subject: Some Facts Behind The Origin Of Hip Hop Dance Form [print this page] Hip Hop has emerged as one of the most popular, and prominent dance forms in the world today. Its influence is wide-spread in the dance, and music world alike, the style has manifested its own style of music, dance clothes, and culture. But from where did this movement come from? How was it formed? To answer these questions, well have to forget the baggy dance clothes, and bumping beats and go back to the 70s, when the dance clothes were tight, and the beats were just starting to find their bump.
The first mention of hip hop dance dates back to the early 70s when some new moves were starting to be introduced to the dance world to accompany the funky sounds of hip hop music that was also being discovered. Most popular among African Americans and Latin Americans at first, there are many races who now lay claim to defining this diverse dance phenomenon.
Where it originated has also been disputed, while the east coast hip-hoppers swear it was them to start the craze, the west coast dancers insist it was them to come up with the baggy dance clothes, and funky moves. Regardless of where it was born, it did not take long for Hip-Hop to sweep across the nation, attracting young people from all over with its new style that included edge dance clothes and skills such as breaking, popping, locking, and krumping.
After the outbreak of interest in the style, the culture exploded into mainstream America and starting taking on a culture of its own. Many movies at the time were based off of the new dance, and in them, people started to see new styles of dance clothes, music, language, and attitude. Whether hip hop dance was the brain child of some who were simply looking for another form of expression or the intentional genius of creative souls who were looking to put another dance expression into the mix of music is not clear. What is clear is that hip hop music has survived challenge and change and fought its way into the dance scene around the world.
In the early 2000s, the popular television show So You Think You Can Dance presented yet another platform for hip hop dance artists to display their talents while competing for fame and fortune against other recognized dance forms such as ballet, tap, jazz and ballroom. Bringing with it their alternative style of dance clothes, music, and attitude.
Hip Hop has certainly made a name for itself, and looks like its not going anywhere anytime soon. So get used to the funky dance clothes, loud bass, and gravity-defying moves, hip hop is here to stay!
