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B-boying is a form of hip hop dancing which is popularly known as breaking. It consists of top or up rock, footwork, spinning moves (power moves), and freeze. B-boying came from Bronx, NY. The term "B-boy" or "B-boying" was created by Kool Herc who was a DJ spinning at block parties in Bronx back in the days. B-Boys means break boys and they were called so because they dance to the break part of music. Later, by repeating this break part done by DJ, "breakbeats" was born.
Although people tend to pick up only power moves, real b-boys should master the all elements of b-boying. There are controversy between people who emphasize on style and power moves. One puts his emphasis on power moves and their combination and the other shows their style and individuality by footwork and freeze. Rock Steady Crew has been the one who emphasizes styles to show dancer's individual flavor. Even though power moves have a great impact and very energetic, it is hard to put individual flavor into the moves. Also power moves really don't go with beat since it is spinning. It is closer to gymnastic moves rather than dancing. Because of these reasons, Rock Steady Crew suggests that footworks-emphasiezed style should be the direction of breaking of 90s. Breaking is the most popular style of hip hop dancing and it has been spreading all over the world while new school dancing such as hip hop and house limited to big cities in the US and Japan.
History
It was late 60s , early 70s when people started a sort of b-boying. Their dancing was called "Good Foot" from James Brown's record of the same name. The Good Foot was the first freestyle dance that incorporated moves involving drops and spins, and resembled the beginning s of breaking. The best way to describe the Good Foot is, according to Michael Holman, to imagine a majorette marching in a parade taking steps raised high at the knee but keeping the leg raised at the knee in the air for a beat before dropping it down and simultaneously raising the other leg. Like a stop action drum majorette on beat. As the D.J.s invented new ways to elongate the break beats in the records, dancers had more time to invent and experiment. Soon moves like dropping down to the ground and poppin up again on beat became standard and gave these first generation of b-boys the nickname of "boie-oie-oings." Footwork came in when the boie-oie-oings started using their arms and hands to support their bodies in order to free the feet and legs to do gymnastic steps, shuffles and sweeps. In Brooklyn a new step inspired by these drops was being developed and called "Brooklyn Rock" also known as "Uprocking". Once the first early break moves had been established, a definite style began to develop. The famous first generation of b-boys were "Nigger Twins", "Clark Kent", and "Zulu Kings". Around 1977 breaking was losing its popularirty with black kids and it was about to die.
However, breaking came back with a new generation of b-boys. It was Puerto Rican b-boys who put new life to breaking and took it into next level. They started to put many higner levels of acrobatics and gymnastics into breaking and invented many new moves. B-boys such as Crazy Legs from Rock Steady Crew who were influenced by Jimmy Lee and Joe Joe, members of original Rock Steady Crew developed and invented the new moves such as backspins and windmills. I want to mention that there are also other b-boys such as Lil Lep from New York City Breakers who should get props by developed b-boying. Also, media stars like Bruce Lee and other Kung Fu film stars and martial artistes had a major influence on b-boying culture. The popularity of Kung Fu films during the mid and late 70s aroudn the world and especially in New York City, has had a great impact on b-boying style. A large number of martial art moves were incorporated into b-boying. For example, windmills came from a kung fu which is used to get up from the floor. By repeating getting-up move, windmills was born. Its also described as a "continuous backspin" by others. Whether its from backspins of from kung fu kick-ups, one thing for sure, its has established itself as one of fundemental powermoves that b-boys must know.
B-boying became even more popular in 80s. It was first introduced to out side of New York CIty and the rest of world by a movie "Flashdance" in 1983. (Before the "Flashdance", there were already movies like "wildstyle" and "stylewars". But the "Flashdance" was the first major movie which featured b-boying.) Even though it was not b-boying movie, the short scene which featured b-boying and popping on a street had a great impact enough to inspire people to start b-boying all over the world. After the "Flashdance", many breaking movies were made such as "Breakin'", "breaking'2", and "Beat street." "Beat Street" also had a great impact because it had a scene of battle between Rock Steady Crew and New York City Breakers. B-boying became very popular as "BREAKDANCE" by many media coverages. Because of this too much media coverage, when media stop showing b-boying on TV, people had a sense that b-boying was only a fad. Many people thought b-boying was dead. Some b-boys stopped b-boying influenced by media, also. Media mistreated b-boying. After 1985 or 86, the winter period of b-boying came.
Singapore's B-Boying Scene
Singapore's very own b-boying scene was revived in the early 90s, with many dancing among themselves or within the tiny b-boying community. Areas such as Far East Plaza, then became the "happening-place" to appear, with b-boys and b-girls from all over the country gathering around to mingle, share knowledge and exchange pointers on moves and technique. Its not until the evolution of technology, whereby Internet-enabled computers became a common household applicance, when humble beginnings of textfiles describing tricks, to today's fast transfer of large videos, did it enable local b-boys and b-girls to learn not just among their community in Singapore, but indirectly by watching videos from abroad. The fact that videos can easily be transferred and downloaded over the Internet, fuelled the speedy widespread of b-boying popularity, knowledge and technique among youngsters today.
With help from local pioneer crews such as Radical Forze, Rock Da True Skool, Lion City Rockers and even some foreign talents like Yoshi (Japan), the b-boying scene in Singapore has revived and growing at a high velocity rate. Annual underground / alternative events such as Floorskillz and Step It Up, as opposed to more commercialised events, help drive and improve the scene in the right direction.
| | Abstracted and edited from Dancer's Delight - Peace to Zulu Nation |
The term hip hop (also spelled "hip-hop" or "hiphop") refers both to a musical (see hip hop music) and cultural genre or movement (hip hop culture) that was developed by African Americans and Latinos predominantly in urban communities over the last quarter-century. Since first emerging in New York City in the seventies, hip hop has grown to encompass not just rapping, but an entire lifestyle that consistently incorporates diverse elements of ethnicity, technology, art and urban life.
There are four fundamental elements in hip hop:
- hip hop dance (notably b-boying),
- urban inspired art (notably graffiti),
- DJing and
- MCing.
| History
During the early 70s, a Jamaican DJ called Kool Herc arrived in New York City. Herc introduced the Jamaican tradition of "toasting," or boasting impromptu poetry and sayings over Reggae, Disco and Funk records. Herc also was the originator of break-beat deejaying, where the breaks of funk songs—being the most danceable part, often featuring percussion—were isolated and repeated for the purpose of all-night dance parties. Later DJs such as Grandmaster Flash refined and developed the use of breakbeats, including cutting.
Herc's idea was soon widely copied, and by the late 70's a myriad of DJ's were releasing 12" cuts where they would rap to the beat. Popular tunes included Kurtis Blow's The Breaks, and The Sugar Hill Gang's Rapper's Delight.
Hip hop as a culture was further defined in 1983, when former Black Spades gang member Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force released a track called Planet Rock. Instead of simply rapping over disco beats, Bambaataa created an innovative electronic sound, taking advantage of the rapidly improving drum machine and synthesizer technology. Many credit the sensation caused by the track as the defining moment in hip hop music and culture. The mainstream media began to focus on one of the greatest impacts of hip hop; instead of fighting with guns and knives, former gangmembers had a new way of battling--though break dancing, rapping, turntable mixing, and tagging (graffiti). By 1985, youth worldwide were laying down scrap linoleum or cardboard, setting down portable stereo and spinning on their backs in tracksuits and sneakers to music by Run DMC, LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, Herbie Hancock, Soul Sonic Force, Jazzy Jay, Egyptian Lover, Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and Stetsasonic, to name a few.
| Legacy of hip hop
Early hip hop has often been credited with helping to reduce inner-city gang violence by replacing physical violence with hip hop battles. Many believe that in later years (with the emergence of commercial and gangsta rap during the early 1990s) the emphasis on non-violence has come full circle, with many rappers boasting about weapons, crimes and violence. Within this time period, hip hop music has also begun to appeal to a broader demographic. The debate as to whether rap/hip hop actually caused young people to commit crimes is often likened to that of other music such as rock and heavy metal.
Within the culture of hip hop, some differentiate between heavily commercialized and "underground" or "alternative" hip hop. Many artists are now considered to be alternative/underground hip hop when they attempt to reflect what they believe to be the positive roots of the culture. Such artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dilated Peoples, Dead Prez and Jurassic 5 claim to emphasize messages of unity, activism and verbal skill instead of messages of violence, wealth and misogyny.
| | Abstracted and edited from Wikipedia - Hip hop |
| Dance teachers do not necessarily become "good" teachers merely by gaining a Teaching Certificate or Teaching Diploma; this is only a method of increasing their awareness of the Syllabi that they are teaching, and an overall basic understanding of Music, Anatomy, and at times a limited understanding of Child Development. | | A "good" teacher is one who has the ability to inspire students (whether they have great ability or limited ability in dance) to acquire the love of dance - and to create anticipation for their next class. They need to develop the skill of maintaining the students' interest and not stifle their natural personalities by simply continuing to repeat a set of stipulated exercises for a long period of time, with no challenge of dance development in the form of free classwork. | | Dance is a visual art and although there is always the need to develop technique there is the necessary component of the student being able to show his or her enjoyment in what they are doing. | | Good teachers are born and often some are developed, but there isn't a Certificate that can assure all teachers that they have this ability to impart their knowledge with the skills that in this day and age are required by all students, only experience and open-mindedness to embrace all forms and methods of dance can do this. | | - Betty Tilley, CSTD Examiner and Asian Region Director | | Abstracted from Commonwealth Society of Teachers of Dancing |
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