subject: Breakdance Lessons: Learn How To Breakdance [print this page] Breakdance which has started to influence the youth at the beginning of the 1980s in America and then spread all over the world, is the one of the four branches of hip hop culture. The reason why it is called breakdance is because of the harmony of the dance with the basic element of hip hop music which is called breakbeat.
The difficult dance figures represent the expression of the domination of adults on their own bodies. B-girl is for girl breakdancers and b-boy is for the boy dancers.
The breakdance fashion has had a huge explosion in 1980s. After these years, not only the boys who make breakdance, but also the DJs and rappers are also called b-boys.
Hip hop parties, video tapes circulation from one hand to other among the youth, the aestetics perception of breakdance, and may be most importantly, the met of breakdance the basic needs of this youth were the reasons behind this spread. Also various national and international organizations played an important role in the development and spread of this dance.
At that time it was not sophisticated as it is today. Initially the format was simple. The dancers formed a circle and the dancer would dance in that circle by doing some footwork to catch the rhythm followed by ground figures. After giving the snapshot photo or freeze which could be regarded as his or her signature, the next dancer would enter into the circle for another interpretation. The creativity of the dancer played an important role for differentiating himself from the rest.
Today b-boys and g-girls can do more difficult figures which challenge the laws of physics. But the fact that this street dance has been moved from street to the dance classes, has caused some form of standardization which has diminished the creativity-the most important aspect-of this dance.
Nevertheless, the youth today can meet their basic needs through breakdancing; getting out of the oppressive environment and joining to a new group of friends, development, achivement, expression, and revelation of their accumulated energy with this sportive dance which requires power, agility and dynamism.
