Breakdance facts for kids
Breakdance is an exciting style of dance. It is also known as breaking, b-boying, or b-girling. This dance is a big part of hip hop culture. A "b-boy" is a boy who dances to "breaks" in music. These breaks are special parts of songs called breakbeats.
Breakdancing started in the early 1970s. It began in New York City in the South Bronx. People from Puerto Rican and African-American communities created it. The dance grew popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It spread to many big cities across the United States.
Breakdancing involves many different body movements. Dancers use spins, arm movements, and leg movements. They perform these moves to the rhythm of hip hop music. Breakdancing was very popular in the 1980s. It is still a common and exciting dance style today.
There are four main types of moves in breakdance:
- Power moves: These are athletic moves like the windmill, tomas, and airtrax.
- Toprock: These are upright dance moves done while standing.
- Downrock (or footwork): These are moves done on the ground using your feet and hands.
- Freezes: These are poses where the dancer stops suddenly in a cool, balanced position, like a chair freeze.
Many breakdance moves come from sports like gymnastics and martial arts like kung-fu.
Breakdancers often compete against each other. They dance to random music in "battles." The best b-boy or b-girl is often decided by how difficult their skills are. One of the biggest breakdance contests is Battle of the Year (BOTY). This event has different types of contests. These include one-on-one battles and team battles. In 2013, the team Fusion MC from South Korea won the championship. The team Floorriorz from Japan won the award for best show.
Contents
History of Breaking
How Breakdance Began
Ideas similar to breakdancing existed before the 1970s. Many dancers today look up to Richard “Crazy Legs” Colon as an important influence. However, breakdance truly became its own dance style after 1970 in the USA. DJs played a big role in its development. They started repeating small parts of songs. These looped sections, called "breaks," gave dancers a chance to show off their skills. Dancers could also create new moves on the spot.
Early Battles and Dancers
This new way of dancing led to the first breakdance battles. These battles happened in "cyphers." A cypher is a circle of people gathered around the dancers. The very first b-boys were African-American. Later, many Puerto Rican-American dancers also became very skilled in breakdancing.
Awesome Breakdance Moves
What is a Freeze?
A freeze is a cool technique in breakdance. The dancer suddenly stops moving. They hold a difficult and interesting position. Freezes often involve twisting the body into stylish and tricky poses. It takes a lot of balance and strength to hold a perfect freeze.
Learning the Two-Step
The two-step is a basic but important move. It helps the dancer choose their direction. It also builds up speed for other moves. This move keeps the dancer low to the ground. It puts them in a good spot to do more complex dance moves. Because of this, the two-step is often one of the first moves new breakdancers learn. It also helps them learn the more advanced 6-step.
Impressive Kicks
A kick in breakdance is usually a one-handed handstand. The dancer often holds their legs in an impressive way. Their free arm is also held in a stylish position. Kicks are often done very quickly. This makes them look even more amazing and helps to impress the audience.
Images for kids
-
A breakdancer performing in Cologne, Germany, 2017
-
A breaker practicing downrock at a studio in Moscow
-
Ottawa Youth breakdancing during Canada 150 Celebrations
-
Breakdancing performance in Riga, Latvian SSR, 1986
-
Bboy DanceMachine at the Breakfast Jam finals in Kampala, Uganda on November 19, 2016
-
B-boys performing on San Francisco's Powell Street in 2008
-
B-Boy performing hand hops in Washington D.C.
-
A breakdancer does an air-flare in a cypher at R16 Korea 2014
.jpg)
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Break dance para niños
