Breakdancing

Breakdancing, also known as breaking and b-boying by its practitioners and followers, is a dynamic style of dance that is part of Hip Hop culture and emerged out of the Hip-Hop movement in the South Bronx of New York City during the late 20th century. Breakdancing is one of the four original elements of Hip Hop culture (the others being Emceeing, Deejaying, and Graffiti). This unique form of dancing is very acrobatic and creative. Breakdance has been performed in countless shows, music videos and at dance clubs.

Fashion

For the breakdancer, fashion is an important aspect of their identity. Many breakdancers dressed wearing Adidas shoes with thick laces. B-boys that are extremely serious match their hat, shirt, and shoes. This style is to show uniform, and is supposedly a threat to the competitor. They also wore nylon jumpsuits which were functional as well as fashionable. The slick surface allowed the breakdancer to slide on the floor much easier than if she or he had been wearing a cotton shirt. Also, the popular image of the breakdancer during the 80s always involved a public performance on the street, accompanied of course by a boombox.

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B-boys today dress differently from b-boys in the 80's, but one thing remains, and that is dressing "fresh". Due to the spread of b-boying as an artform from the inner cities out into the suburbs and to different social groups, different senses of "fresh" have arisen. Generally the rule that one's gear needs to match has remained from the 80's. Kangols are still worn by some, track pants and nylons still have their place combined with fresh sneakers and hats. Trucker hats became a large part of the scene in the late 90s and early 2000's, well before the mainstream pop culture began wearing them again in such numbers.

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There are dancers and crews that now have begun to dress in a style similar to "goth" or punk rockers in order to stand out from the more traditional toned-down b-boy look.

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Another trend is referred to as "Internet b-boys" or as they call them in japan "Otaku b-boys", who are often looked-down upon as not having their heart in hip-hop culture, and having learned much of what they know of the dance purely from the internet and from watching videoclips, not by instruction or by the passing of knowledge from one generation to another. Additionally, these "e-boys" do not usually reach out to their local b-boy scenes, nor participate in jams, nor do anything except flaunt and preach over the internet.

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Dance: Dance (from Old French dance, further history unknown) generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression (see also body language) or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting....

Hip Hop: Hip hop is a cultural movement that originated in the working class communities of New York City, United States, in the late 1970s. Other elements include beatboxing, hip hop fashion, and slang. Since first emerging in the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread around the world. When hip hop music ...

Bronx: REDIRECT The Bronx...

Breakdancing related Images and Photos (experimental)

Breakdancing Progression