Congratulations on your decision to finally take some hip hop dance classes and learn how to dance hip hop.
Hip hop dance is not only a dynamic and fun hobby, hip hop dancing also helps you to stay trim and fit as it requires a certain standard of stamina and strength to execute some of the moves.
About Hip Hop Dance Classes
Hip hop dance classes vary from country to country and individual to individual. There are no hip hop dance classes in the past when the hip hop culture just started. All of the dancers learned their moves from the streets. As it evolved and became more mainstream over the years, dancers begin to open their own studios and conduct their own hip hop dance classes.
As a result, more and more people have a chance to learn how to hip hop dance. Also, dancers now can actually craft a very lucrative career by conducting hip hop dance classes.
But first, you have to learn how to hip hop dance. Here is a list of the different hip hop dance styles you can pick up via hip hop dance classes, according to your preference.
Hip Hop Dance Classes For Different Styles
(Click on the images or text to watch video tutorials)
Breakdancing
B-boying, often called “breakdancing”, is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip hop culture among African Americans and, later, among Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of 4 primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes/suicides. It is danced to both hip hop and other genres of music that are often remixed to prolong the musical breaks.
The musical selection for b-boying is not restricted to hip hop music as long as the tempo and beat pattern conditions are met.
A practitioner of this dance is called a b-boy, b-girl, or breaker. These dancers often participate in battles, formal or informal dance competitions between two individuals or two crews.
Although the term “breakdance” is frequently used, “b-boying” and “breaking” are the original terms used to refer to the dance. These terms are preferred by the majority of the art form’s pioneers and most notable practitioners.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakdance
C-Walk
The Crip Walk, also known as the C-Walk, is a dance originated in the early 1970s by the Crip Gang from Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles, California by Crip gang members.
Since its popularity in the media and on the internet, in particular due to the very elegant Crip Walk done by WC, the Crip Walk has mutated into a form of streetdance with 2 variations known as the Clown Walk and Crown Walk.
These can be abbreviated to C-walk, causing much confusion as to whether people are Crip Walking or Clown/Crown Walking.
Clown and Crown Walk is based on and takes many moves from the original Crip Walk, however it has no gang affiliation and is generally a lot more complex. The main difference between Clown Walk and Crown Walk are that Clown Walkers or “Clowners” tend to be a lot faster and flashier, whereas Crown Walkers or “Crowners” tend be slower and smoother whilst “beatriding” to music, although this is not always the case.
Some of the more famous Clowners include; VietJr., Ctiger, iOlrickx, Gosu, Storm Stryder, Sonic the Cwalker, and Marc. Some of the more famous Crowners include; Deadly Gee, Entony and Ksnipez. Clowners and Crowners can also develop and/or join crews to participate in crew battles and crew tournaments. Some of the more notable crews include; Brotherhood of Style, Revolutionary 13th, Kidz Squad, Property of Dance, The Golden Army (now disbanded), Sydney Beatriders, THEM and Organization XIII.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crip_Walk
Locking
Locking (originally Campbellocking) is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and “locking” in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same speed as before. It relies on fast and distinct arm and hand movements combined with more relaxed hips and legs.
The movements are generally large and exaggerated, and often very rhythmic and tightly synced with the music.
Locking is quite performance oriented, often interacting with the audience by smiling or giving them a high five, and some moves are quite comical in nature.
A dancer who performs locking is called a locker. Lockers commonly use a distinctive dress style, such as colorful clothing with stripes and suspenders.
Locking was originally danced to traditional funk music, such as that produced or performed by James Brown. Funk music is still commonly favored by locking dancers, and used by many competitions such as the locking division of Juste Debout.
Locking movements create a strong contrast towards the many fast moves that are otherwise performed quite continuously, combined with mime style performance and acting towards the audience and other dancers.
Locking includes quite a lot of acrobatics and physically demanding moves, such as landing on one’s knees and the split. These moves often require knee protection of some sort.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locking_%28dance%29
Popping
Popping is a dance style and one of the original funk styles of dance that is thought to have come from Fresno, California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer’s body, referred to as a pop, tick or a hit. This is done continuously to the rhythm of a song in combination with various movements and poses.
Popping is also used as an umbrella term to refer to a group of closely related illusionary dance styles and techniques that are often integrated with popping to create a more varied performance, but it is distinct from breaking, with which popping is often confused.
A popping dancer is commonly referred to as a popper.
When used as a hip hop dance style, popping is usually performed in a battle (also known as a competitive jam), where participants try to outperform each other in front of a crowd. This gives room for improvisation and the performance of moves that are seldom seen in shows and performances (also referred to as freestyling). As a street dance it also encourages the dancer to interact with the other dancers and spectators.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popping
Shuffle
The Melbourne Shuffle (also known as Rocking ) is a rave and club dance that originated in the late 1980s in the underground rave music scene in Melbourne, Australia. The basic movements in the dance are a fast heel-and-toe action with a style suitable for various types of electronic music. Some variants incorporate arm movements.
People who dance the shuffle are often referred to as rockers, due in part to the popularity of shuffling to rock music in the early 90′s.
The origins of the name “Melbourne Shuffle” are unknown. The term was first brought to the public attention by Sonic Animation’s Rupert Keiller during a TV interview in Syndey. The Age referred to it as looking like “a cross between the chicken dance and a foot stomping robot” to the untrained eye, but locals simply called it “stomping”.
Some dancers sprinkle talcum powder or apply liquid to the floor beneath their feet to help them glide more easily, some including 360 degree spins or jumps into their moves. Others apply smooth plastic tape to the soles of their shoes.
Originally consisting of the “T-Step” combined with arm movements, during recent years the “Running Man” has also been adopted into many common styles, accentuating the new focus of keeping time with the beat. The “Running man” involves a stomp forward followed by a single or double hop backwards with the same foot, the other foot repeats the action leading to a running-on-the-spot motion. The “T-Step” is a fast sideways heel-toe motion on one foot twisting at the ankle. The dance is embellished by spins, arm pumps, slides, and kicks.
Hardstyle is performed to music that features a fast 4/4 beat (also known as a ‘four-on-the-floor’ beat), and is normally accompanied by a heavy, booming (or hollow) bass. For this reason, many people in the US and Europe incorrectly refer to the “shuffle” as just “hardstyle”. This is despite the term “hardstyle” being an umbrella term for many different rave dances globally, as well as a genre of electronic music. Hardstyle is a rave dance, while most other styles were typically performed in clubs and dance parties.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Shuffle
Tutting
Tutting is a contemporary abstract interpretive street dance style modeled after Egyptian hieroglyphics. Tutting is performed with attention to the musics’ rhythm by altering the position of the body and limbs in a synchronized, robotic manner.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tutting