Break dancing, also called breaking, is a type of street-based dance developed by followers of hip-hop. Hip-hop is a popular cultural movement that began in the United States in the 1970’s (see Hip-hop; Rap music). Break dancers wriggle, spin on their backs, and perform gymnastic moves to the breaks (percussion patterns) in hip-hop or other music. Break dancers are often called b-boys, b-girls, or breakers. They often participate in informal competitions called battles.
Break dancing consists of four main elements: toprock, (also called uprock), downrock (also called floorrock, floorwork, or footwork), power moves, and freezes.
Toprock refers to rhythmic dance movements done while standing. The dancer usually performs toprock to warm up and introduce his or her routine. Downrock movements are performed down on the floor with the hands supporting the body as much as the feet.
Power moves are acrobatic movements that require speed, strength, momentum, and control. Some power moves are borrowed from gymnastics and martial arts (see Martial arts). Power moves generally involve dancing only on one’s hands, or otherwise not using one’s feet. Power moves include spinning on the head or back with the legs twirling in the air.
Freezes are poses that the dancer holds, sometimes while suspending one’s body off the ground. Freezes are generally used to emphasize a beat, mark a transition in the routine, or end a routine. Suicides occur when a break dancer intentionally stops moving and falls to the ground. They are similar to freezes, in that the dancer suddenly stops, and they often signal the end of a routine. However, suicides involve falling while freezes ideally involve no movement whatsoever.
Break dancing developed in New York City, primarily among young African Americans and Hispanic Americans. Working with records on two phonograph turntables at the same time, disc jockeys (DJ’s) looped (repeated) breaks from songs. By doing so, the DJ’s generated rhythmic beats for the break dancers to display their skills.
In 2018, breaking became a sport in the Summer Youth Olympic Games. And in 2024, it was added to the Summer Olympic Games. See Olympic Games; Youth Olympic Games.
