Hip-hop dance

Hip-hop dance refers to street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have
evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles primarily breaking which was
created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. The television
show Soul Train and the 1980s films Breakin', Beat Street, and Wild Styleshowcased these crews
and dance styles in their early stages; therefore, giving hip-hop mainstream exposure. The dance
industry responded with a commercial, studio-based version of hip-hop—sometimes called "new
style"—and a hip-hop influenced style of jazz dance called "jazz-funk". Classically trained dancers
developed these studio styles in order to choreograph from the hip-hop dances that were performed
on the street. Because of this development, hip-hop dance is practiced in both dance studios and
outdoor spaces.
The commercialization of hip-hop dance continued into the 1990s and 2000s with the production of
several television shows and movies such as The Grind, Planet B-Boy, Rize, StreetDance
3D, America's Best Dance Crew, Saigon Electric, the Step Up film series, and The LXD, a web
series. Though the dance is established in entertainment, including mild representation in theater, it
maintains a strong presence in urban neighborhoods which has led to the creation of street dance
derivatives Memphis jookin, turfing, jerkin', and krumping.
1980s films, television shows, and the Internet have contributed to introducing hip-hop dance outside
the United States. Since being exposed, educational opportunities and dance competitions have
helped maintain its presence worldwide. Europe hosts several international hip-hop competitions
such as the UK B-Boy Championships, Juste Debout, and EuroBattle. Australia hosts a team-based
competition called World Supremacy Battlegrounds and Japan hosts a two-on-two competition
called World Dance Colosseum.
What distinguishes hip-hop from other forms of dance is that it is often "freestyle" (improvisational) in
nature and hip-hop dance crews often engage in freestyle dance competitions—colloquially referred
to as "battles". Crews, freestyling, and battles are identifiers of this style. Hip-hop dance can be a
form of entertainment or a hobby. It can also be a way to stay active in competitive dance and a way
to make a living by dancing professionally.

1. B-boying or breaking
Perhaps the most well-known of hip hop dance styles, b-boying or break dancing is one of the first
pillars of the original hip hop movement. It is traditionally done within a circle or cypher where b-boys
will execute their dances moves, often competing improvisationally with other b-boys. It remains to
be the one of the most popular dance styles affliated to hip hop.

There you go, a list of the most popular and important hip hop dance styles of date. I have my own
opinions regarding this styles and trends, maybe we can talk about it below. Hit the comment section
and tell me your thoughts.

2. Crip-walking
Crip-walking was popularized by the infamous rivalry between the Bloods and Crips gangs. Crips
members are known to execute this move after killing a rival, thus capping off the kill with their
signature. Nowadays, crip-walking has gone beyond its violent origins and is now often part of every
hip hop dancer’s repertoire of moves. Snoop Dogg and Xzibit are known to have shown these in
their songs’ music videos, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Get Your Walk On,” respectively.
3. Locking
Locking is characterized by sudden pauses or freezes, often in jive with the beat. Originating way
back into 1969 as popularized by Campbellock Campbell and his crew, The Lockers, locking has
endured transitions from its funky origins into a common hip hop dance idiom. Some of its most
popular move are the Scoo B Doo, Muscleman, Floor Sweep, Funky Guitar, and a lot of others.

4. Popping
Often confused with locking, the popping style is a much different style from the others. It is often
done standing up, in which the body is twitched or jerked in a way that goes with the beat. These
twitches are called “pops” or “hits.” Many moves are related to popping, one popular example is
the moonwalk as popularized in the 80s by Michael Jackson. Popping involves a great deal of
motion manipulation such as animatronic moves (think of the Jabbawokeez, etc), miming to the beat,
and isolation (creating illusions that isolate a limb or a section of the body).

5. Electric Boogaloo
Closely connected to popping, boogaloo is related to funk and its associated dance styles. Its often
involves ‘rolling’ of the limbs and and twitching legs.

6. Floating
Hence the name, floating emphasizes slick ‘floating’ movements that gives the impression that the
dancer is dancing in the air. Its three basic moves are ‘the float,’ ‘gliding,’ and ‘sliding.’ All three
moves are focused on creating the illusion that there is no friction between the dancer’s shoes and
the floor.

7. Turfing
An acronym for Taking Up Room on the Floor, turfing is a dance style hailing directly from Oakland,
California. It is much based on non-traditional ways of storytelling or ‘representing’ a particular ‘turf’
or place which a particular performer seeks to represent. Turfing is very improvisational and free-
form, having dance moves that come from different traditions in order to fully express or narrate a
particular life story.

8. Robot/Mannequin
Robotting is pretty much similar to popping, but still many dancers use robot dance moves as their
primary style. Robot dance is simply acting like a robot, (not necessarily in jive with the beat) and
doing stiff arm and head movements that often contrast with smooth flow of the music.

9. Liquids and digits

Liquid dancing is oriented more towards dance hip hop and more laidback settings such as in glitch
hop and drum n’ bass. It often involves smooth, ‘liquid-ish’ hand movements called hand flows, and
digital manipulation, creating illusions and movements with the fingers. The performer’s body is used
as a contour to express a feeling or a series of interpretative gestures. Liquids and digits, like turfing,
is pantomime-like in nature, often involved in telling a story and creating a visual representation of
the music

10. Jerkin’
Jerkin is a fairly recent hip hop dance trend. It involves twitchy dances moves called ‘jerks’ wherein
the performer executes a set of leg stretches in and out. Jerkin’ is more of a sub-culture trend, if
taken together with its dress code of neo-coloured skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors. And yes, it looks
much like the Dougie. And we’re quite unconvinced that it can be called a dance; more like jerkin’
around. Well…

11. Harlem shake

It gained popularity again this year because of a viral Youtube video called “Harlem Shake,” but
sadly no Harlem Shake was done in the video. And Harlem Shake originally came from the 80s. The
shake’s origins are said to be from an East African dance called Eskista, but dancers most often
compare the Harlem Shake to drunken dance. The Harlem Shake has no strict code of dance moves
as it only involves creative convulsions of the body. No wonder the Harlem shake is popular even to
those who are not adept at dancing.

12. Krumping
Krumping is increasingly gaining popularity in hip hop and electronica circles because of the energy
and freedom is encourages. It has four basic moves: jabs, arm swings, chest pops, and stomps, or,
if you look at it in a simpler way, basically anything you wanted to do with your body. It is very
improvisational and expressive, at times even violently so, thus gaining popularity among younger
performer.