Breakdancing Basics

Breakdancing is a sport, an exercise, a past time loved by many, especially those in the younger generation. You can see many people breakdancing, ma...


Breakdancing is a sport, an exercise, a past time loved by many, especially those in the younger generation. You can see many people breakdancing, may it be on TV, on the streets, in the schools, in basically any area where there is free space to dance on. Some breakdancers refer to themselves as b-boys, b-girls or breakers. Sometimes, breakdancing is referred to as breaking or b-boying. These are just some basic slang to introduce you the Basics of Breakdancing.

Before heading to the basics of breakdancing, one should learn even some history of the dance. Breakdancing started as hip-hop culture among the African Americans and was later on followed by the Latin Americans. Everything started and developed in New York. It was eventually called breakdancing because of the breaks in the remixed music. Breakdancing is not only restricted to hip-hop music, other genres of music can also be used. All music used in breakdancing are remixed, some tempos and patterns are made to be faster in order to keep up with the routine.

There are four steps you have to know in order to get a good grasp of the basics of breakdancing The first basic step of breakdancing is called the toprock, this refers to the steps that can be performed while standing up. This is usually used during the opening of a dance battle or a performance. The toprock will showcase the style of the breaker. The second step you need to know is the downrock. This is also called as floorwork . This is used to describe movement that is done on the floor using hands to support the body as much as the feet do. The third step is called the power move. These are acrobatic steps that require some sort of momentum before performed. The dancers upper body usually supports the rest of the body when power moves are done. Some of the power moves are steps borrowed from various sports like gymnastics or some martial arts. The last of the basic moves are called freezes or suicides. These moves are quite advanced already, requiring the dancer to suspend his or herself in mid air, only being supported by the upper body.

Freezes and suicides are used to emphasize the strong beats in the music. Suicides are usually used to signal the end of a routine and are done by losing control in the end.

These are just some of the basics of breakdancing that you need to know. Go out and practice with friends or find an instructor if you really want to learn and practice the sport.

Leave a Reply