Breakdance, breaking, b-boying or b-girling
is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement among African American, Asian and Puerto Rican youths in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. It is normally danced to pop, funk or hip hop music, often remixed to prolong the breaks, and is a well-known hip hop dance style. Breakdancing involves the elements of toprock, downrock, freezes, and power moves. A breakdancer, breaker, b-boy or b-girl refers to a person who practices breakdancing.
Origins: From street to dance
Breakdancing may have begun as a building, productive, and a constructive youth culture alternative to the violence of urban street gangs.Today, breakdancing culture is a remarkable discipline somewhere between those of dancers and athletes. Since acceptance and involvement centers on dance skills, breakdancing culture is often free of the common race and gender boundaries of a subculture and has been accepted worldwide. Breaking became popular in the Western world when street corner disc jockeys would take the rhythmic breakdown sections (or "breaks") of dance records and string them together without any elements of the melody. This provided a raw rhythmic base for improvising and further mixing, and it allowed dancers to display their skills during the break.
Breakdancing, in its organized fashion seen today, may have begun as a method for rival gangs of the ghetto to mediate and settle territorial disputes.In a turn-based showcase of dance routines, the winning side was determined by the dancer(s) who could outperform the other by displaying a set of more complicated and innovative moves.
Michael Jackson's televised performance of the robot dance in 1974 displayed elements of the breakdance subculture to a wide audience and helped spark its popularity. Meanwhile, dance teams such as the Rock Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers, changed the dance into a pop-culture phenomenon receiving a large amount of media attention. In the 1980s, parties, disco clubs, talent shows, and other public events became typical locations for breakdancers. Though its intense popularity eventually faded in the mid-1980s, in the following decades breakdancing became an accepted dance style portrayed in commercials, movies, and the media. Instruction in breakdancing techniques is even available at dance studios where hip-hop dancing is taught. Some large annual breakdancing competitions of the 2000s include the Battle of the Year or the Red Bull BC One.
Shortly after groups such as the Rock Steady Crew came to Japan, breakdancing within Japan began to flourish. Each Sunday performers would breakdance in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. One of the first and most influential Japanese breakdancers was Crazy-A, who is now the leader of the Tokyo Rock Steady Crew. He also organizes the yearly B-Boy Park which draws upwards of 10,000 fans a year and attempts to expose a wider audience to the culture.
Dance techniques
There are four basic elements that form the foundation of breakdance. These are toprock, downrock (also known as footwork), power moves, and freezes. Toprock refers to any string of steps performed from a standing position, relying upon a mixture of coordination, flexibility, style, and rhythm. It is usually the first and foremost opening display of style, and it serves as a warm-up for transitions into more acrobatic maneuvers. Perhaps the most basic toprock is the Indian Step, but toprock is very eclectic and can draw upon many other dance styles. Though commonly associated with popping and locking (two elements of the funk styles that evolved independently in California during the late 1960s) breakdancing is often considered distinct from popping and locking, as its moves require a greater sense of athleticism, as opposed to the contortion of limbs seen in pop-and-lock. Breakdancers who wish to widen their expressive range, however, may abble in all types of hip hop dance.
Music
As the clichéd quote "break to the beat" points out, rhythmic music is an essential ingredient for breakdancing. The original songs that popularized the dance form borrow significantly from progressive genres of jazz, soul, funk, electro, disco, and R&B.[5] The most common feature of breakdance music exists in breaks, or compilations formed from samples taken from different songs which are then looped and chained together by the DJ. The tempo generally ranges between 110 and 135 beats per minute with shuffled sixteenth and quarter beats in the percussive pattern.[5] History credits Kool Dj Herc for the invention of this concept, later termed breakbeat.
The musical selection is not restricted to hip-hop as long as the tempo and beat pattern conditions are met. It can be readily adapted to different music genres (often with the aid of remixing). World competitions have seen the unexpected progressions and applications of heavily European electronica, and even opera. Some b-boys, such as Pierre, even extend it to rock music.
Fashion
For most breakdancers, fashion is a defining aspect of identity. The breakdancers of the 1980s typically sported flat-soled Adidas, Puma, or Fila shoes with thick, elaborately patterned laces.[citation needed] Some breakdancing crews matched their hats, shirts, and shoes to show uniformity, and were perceived as a threat to the competitor by their apparent strength in numbers. B-boys also wore nylon tracksuits which were functional as well as fashionable. The slick, low-friction material allowed the breakdancer to slide on the floor much more readily than with cotton or most other materials.
Battles
Battles are an integral part of the b-boying culture. They can take the form of a cypher battle and an organized battle. Both types of battles are head to head confrontations between individuals or groups of dancers who try to out-dance each other.
The cypher (or the circle) is the name given to a circle of b-boys and/or b-girls who take turns dancing in the center. There are no judges (other than the participants of the cypher itself), concrete rules or restrictions in the cypher, only unsaid traditions. Although people aren't always battling each other in the cypher, there are many times when battles do take place. B-boying began in the cypher and only later did organized competition develop. This type of battle is how b-boying was originally and it is often more confrontational and more personal. The battle goes on until it ends for one of many possible reasons, such as one dancer admitting defeat. Cypher culture is more present in communities with a stronger emphasis and understanding of original, true hip hop culture. Battling in the cypher is also a common way for dancers to settle issues between each other whether it be individuals or crews.
Crews
A crew is a group of two or more b-boys or b-girls who choose to dance together for whatever purpose, either simultaneously or separately. Crew vs Crew battles are common in breakdancing. Many B-boys and B-Girls are part of a crew, which makes many feel more dedicated to breakdancing. A few of the most well known crews are the New York City Breakers, Rock Steady Crew, Last For One, Super Cr3w, Gamblerz, Rivers, Flying Steps, jabawakeez, Shebang!
Many b-girl crews often find themselves competing or trying to prove their legitimacy and passion for this specific type of dancing. Anonamiss is an all female b-girl crew, based in Christchurch, New Zealand, known for incorporating b-girling moves with Samoa siva dance inspired moves.[16]
