Kirby's lesson: the dash-dance (Information from the SmashWiki.)

THE DASH-DANCE IS AN ADVANCED TECHNIQUE IN THE SUPER SMASH BROS. GAMES. PERFORMED BY RAPIDLY TAPPING THE ANALOG STICK LEFT AND RIGHT WHILE ON THE GROUND, IT CANCELS OUT THE CHARACTER'S INITIAL DASHING ANIMATION WITH ANOTHER ANIMATION IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, CAUSING THE CHARACTER TO QUICKLY AND REPEATEDLY DASH TO THE RIGHT AND LEFT IN A SHORT DISTANCE. IN MELEE, THE TIME WINDOW IN WHICH A CHARACTER CAN DASH AND THEN CHANGE DIRECTIONS BY DASH-DANCING MATCHES THE AMOUNT OF FRAMES IN THEIR INITIAL DASH ANIMATION. AFTER THEY COMPLETE THEIR INITIAL DASHING ANIMATION, THEY'LL TRANSITION TO THEIR STANDARD RUNNING ANIMATION; AT THIS POINT, TAPPING THE ANALOG STICK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WILL CAUSE THE CHARACTER TO ENTER THEIR TURNAROUND ANIMATION, DURING WHICH NO ATTACKS CAN BE PERFORMED. IN BRAWL AND SMASH 4, CHARACTERS CAN ONLY REVERSE THEIR DIRECTION WITHIN THE FIRST SIX FRAMES OF THEIR INITIAL DASH ANIMATION, MAKING DASH DANCING MORE DIFFICULT TO PERFORM AND ALSO LESS USEFUL. TO COMPENSATE FOR DASH-DANCING'S CONTINUED INEFFECTIVENESS, A NUMBER OF COMPETITIVE PLAYERS PERFORM A SIMILAR TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS EXTENDED DASH-DANCING, WHICH RETURNS FROM BRAWL. THIS MANEUVER COMBINES FOX-TROTTING AND DASH-DANCING: THE PLAYER INPUTS A DASH AND RETURNS THE CONTROL STICK TO A NEUTRAL POSITION, AND THEN INPUTS ANOTHER DASH IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND QUICKLY FLICKS THE CONTROL STICK IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, WHICH CAUSES THE CHARACTER TO CHANGE DIRECTIONS WITHOUT GOING INTO THEIR TURN-AROUND ANIMATION. THE TIMING FOR THIS VARIES DEPENDING ON EACH CHARACTER'S FOX-TROT WINDOW. IN TERMS OF APPEARANCE, EXTENDED DASH-DANCING IS SLOWER THAN DASH-DANCING IN MELEE; THIS MAKES IT LESS VERSATILE WHILE BEING MORE DIFFICULT TO PERFORM DUE TO MORE FREQUENT INPUTS AND TIGHTER TIMINGS, BUT IT IS STILL A USEFUL TECHNIQUE THAT IMPROVES MANY CHARACTERS' MOBILITY. IF ONE IS ADEPT WITH THE INPUTS, MIXING UP BETWEEN THE TWO TECHNIQUES IS POSSIBLE, POTENTIALLY CONFUSING OPPONENTS AND PRESSURING THEM TO APPROACH OR DODGE. IN BRAWL AND SSB4, A DASH CAN BE CANCELLED WITH A NEW DASH ON FRAME 16. IF A CHARACTER'S DASH ANIMATION IS SHORTER THAN 16 FRAMES, THEY MUST RETURN THE CONTROL STICK TO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO AVOID ENTERING THEIR RUN ANIMATION BEFORE THEY CAN DASH AGAIN, SO CHARACTERS WITH LONGER DASH ANIMATION HAVE AN EASIER TIME EXTENDED DASH-DANCING. EXTENDED DASH-DANCING HAS VARYING DEGREES OF USEFULNESS ON EACH CHARACTER: CHARACTERS SUCH AS CAPTAIN FALCON, LITTLE MAC, LUCINA, MARTH, ROY, WII FIT TRAINER, AND DONKEY KONG CAN USE EXTENDED DASH-DANCING EASILY AS THEIR DASH ANIMATIONS LAST 16 OR MORE FRAMES. CHARACTERS LIKE SHULK AND WII FIT TRAINER BENEFIT FROM USING EXTENDED DASH-DANCING OVER ALTERNATING FOXTROTS BECAUSE THEIR FOXTROTS CANNOT BE INTERRUPTED QUICKLY. CHARACTERS SUCH AS BAYONETTA, CORRIN, DIDDY KONG, FOX, FALCO, LUIGI, MARIO, SHEIK, AND ZERO SUIT SAMUS GAIN LITTLE BENEFIT FROM EXTENDED DASH-DANCING WITHOUT FRAME-PERFECT INPUTS BECAUSE THEY CAN SIMPLY FOX-TROT IN ALTERNATING DIRECTIONS FOR SIMILAR RESULTS WITHOUT ANY EXTRA EFFORT, DUE TO THE LENIENT INTERRUPTIBILITY WINDOW AFTER THEIR INITIAL DASH. CLOUD, LUCARIO, AND MR. GAME AND WATCH GAIN NO ADVANTAGE FROM EXTENDED DASH-DANCING OVER ALTERNATING FOX-TROTS EVEN WITH PERFECT TIMING, AS THEIR DASHES HAVE THE FASTEST INTERRUPTIBILITY IN THE GAME AT FRAME 18.