The History of Breakdance
Breakdancing--also known as B-boying or breaking--is a dancing style that evolved as a part of hip hop culture in New York City in the 1970s, the brainchild of urban blacks and Hispanics. Although it is considered one of the components of hip hop, breakdance could be performed to any dance music. A practitioner of breakdance is known as a b-boy, b-girl or breaker.
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Antecedents
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The origin of breakdancing draws from many sources. Some theorize that James Brown (1933 to 2006), one of the most influential musical performers in the 20th century, had a breakdancing prototype with the "good foot" dance, a move that accompanied his 1969 hit "Get on the Good Foot." Others believe that a more accurate archetype can be traced to the Capoeira, an acrobatic Afro-Brazilian artform invented more than 500 years ago that combines martial arts, dance and music.
Development
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Breakdance as it is known today began to form in the 1970s, when rival street gangs opted to outdance rather than outfight each other. This kind of competition was held to prove which gang was better, and the outcomes varied. Sometimes, it was over turf, and the losers would promise not to encroach upon the winners' neighborhood. Other times, dancing was simply held to earn each other's respect.
Eventually, music accompanied the dancing, which consisted of the disc jockey looping the rhythmic sections of dance records. These sections came to be known as "breaks" or "breakbeats." This is where breakdance got its name from, and together with DJing, it became one of the founding elements of hip hop culture.
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Key Figures and Dance Techniques
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Afrika Bambaataa, considered one of the founding fathers of hip hop, saw breakdancing as a positive, uniting force in the poor neighborhoods it sprang from. He was the founder of one of the first breakdance crews, the Zulu Kings. The most popular breakdance act, however, is the Rock Steady Crew, which was formed in 1977 by Jimmy D and Jo Jo, and features breakdancers Crazy Legs (born 1966) and Frosty Freeze (1963 to 2008). Some popular breakdancing techniques include the Toprock (dance moves performed while standing) and the Downrock (footwork and body moves performed on the floor, famously done on a piece of cardboard).
Popularity
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Breakdance reached an intense peak in the 1980s. This was mainly due to movies centered around the artform, as well as them featuring some of hip hop's biggest stars at the time such as Run-DMC and LL Cool J. These films include "Wild Style" (1982), considered the first hip hop movie; "Breakin'" (1984); "Beat Street" (1984); and "Krush Groove" (1985). The 1983 PBS documentary "Style Wars," which was mainly about graffiti artists in New York City, features some breakdancing. The most commercially successful movie of the time featuring breakdancing was "Flashdance" (1983), which raked up more than $100 million in the box office.
Breakdancing Today
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The popularity of breakdancing eventually cooled off as it seeped into the mainstream. Also, other elements of hip hop, like emceeing and DJing, eclipsed it in popularity. However, it remains a popular artform throughout the world, with dance studios offering classes clearly influenced by breakdancing. Also, commercials, print media, movie and theater productions perennially feature its elements.
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