History of Hip Hop Dancing

Born of the streets of the inner city, hip hop dance, along with hip hop music, is the core of hip hop culture. Opinions diverge wildly on whether popping, krumping and locking should also be included under the umbrella term of hip hop dance, not to mention how to label the types of hip hop taught in aerobics studios around the world. While the battles wage over whether you are old school or new school, choreographed or freestyle, hip hop remains a vital and diverse dance form.

History

Way back in the 1970s, kids brought their beat boxes to the street corner and engaged in public dance-offs that had them spinning on their heads, slamming their backs against the pavement and popping their joints in and out, a series of improbable moves that they called breaking. The happening street dance scene provided fertile ground for hip hop dance, especially in African-American and Latino neighborhoods. By the 1980s, hip hop music gained in popularity and dance steps characterized with bouncing and jumping sprang up.

Effects

As hip hop music evolved, so did dancing. Styles turned harder and more aggressive. Rather than bouncing and jumping, dancers used increased movement in the hips and pelvis to emphasize the back beat. New school hip hop was characterized by more starting and stopping, lacking the flow of old school break dancing. The modern permutations of krumping and clown walking take hip hop dance to another level, in which dance competitions are used as a substitute for gang warfare.

Identification

The pioneers of hip hop dance provide the form's identifying factors. In the early 1970s, hip hop dance was about the breaking styles of Salsa, El Dorado Mike, Trixie, The Amazing Bobo, Clark Kent, James Bond and Sista Boo. When the scene skipped from New York City to Northern California, popping, which entails flexing your muscles to the rhythm of the music while dancing, became big. Boogaloo Sam is considered the first popper.

Misconceptions

One of the main misconceptions in hip hop dance has to do with purists who despise the type of back-up dancing promoted in hip hop videos. They say that these MTV dancers are not hip hop dancers because their moves are all choreographed and typically clipped and cleaned-up from the street versions. The look is too polished, too studio to recreate the dances done in the underground hip hop clubs.

Expert Insight

Experts deeply embedded in the hip hop scene recommend certain films that discuss and demonstrate hip hop dancing. One of the top picks is "Style Wars," made by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfaunt. The documentary footage is rough and raw. Another movie about hip hop's early days is Charlie Ahearn's "Wild Style." A more recent release is Israel and QD III's, "The Freshest Kids," which focuses on breaking. Finally, the two movies that brought hip hop dance to the mainstream should be mentioned: "Beat Street" and "Breakin" are films from earlier years that showcase dances and dancers.

Resources

• A video of a hip hop dance routine