How to Show Emotion in Hip-Hop Freestyle Dance

Hip-hop dancing shows off expression and style. Learning how to technically execute a good hip-hop dance can take some months or even years to grasp, however, executing hip hop with feeling is something some people never learn. Freestyling allows the dancers to show a bit of their personality and emotions. Through the movement of your body, emotional expression can be more articulate than speaking.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Watch other performers do freestyle routines and identify the emotions they are trying to convey through their body movements. Take note of how they portray the music through their dance steps. Pay attention to their eye contact, since it tends to be the most revealing portion of a person's emotional output.

2. Play your favorite hip-hop song and notice how your body intuitively moves. Use the music to form the emotions that it brings up in you, anger, sadness, excitement, or sensuality. Then move in ways that personify that emotional tone.

3. Practice your routine in front of a mirror so you can see how well you are conveying the emotion that you are feeling. Ask fellow dancers or hip-hop enthusiasts to sit and watch you freestyle. Ask them to comment on how you were communicating your emotions.

4. Try freestyling at the end of a routine, so you will be warmed up and give you a point of reference to use for various other moves within the context of your freestyle routine. Freestyle dance to both fast and slow songs. Get a feel for the emotional content using the lyrics to connect to the message or theme of the song.

5. Have fun and stay connected through the eyes when dancing; it will engage the audience and help you to stay in tune to your own emotions. Play with the audience, if you are performing to one, and convey your emotions. Feed on the energy of the music or the people you are with to perform authentically.

Tips & Warnings

• Develop your own style for freestyling and do what comes naturally to you. Incorporate as many of your skills into a freestyle routine as possible.
• Utilize the whole dance floor to craft your routine. Move around and don't be afraid to make big movements to convey whatever feeling you are having.

Resources

• Visit this hip hop dance resource.