History of Break'in (english)

[New York, NY, Amerika Serikat]

B-boying is a form of hip hop dancing which is popularly known as breaking. It consists of top or up rock, footwork, spinning moves (power moves), and freeze. B-boying came from Bronx, NY. The term "B-boy" or "B-boying" was created by Kool Herc who was a DJ spinning at block parties in Bronx back in the days. B-Boys means break boys and they were called so because they dance to the break part of music. Later, by repeating this break part done by DJ, "breakbeats" was born.

Although people tend to pick up only power moves, real b-boys should master the all elements of b-boying. There are controversy between people who emphasize on style and power moves. One puts his emphasis on power moves and their combination and the other shows their style and individuality by footwork and freeze. Rock Steady Crew has been the one who emphasizes styles to show dancer's individual flavor. Even though power moves have a great impact and very energetic, it is hard to put individual flavor into the moves. Also power moves really don't go with beat since it is spinning. It is closer to gymnastic moves rather than dancing.

http://www.inthemix.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=392071323 Because of these reasons, Rock Steady Crew suggests that footworks-emphasiezed style should be the direction of breaking of 90s. Breaking is the most popular style of hip hop dancing and it has been spreading all over the world while new school dancing such as hip hop and house limited to big cities in the US and Japan. See examples of freezes history It was late 60s , early 70s when people started a sort of b-boying.

Their dancing was called "Good Foot" from James Brown's record of the same name. The Good Foot was the first freestyle dance that incorporated moves involving drops and spins, and resembled the beginning s of breaking. The best way to describe the Good Foot is, according to Michael Holman, to imagine a majorette marching in a parade taking steps raised high at the knww but keeping the leg raised at the knee in the air for a beat before dropping it down and simultaneously raising the other leg. Like a stop action drum majorette on beat.

As the D.J.s invented new ways to elongate the break beats in the records, dancers had more time to invent and experiment. Soon moves like dropping down to the ground and poppin up again on beat became standard and gave these first generation of b-boys the nickname of "boie-oie-oings." Footwork came in when the boie-oie-oings started using their arms and hands to support their bodies in order to free the feet and legs to do gymnastic steps, shuffles and sweeps.

In Brooklyn a new step inspired by these drops was being developed and called "Brooklyn Rock" also known as "Uprocking". Once the first early break moves had been established, a definite style began to develop. The famous first generation of b-boys were "Nigger Twins", "Clark Kent", and "Zulu Kings". Around 1977 breaking was losing its popularirty with black kids and it was about to die.

However, breaking came back with a new generation of b-boys. It was Puerto Rican b-boys who put new life to breaking and took it into next level. They started to put many higner levels of acrobatics and gymnastics into breaking and invented many new moves. B-boys such as Crazy Legs from Rock Steady Crew who were influenced by Jimmy Lee and Joe Joe, members of original Rock Steady Crew developed and invented the new moves such as backspins and windmills.

I want to mention that there are also other b-boys such as Lil Lep from New York City Breakers who should get props by developed b-boying. Also, media stars like Bruce Lee and other Kung Fu film stars and martial artisits had a major influence on b-boying culture. The popularity of Kung Fu films during the mid and late 70s aroudn the world and especially in New York City, has had a great impact on b-boying style.

A large number of martial arts moves were incorporated into b-boying. For example, windmills came from a kung fu which is used to get up from the floor. By repeating getting-up move, windmills was born. B-boying became even more popular in 80s. It was first introduced to out side of New York CIty and the rest of world by a movie "Flashdance" in 1983. (Before the "Flashdance", there were already movies like "Wildstyle" and "Stylewars". But the "Flashdance" was the first major movie which featured b-boying.) Even though it was not b-boying movie, the short scene which featured b-boying and popping on a street had a great impact enough to inspire people to start b-boying all over the world. After the "Flashdance", many breaking movies were made such as "Breakin'", "Breaking'2", and "Beat street." "Beat Street" also had a great impact because it had a scene of battle between Rock Steady Crew and New York City Breakers.

B-boying became very popular as "BREAKDANCE" by many media coverages. Because of this too much media coverage, when media stop showing b-boying on TV, people had a sense that b-boying was only a fad. Many people thought b-boying was dead. Some b-boys stopped b-boying influenced by media, also. Media mistreated b-boying.

After 1985 or 86, the winter period of b-boying came. Then Resurgence of b-boying happened around 1990. I don't know how exactly it happened. I am sure that it was done by the support of real b-boys who never quit b-boying even during the winter period of b-boying. As far as I know, it was California where b-boying gained its popularity again early. Nowadays, B-boy events such as B-BOY SUMMIT and ROCK STEADY ANNIVERSARY are organized every year and many b-boys from all over the world get together and keep the culture alive and even try to take it into next level.

A Brief History of Break Dancing

Introduction

When someone mentions break dancing nowadays, people think of baggie trouser wearing, medallion brandishing kids sporting baseball caps at set square angles spinning on their heads. This wouldn’t be far from the truth, however what they probably don’t appreciate is the immense skill and physical ability one must have to achieve such aeronautical splendour; plus its deep seated routes in African American culture not to mention its connection with hip hop and subsequently its distant link with the civil rights movement.

The Origin

To trace the predecessors of the dance would be difficult at best but speculation points towards the ‘lindy hop’ and also the ‘Charleston’ not to mention several moves being, shall we say, "borrowed" from ‘kung-fu’.

The term break-dancing is associated to the breaks in music, and the movements that can be performed in these breaks. It was first performed in the Bronx in New York in the very late 1960’s and early 1970’s, usually as a result of a break in a record. When this occurred, dancers would fill the break with corresponding moves. Ironically enough, with regards to musical genres, and as cringe-worthy as it may now be to some hardened break-dancers, but their dance’s birthplace was on the floors of the New York disco scene.

Break dancing soon moved from the clubs to the street, were rival gangs in the South Bronx would, in theory, replace actual fighting and turf disputes with a break dancing battle. The theory was sound, often with the best dancer being the best fighter due to large quantities of strength needed for both activities, but more often that not fights would break out after the results were issued by the judging audience. That said breaking battles have today, to a large extent, replaced fighting in the Bronx.

James Brown’s Influence

The godfather of break dancing was, without doubt, the infamous ‘James Brown’. In 1969 Mr Brown was enjoying massive success with "Get on the Good Foot" the subsequent hustle, or dance, craze that followed was the ‘Good Foot’ soon to be renamed the ‘B-Boy’. As anyone who has seen James Brown perform live at concerts or even seen him on television his dance style can only be described as brilliantly energetic. It is this dance style that shaped break dancing and pointed it in new directions. Dance battles were already established when the B-Boy became popular but its high energy and almost acrobatic nature was ideal for the competitive and heated nature of battling.

What followed was what is now referred to as old-style breaking. There were no headspins, no windmills, no handglides and certainly no backspins. Old-style breaking consisted of only floor work, or floor rock, which is much more complex to perform due to incredibly complicated leg moves performed at great speed.

Afrika Bambaataa Influence

As time went by, rival gangs would become rival crews who practised and performed together. ‘Bambataa’s Universal Zulu Nation’ was one such group. Afrika Bambaataa is the legendary grand master DJ whom history has marked as the man most responsible for the successful growth of break dancing (see Musical Changes and Influences).

The Rock Steady Crew

Bambaataa’s old-style break dancing remained popular until 1977, when the ‘Freak’ based on the hit record ‘Freak Out’ by the Shieks took its place. Then, out of the ashes arose the break dancing equivalent of a phoenix in the form of the ‘Rock-Steady Crew’. With the nurturing help of Bambaataa, the Rock-Steady crew took break dancing to new heights.

The new style of break dancing was much changed from the old in that there were many more acrobatic moves added into the dance routines. It is at this point in time that we start to see more difficult moves like the headspin come into existence. It is this form of break dancing that is still with us today.



What Break Dancing actual Involves

Break dancing like all dancing involves moving a certain way in time with music. The actual dancing as evolved considerably from the old-style due to the addition of new ideas and techniques. It involves moving the feet sideways and onto the toes, spinning on the knees, head, elbows, hands, and mocking fighting moves (i.e. kung fu). There are hundreds of moves but 10 of the more frequently used are listed below:

1. Headspin

2. 1990’s

3. Handglides

4. Backwallovers

5. Flare

6. Crab

7. Six step

8. Windmills

9. Backspins

10. Freeze