2011\|publisher=Moonlight Publishing\|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia}} \|53
scope="row"\|Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40){{cite web\|url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=s&id=1991\|title=Jahreshitparade Singles 1991\|language=de\|access-date=8 April 2020}} \|17
scope="row"\|Canada Dance/Urban (RPM){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.1704&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.1704.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.1704\|title=RPM Dance Tracks of 1991\|magazine=RPM\|via=Library and Archives Canada\|access-date=8 April 2020}} \|18
scope="row"\|Netherlands (Single Top 100){{cite web\|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1991&cat=s\|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991\|publisher=MegaCharts\|language=nl\|access-date=8 April 2020}} \|84
scope="row"\|US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard){{cite magazine\|title=The Year in Music 1991\|magazine=Billboard\|volume=103\|issue=51\|page=YE-32\|date=21 December 1991}} \|31
scope="row"\|US Dance Club Play (Billboard) \|29

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

!Chart (1991)

!Position

scope="row"|Australia (ARIA){{cite book|last=Ryan|first=Gavin|title=Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010|year=2011|publisher=Moonlight Publishing|location=Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia}}

|53

scope="row"|Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40){{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=s&id=1991|title=Jahreshitparade Singles 1991|language=de|access-date=8 April 2020}}

|17

scope="row"|Canada Dance/Urban (RPM){{cite magazine|url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.1704&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.1704.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.1704|title=RPM Dance Tracks of 1991|magazine=RPM|via=Library and Archives Canada|access-date=8 April 2020}}

|18

scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100){{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1991&cat=s|title=Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991|publisher=MegaCharts|language=nl|access-date=8 April 2020}}

|84

scope="row"|US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard){{cite magazine|title=The Year in Music 1991|magazine=Billboard|volume=103|issue=51|page=YE-32|date=21 December 1991}}

|31

scope="row"|US Dance Club Play (Billboard)

|29

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" !scope="col"\|Region !scope="col"\|Date !scope="col"\|Format(s) !scope="col"\|Label(s) !scope="col"\|{{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference}}
scope="row"\|United States \|1990 \|{{hlist\|12-inch vinyl\|cassette}} \|rowspan="2"\|Atlantic \|
scope="row"\|United Kingdom \|11 March 1991 \|{{hlist\|7-inch vinyl\|12-inch vinyl\|CD\|cassette}} \|{{cite magazine\|title=New Releases: Singles\|magazine=Music Week\|page=19\|date=9 March 1991}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

!scope="col"|Region

!scope="col"|Date

!scope="col"|Format(s)

!scope="col"|Label(s)

!scope="col"|{{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}

scope="row"|United States

|1990

|{{hlist|12-inch vinyl|cassette}}

|rowspan="2"|Atlantic

scope="row"|United Kingdom

|11 March 1991

|{{hlist|7-inch vinyl|12-inch vinyl|CD|cassette}}

|{{cite magazine|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=19|date=9 March 1991}}

References

Category:1990 debut singles

Category:Atlantic Records singles

Category:Dance music songs

Category:1990 songs