How to sign “Dancing” in BSL

Everyday Life

BSL and ASL are different languages — this is the British sign. See the ASL sign for “Dancing” instead

Step by step

  1. Form a V with each hand by extending your index and middle fingers, keeping the other fingers curled.
  2. Hold both V hands in front of your upper chest, fingers pointing upward, palms facing each other.
  3. Swing both hands down toward your waist, rotating your wrists so the V fingers point downward.
  4. Swing your hands back up to chest height, rotating so the V fingers point upward again.
  5. Repeat the up-and-down swing, letting the two Vs bounce together like dancing legs.

Practice tip

“Dancing” is signed with the base DANCE sign — ASL/BSL marks ongoing action on the sign, not with a separate word.

Fingerspell “Dancing”

Letter by letter with the two-handed BSL alphabet — a handy backup if you forget the sign above. This is not the sign itself.

BSL two-handed handshape for letter DBSL two-handed handshape for letter ABSL two-handed handshape for letter NBSL two-handed handshape for letter CBSL two-handed handshape for letter IBSL two-handed handshape for letter NBSL two-handed handshape for letter G

See all BSL handshapes in the alphabet reference

Text-based guide researched from BSL-specific references (BSL SignBank, BDA-adjacent teaching materials and BSL dictionaries) and rewritten in original words. Signer-created photos and videos are a planned future upgrade. BSL has regional variation — this is the most widely taught form.

Browse all 340 BSL signs in the dictionary