Hip Hop Dance
What is Hip Hop?
 It is a lifestyle
 Uses its own language, music, wardrobe, and dance
 Often people think hip-hop dance can only be
performed to hip-hop music but this is incorrect
 There are 5 pillars of hip hop
5 Pillars of Hip Hop
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mcing
Djing
Graffiti Writing
Breaking
Knowledge
What is Hip Hop Dance?
 Often referred to as “street dance”
 Can be seen in many different forms such as
informal battles or formal dance competitions
 Uses three major movements
1.
2.
3.
Popping
Locking
Breaking
History
 Officially began in NYC in the early 1970’s
 People who have not had professional training but
had a natural instinct to dance. They brought dance
to the streets.
 Inspired by African dancing (down-to-earth
movements with complex rhythms)
 Kool DJ Herc was the first DJ in NYC to play two
records at the same time and mix the beats together


He extended the dance portions of the records so dancers
could show off their moves for longer
Extended “breaks” of the music
History Cont.
 In the 1980’s the evolution of hip hop started
 Moves became more institutional (pop, locking &
breaking)
 Locations of dancing became more formal (not only
in the streets)
 Clubs in large cities featured DJs which resulted in
hip hop dancing to be performed there
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The circular nature of the audience still
remained
Hip Hop became more mainstream
Famous Hip Hop Groups
The
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Beat Freaks
All Female dance crew from Los Angeles, CA
In 2010 voted the best female dance crew at the World of Dance awards. Was on
MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew
In multiple music videos such as P. Diddy and Justin Beiber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDk5M3K_D4Q
Popping
 Created in Fresno, CA
 Made famous by Sam Solomon “Boogaloo Sam” and
his crew the Electric Boogaloos

Electric Boogie is a style of funk and hip hop dance
 Popping: a jerking movement by quickly contracting
and relaxing muscles to the rhythm 0r beats of the
music
 Liquid Popping: movements that are smooth to look
like fluid
 Strobbing: quick, stiff movements with quick pauses
in between each movement
Locking
 Created in 1969 in Los Angeles, CA
 Made popular by Dan Campbell and his dance crew
the Lockers
 Locking is usually when a dancer holds his position
for a few seconds
 Cannot pop and lock at the same time, but can be
done one after the other
 Locking can often be used for comic relief too
Breaking
 Created in South Bronx, NY
 First Hip Hop dance style
 African Americans created it but Puerto Ricans made
it popular, their style of dance is known as uprock
 Breaking is usually unstructured and performed at
different levels
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Toprock –dancing while on your feet
Downrock-dancing on the floor
Power moves- spins on the ground or acrobatics
Freeze Moves- when a dancer poses
Hip Hop Dance Today
 Today Hip Hop dance is still performed in the streets
but it is also performed on stages
 Popular dancers are paid to perform for thousands of
audience members at a concert, on national
television or at small venues likes dance clubs
 Very popular in music videos
Famous Hip Hop Groups
 The Jabbawockeez
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8 Member all male group (sometimes performs with more or less)
Won first season of America’s Best Dance Crew
Famous for the mask and gloves they wear while they perform
Have a Las Vegas Show called MUS.I.C at the MGM Grand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQP1Z_0JZ5c
Famous Hip Hop Dancers/Choreographers
 Wade Robinson
 Started his career at the age of 12
 At the age of 16 he became Brittany Spears dance
chorographer as well as N’SYNC
 Won a Emmy award for his work on “So you Think you Can
Dance”
Famous Hip Hop Dancers/Choreographers
 Dan Karaty
 Choreographed for Jessica Simpson and Kylie Minogue
 Choreographs for America’s Got Talent
 Performed in the musical Footloose
Famous Hip Hop Dancers/Choreographers
 Shane Sparks
 Best known for his role as a judge
and choreographer on the reality
television dance competitions
"So You Think You Can Dance"
and "America's Best Dance Crew.“
 He won the American Choreography
Award for co-choreographing the
2004 film, "You Got Served.“