How to Floss Dance: Learn the Moves Step-by-Step

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Plus, learn where the dance comes from and why it’s called flossing

Co-authored by Yolanda Thomas and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: October 27, 2025 Fact Checked

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Doing the Floss Dance

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Improving at the Dance

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Where did it come from?

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Why is it called flossing?

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Video

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Q&A

ARTICLE

VIDEO

The floss dance first went viral after Russell Horning, also known as Backpack Kid, performed it on Saturday Night Live, and since then, it’s been featured in the wildly popular video game Fortnite. Meant to look like you’re literally flossing, the dance involves swinging your hips and arms in opposite directions at a super fast pace. In this article, we’ll explain how to do the floss dance and where it comes from. So, get ready to read on, practice it at home, then hit the dance floor to show off your new moves!

How to Floss Dance: Quick Steps

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your fists clenched at your side.
Swing your arms to the left, keeping your left arm in front and your right behind.
Push your hips right through your arm gap as you swing your arms left.
Pull your arms back to the right and swing your hips through the gap.
Swing your arms back to the left.
Swing them back to the right and push your hips to the left.
Repeat motions 1-6 to continue flossing!

Section 1 of 4:

How to Do the Floss Dance

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1
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hands fisted at your sides. Face the front of the room and square your shoulders. Keep your hands in fists to make it look like you’re holding a large piece of floss.^{[1]
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- Keep your knees slightly bent. This helps you stay loose, so you can move around more easily.
2
Sweep your arms to the left, keeping your left arm in front. Keep your arms straight and your hands fisted as you do this. Sweep your arms in one fluid motion across your body.^{[2]
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- You can start with your arms out to the right before swinging them to the left for a more dramatic movement.
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3
Push your hips to the right while swinging your arms to the left. As your arms sweep out to the side, swing your hips through them to the right. Do this in one fluid motion, so your arms and hips cross in the center and then continue swinging in opposite directions.^{[3]
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- Your hands can come out to about halfway between the side of your body and shoulder height. Think of your arms forming a 45-degree angle with your shoulders.
- Your hips should only move side to side in the floss dance. Don’t push them forwards or backwards.
- Push your hips as far out as you'd like. The closer you keep them to the center, the faster you can go. But the further out you push them, the more dramatic the movement looks.
4
Pull both arms back to the right and swing your hips through. This is the same motion that you just did, but going in the other direction. Your hips will now be back to their original position, and your arms will be slightly to the right.^{[4]
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- Keep your left hand in front of your body and your right hand behind it as you move your body back through them.
5
Sweep both arms down in front of your body to the left. Your arms should stay straight, with your hands in fists. This motion gets you in position to repeat the swinging move on the other side.^{[5]
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- Think about drawing a half circle with your fists as you move your arms to the left. Keep them close to your body, so they almost brush your hips.
6
Swing your arms back to the right while pushing your hips to the left. Keep the right arm in front of your body and the left behind you. You're doing the same movement that you did before, but going in the other direction.^{[6]
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- You can swing your arms and hips as far out to either side as you’d like.
- Imagine your hands are holding floss and your body is the gap in your teeth that you’re pushing the floss between.
7
Repeat swinging your hips and arms, increasing speed. The entire dance is simply moving your hips and arms to each side. Once you’ve learned that motion, practice speeding it up. The faster you can do it, the better it looks!^{[7]
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- It requires a lot of coordination, so be persistent and patient with yourself if you’re struggling.
- Start with small movements, and work your way up to larger, more dramatic motions, like pushing your hips out further, for instance.
- Did you know? The Floss Dance has been performed by celebrities like Rihanna and Millie Bobby Brown online! Once the Floss Dance made it to the mainstream, a bunch of celebrities jumped on the trend, uploading videos of themselves doing the dance (or at least attempting to).

Section 2 of 4:

How to Improve at the Floss Dance

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1
Play fast-paced music to help you keep the beat. The floss dance has a lot of sharp, fast movements, and it’s important to stay in a rhythm for the dance to look right. Turn on upbeat music with defined beats, like techno, dubstep, or pop, that will act as a metronome for your moves.
- The original floss dance was performed to “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry. Listen to that song, then find songs with similar beats and rhythms.
- Check out dance playlists on Spotify or browse popular charts, like Billboard, to get inspiration for new tunes.^{[8]
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2
Dress up like a Fortnite player if you want to get into character. Since Fortnite helped popularize the floss dance, it only makes sense to dress up like the players when you do the dance. Pick any character, whether it’s Skull Trooper, Brite Bomber, or Cuddle Team Leader, and slip into that “skin’s” costume.^{[9]
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- Find Fortnite costumes at a Halloween store or online retailer, or make your own at home.
- For example, to dress like the Bandolier or the Tower Recon Specialist, wear camouflage cargo pants, a tank top, and combat-style boots.
- Have each of your friends dress up as a different character to perform the dance as a group.

Section 3 of 4:

Where does the Floss Dance come from?

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Although the dance wouldn’t be popularized until much later, it was first seen online when YouTuber Ryan Mayall (MayAllLove13) uploaded a video explaining how to do it. When Mayall uploaded the video, he simply called it “The Dance.” It wouldn’t receive the “Floss” name until much later.^{[10]
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The dance was popularized by Russell Horning, aka The Backpack Kid. In 2015, Horning uploaded a series of videos where he performed the dance. These videos quickly garnered online attention, propelling Horning to stardom and landing him a performance on Saturday Night Live alongside Katy Perry. After the SNL performance, the move would go on to make appearances in popular video games like Fortnite, further boosting its popularity.^{[11]
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- Fun fact: Russell Horning didn’t get the “Backpack Kid” nickname until his SNL appearance. Before going on SNL, Horning performed the dance without wearing his signature backpack. Afterward, one of his fans gave him the nickname “Backpack Kid,” and it’s stuck ever since.^{[12]
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Section 4 of 4:

Why is it called the floss dance?

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It’s called "flossing" because it looks like you’re pulling a giant floss string. When you successfully perform the Floss Dance, it looks like you’re maneuvering a giant string of floss through your legs and back with how fast you swing your arms. This goofy resemblance is what gives the dance its name.

Community Q&A

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Question

What if I still can't do it?

Community Answer

Slow it down, and maybe ask someone who can do the floss to help you, as sometimes watching someone in real life can be very helpful. Ask them to do it very slowly so you can see exactly what they're doing.

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Question

Can I still floss if I don't play Fortnite?

Community Answer

Yes. Most of the people in my class don't play Fortnite, but they still do the dance because it's fun.

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If I do it wrong, will people hate me?

Community Answer

They shouldn't, no. It's just a silly dance. If people "hate" you for doing it wrong, they are not worth your time.

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