artLIVE – Breakdancing is one of the street art forms embraced and loved by young people passionate about the arts.
What is Breakdancing?
Breaking, also known as Breakdance or Breakdancing, is a street dance created by African-American and Latin youth in the Bronx, New York City, in the early 1970s, at a time when hip-hop culture was becoming more vibrant than ever.
A DJ named Kool Herc, hosting parties in the neighborhood, noticed that young people would hit the dance floor with more energy and dynamic movements whenever a song reached its “break” section. The “break” is the part of the song where all instruments drop out, leaving only the drums or percussion.
Seeing this, Kool Herc developed a technique called the “Merry-Go-Round”, which allowed him to extend the break, giving dancers more time to showcase their moves.
Initially, the dance was called b-boying, but the name later changed when mainstream media popularized it. Despite its widespread popularity, the term “breakdance” is looked down upon by those deeply immersed in hip-hop culture. They consider “breakdance” a media-invented term used for sensational headlines rather than respecting the art form.
The Boston Globe commented: “Lesson number one: Don’t call it breakdance. The traditional dance of hip-hop, its ties to rap music, and the imagery of graffiti are accurately known as Breakdancing.”
Original terms like b-boy (break-boy), b-girl (break-girl), and breaker were used to describe dancers. Among those deeply rooted in hip-hop culture, the term “breakdancer” can be used derogatorily to describe someone dancing for personal gain rather than a commitment to the culture.
Breakdancing is Influenced by Many Cultures
Many elements of Breakdancing existed in other cultures before the 1970s. Pioneers like Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon and Kenneth “Ken Swift” Gabbert of the Rock Steady Crew considered James Brown a major influence. Several acrobatic moves in Breakdancing, like power moves, show connections to gymnastics techniques. However, it was not until the 1970s that Breakdancing emerged as a defined dance style in the U.S.
A related dance style that influenced Breakdancing is Uprock. Uprock is a combative, aggressive dance where two dancers mimic fighting moves with musical rhythm. While it never gained the widespread popularity of Breakdancing, certain moves from Uprock were adopted by dancers as variations for their toprock sequences.
Uprock is an aggressive dance where two dancers mimic fighting each other by simulating the use of weapons to the rhythm of the music. Photo: taniafuentez.files.wordpress.com
Uprock developed in New York in the late 1960s, heavily influenced by gang culture. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, New York streets were largely dominated by gangs.
As rocking/uprocking evolved, body movements called “jerks” and hand gestures called “burns” were added to simulate battles with opponents. Dancers across all boroughs continued creating new moves and gestures, forming a distinct dance style.
The Four Elements of Breakdancing
- Toprock
Toprock consists of upright steps performed while standing. It is the opening performance style and is essential to the dance.
Toprock has various moves, each reflecting the dancer’s expression—aggressive, calm, or excited. Toprock may incorporate other dance styles such as popping, locking, tap, Lindy hop, or house dance. The transition from toprock to downrock and then to power moves is called a “drop.”
2. Downrock (Footwork or Floorwork)
Downrock involves any floor-based movement using both hands and feet. The basic downrock is performed using hands and feet, while advanced variations may incorporate knees and intricate limb movements.
The most basic downrock move is performed entirely on the feet and hands but more complex variations can involve the knees while passing the limbs through each other.
3. Power moves
Power moves are acrobatic, requiring momentum, speed, endurance, strength, and control. Dancers often generate circular momentum with the upper body while other body parts follow. Many moves are influenced by gymnastics and martial arts techniques.
4. Freezes
Freezes are stylish, challenging poses requiring dancers to suspend themselves off the ground using upper body strength in positions such as pikes. They emphasize musical rhythm and often signal the end of a sequence. Freezes can be linked into chains or “stacks.”
Major Breakdancing Competitions Worldwide
After being formalized as an art form, many professional Breakdancing competitions emerged worldwide, including Battle of the Year (BOTY), The Notorious IBE (International Breakdance Event), and Chelles Battle Pro.
Battle of the Year (BOTY)
Battle of the Year (BOTY) was founded in 1990 by Thomas Hergenrother in Germany. It is the first and largest international breakdancing competition for b-boy groups.
BOTY holds regional qualifying tournaments in several countries such as Zimbabwe, Japan, Israel, Algeria, Indonesia and the Balkans. The winning teams of these tournaments will go on to compete for the final championship in Montpellier, France.
The Notorious IBE (International Breakdance Event)
The Notorious IBE (International Breakdance Event) is a Dutch-based breakdancing competition founded in 1998. The IBE is not a traditional competition as there is no stage or judges.
Instead, there are timed competition events that take place in large multi-level arenas – circular spaces surrounded by an audience, where the winner is determined by the approval of the audience… Circle Prinz IBE is a single-elimination breakdancing tournament that takes place in many smaller arenas until the final b-boy/b-girl is declared the winner. The IBE also hosts the European finals for the UK B-Boy Championship.
Chelles Battle Pro
Chelles Battle Pro was founded in 2001 and is held annually in Chelles, France. The competition consists of two categories: one for children, featuring solo b-boys and b-girls aged 12 and under, and the other is a knockout tournament for 8 teams. Some teams must qualify through local competitions in their home countries, while others are invited directly to the finals.
Red Bull BC One
Red Bull BC One was established by Red Bull in 2004. The competition is held in a different country each year and brings together 16 of the world’s top b-boys. Six spots are earned through six regional qualifying events, while the remaining ten are reserved for the previous year’s champion, selected representatives, and those nominated by the international expert panel.
Reference
masterclass.com
redbull.com
historyofthehiphop.wordpress.com
