How to Sign up for Hip Hop Lessons

Dance is tradition, and hip hop has a history that the beginner can easily grasp. Hip hop music and dancing, or breaking, rose in the 1970s and 1980s, centered around urban communities of young dancers and musicians and their popular culture. Hip hop moves come from music that speaks out about what's happening today. Hip hop dance is immediate, extreme and in your face, and it's part of American history.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Check out the old school. Listen to early emcees like Grandmaster Flash or Afrika Bambaataa for some roots education.

2. Get a sense of the online hip hop community, which is a reflection of the dance environment, at Allhiphop.com (see Resources below).

3. Learn what a freeze, glide and helicopter are. Check out an instructional video like the DVD "Simply Funk" at Amazon before you shell out money for lessons (see Resources below).

4. Search for hip hop lessons in your area online or by calling local dance studios. Compare instructor experience, fees and location.

5. Find a dance studio or club that offers group lessons. Make sure it is compatible with your goals before you sign up. Some programs offer a series of trial lessons.

6. Be confident! You can do it. Dance instructors teach hip hop to all ages all the time. By building on the basic steps and practicing in between classes, you will succeed.

7. Sign up and show up. Don't miss a class. Become part of the community. Repetition and immersion are important in beginning dance. You'll build up your muscles for power moves too.

Tips & Warnings

• A good instructor can keep you from getting hurt while learning advanced moves. Practice them while supervised at first.
• Give respect on the dance floor to get respect. Defer to more experienced b-girls or b-boys if space is tight.
• Get into hip hop culture for an off-the-dance-floor community experience.
• This kind of dance is a sport, and accidents happen. Avoid muscle tears by stretching before dance workouts. Work your way up from basic to intricate downrock moves.

Resources

• History of hip hop culture
• Online community at Allhiphop.com
• Beginner hip hop dance instruction DVD