Hip Hop Dance

1. HIP HOP
Dance History 100

2. HIP HOP MUSIC
 The roots of Hip Hop music are found in music from Africa.
 Specifically The Griots
 The Griots of West Africa are a group of traveling singers and poets who are part
of an oral tradition dating back hundreds of years. Their vocal style is similar to
that of rappers.
 West African Griot Performance
 60s and 70s- Griot-like performances of spoken-word poetry and
music

3. HIP HOP MUSIC
 Early 1970’s Hip Hop music starts to become established.
 Djs playing popular funk, and soul music for street parties
 Started in NYC- The Bronx and Brooklyn, specifically the African American
areas
 Began to isolate the percussion sections of these songs- called
the BREAK
 The section of the song with just the beat. People dancing waited for these
sections.
 James Brown Break

4. DJ KOOL HERC
 Founding Father of Hip Hop Music
 Clive Cambell- born 1955
 From Jamaica and came to NY (The Bronx) in 1967
 Began DJ-ing for his sister’s parties and built a name for himself.
 Given credit for “The Break” and developing the idea further.
 “used two copies of the same record to focus on a short, heavily percussive, part in it, the
"break". Since this part of the record was the one the dancers liked best, Herc isolated
and prolonged it. As one record reached the end of the break, he cued the other record
back to the beginning of the break, thereby extending a relatively small part of a record
into a “merry go round.”
 Dancers who danced on the “break” were called “B-Boys/B-Girls.”
 “B-Boy” means “Break Bo.y” Dancing on the “break” called “Breaking.”
 DJ Kool Herc

5. AFRIKA BAMBAATAA
 Kevin Donovan- born 1957 in the Bronx
 DJ and emcee/rapper
 Credited with coining the term “Hip Hop” and defining Hip Hop
culture.
 4 elements of Hip Hop culture
 the music of DJs
 The lyrics of the emcees/rappers
 The dancing of b-boys/b-girls
 Graffiti art

6. HIP HOP DANCE
 3 Primary principals in Hip Hop Dance
 Improvisation- free style
 Have a base of steps but how you put them together and the transitions in between
is up to the dancer
 Battles
 Informal or formal freestyle dance competitions
 Ciphers
 Circle that forms around the dancers as the are moving. Creates a space for the
dance to live in.
 Dance crews became popular.
 Street dancers would join together to practice, develop new movements, and
battle other crews.
 Began as a social/street dance style. Not performed on stage.

7. BREAKING
History 4 Foundations
 Dancing on the “Break of the music
 Influenced by Kung Fu movies,
James Brown, and gymnastics.
 Began in the Bronx- mid 1970s
 Slowly spread across the country
and eventually worldwide.
 Breaking Examples
 Breaking Examples
 Toprock- footwork oriented steps
performed while standing up
 Toprock
 Downrock- footwork performed on
the floor using the hands to support
your weight.
 Downrock
 Freezes- stylish poses done on your
hands.
 Power Moves- difficult and
impressive acrobatic moves
 Windmills
 Air swipes

8. UPROCK
 From Brooklyn, NY
 Developed before “Breaking” and continued after breaking was
established.
 Usually danced by two men facing each other
 The goal is to undermine the opponent with hand gestures called
“burns” and body movements called “jerks.”
 who could be the most creative
 Associated with gangs
 Could emulate a fight or settle a fight between to groups.
 This is where the battle mentality in breaking and hip-hop dance in general
comes from.
 Uprock

9. CALIFORNIA 1960’S-1970’S
 “Locking” approx. 1969
 Created in L.A by Don Campbell
 The “lock” is a freeze or quick
pause and the position is held
for a brief moment.
 Can be acrobatic
 A lot of specific upper body
movements and more relaxed
lower body.
 Typically done in specific
costumes- striped socks, knee
pants, suspenders, floppy hats.
 Locking
 “Popping” Early 1970’s
 Created in Fresno by Sam
Solomon
 Quickly contracting and
releasing muscles to cause a
“pop” or “hit” in the body.
 Combine “pops” with other more
flowing movements.
 Almost always done standing up
 Popping
Dances to Funk music
Eventually “Popping and “Locking” spread
and became connected to Hip Hop Dance.
They are all different styles under the Hip
Hop Dance umbrella.

10. COMMERCIAL HIP HOP DANCE
 Featured in films and TV starting in the 1980’s
 At first used actual street dancers to perform
 Flashdance
 Late 1980s- Starts to become commercial
 Used in music videos, on TV, in movies as something “cool.”
 Moves into dance studios where you can get formal training.
 Fad dances like “running man” and cabbage patch” become “Hip Hop dance.”
 Original Hip Hop dancers are not being hired or used.
 No connection to the origins

11. CONTEMPORARY HIP HOP DANCE
 “Clowning” 1992
 Thomas Johnson in Compton,
CA
 “Tommy the Clown”
 Dancer and DJ- spent time in
jail
 Performed at a kids bday party
in a clown costume
 Created a style that was
entertaining and high energy.
 Wanted to create a community
that was separate from gangs
and drugs.
 His crew and other crews like it
were a safe space
 The clown costume was like an
opportunity to become
something else.
 “Krumping”
 2000’s
 Came from Clowning
 Heavily based on free style
 To escape from gangs and
drugs and to express emotions
 Very aggressive and high
energy
 A release of anger or
aggression in a non violent way
 Uses face paint like the clown
costume…as a mask to become
something else.
 Clowning and Krumping