How to Teach How to Break Dance

With break dancing, the trick is to remain loose and relaxed.

Break dancing is an urban art form that entered the mainstream in the 1980s. It faded for a while, but is still popular in the club scene. The dance style has fluid and dramatic body motions with stops, pops, freezes and momentum shifts. Good dancers show excellent balance and body control and perform difficult athletic feats like back flips or spinning on their heads. Even though break dancing looks difficult, the best way to teach it and learn it is to relax and have fun.

Things You'll Need

• Old school rap tapes
• Adidas suede sneakers with the fat laces
• Parachute pants
• Classic break-dancing movies like "Beat Street" and "Breakin'"

Instructions

1. Instruct the student to wear the right gear. Nylon "parachute pants" work because they are comfortable, loose fitting and the smooth exterior slides well on the ground during spin moves. The Adidas suede sneakers with the fat laces are snug but comfortable, making it easier for the dancer to keep his feet relaxed.

2. Watch the legends in movies like "Beat Street," "Breakin'" and some of the more modern performers featured on YouTube. Tell the student to try to relax every bone and muscle in her arms, torso and legs while standing up. She'll get a feeling of being firm but loose at the same time. It helps to try this with your eyes closed, and then visualize performing the moves just as they were performed in the movies.

3. Put on some old-school break-dancing music, such as the Fat Boys and Run DMC. Remain loose and relaxed, but note the choppy sounds of the clap machines and records scratching. These beats provide ample cues for moving and stopping, popping (robotic-like movements that can appear to be in slow motion), flailing and spinning.

4. Allow the beginning student to dance and interpret the fresh tracks on his own. Allow him to "freestyle." He'll mimic the moves he previously watched, but allow him to feel out his own rhythm and style.

5. Have the student try a few moves individually, with some format. Point out when she is too fluid or too rigid.

Tips & Warnings

• According to Breakdancing Ninja, break dancing takes place in stages: Toprock, where the dancer begins in a standing position and starts moving when he feels comfortable with the rhythm, and Downrock, which involves fast footwork when the dancer has his hands on the floor and does power moves like flips and head or back spins. The dance usually ends with the performer frozen in a final position.