Break dancing, also known as breaking, b-girling or b-boying, is a dance that gradually became a part of the hip hop movement that originated among African – American and Latin – American youths in the South Bronx of New York City during the early ‘70s. It is one of the best-known hip-hop dances among them all.
Breaking is very easy when broken down but it is very technical so if a move is messed up you can seriously injure yourself. There are many break dance moves such as the Toprock, Freeze and the Pike to name a few.
Break dancing these days has become very famous. Break dancing is used in many dance movies such as: Over The Rainbow and the ever popular, You Got Served. Many dance competitions have been made such as the:
iDance UK Hip Hop Championships
Adult 2005 Winners Plague (UK)
American Lindy Hop Championships
Jump Off,
They all competitions that are judged on choreography.
It has been said break dancing replaced fighting between gangs but others say it is just a rumor. Break dancers often have their own unique style but often were the same things, such as: flat soled trainers (Adidas, Reebok, Puma) with thick, colured laces. They also were nylon tracksuits because the material allows the dancer to move more easily when doing a dance move. If people stereotype they will probably picture them with a boombox on their shoulder; and back then they did. Hats are worn by breakers; hats such as Kangol and New Era.
Those people who focus more on dance steps and sharpness but lack upper body brawn are called style heads. But those who focus more about the gymnastics technique and form are called power heads. These names often disrupt competitive events because the judge favors a certain style.
I personally think break dancing is good because it is different than just learning dance steps in normal dances. But in break dancing you can improvise. Break dancing is very easy when broken down, so try it sometime!
About this article
Written by Odaka, aged 12
