All ages and all sizes enjoy hip hop dancing. For pleasure, for a run, or just for exercise, dancing can be a great fun activity to bond with friends and family.
However, the learning curve can be quite steep for some due to the fast and physically demanding movements. The key is to focus and keep practicing.
Many of those who want to learn to dance hip hop are willing to work hard, but don’t know where to start.
This article will help you understand the different types of hip hop dance moves and styles, and maybe in this list, you can find your favorite and get started with that.
Here is a list of some of the most popular dance styles that people love (in no particular order):
Break dance
Also known as B-boying or breaking, breakdance is a popular form of street dance since the early 1970s that began as part of hip hop culture among young African Americans and Latinos in New York City.
Usually danced breakbeats, b-boying consists of four main elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes. These elements will be discussed in more detail in another article.
Closing
Originally known as Campbellocking, blocking is a funk dance style that involves freezing from a quick movement and “locking” in a certain position, holding that position for a short time, and then continuing at the same speed as before.
What makes it interesting is that, although it is based on rapid and distinct movements of the arms and hands, it is combined with more relaxed hips and legs.
The lockers often perform big, exaggerated movements that are rhythmic and closely in sync with hip hop dance songs. If you’re quite outgoing, this may be the style for you, as it’s more performance-oriented, which largely involves interacting with your audience by smiling or high-fives. Also, some blocking moves are quite comical in nature, making them very entertaining to watch.
Locking is typically danced to traditional funk music, such as that produced or performed by James Brown.
Burst
Sometimes mixed with blocking because they always come together, popping is a form of street dance that originated in California from the 1960s and 1970s. One of the original styles of funk, it is based on the technique of rapidly contracting and relaxing the muscles to cause a jolt to the dancer’s body. That idiot is known as a pop or a hit.
With their crisp, sharp movements, the songs used by poppers are often very rhythmic, so dancers can create the robotic feel of a song with a combination of various movements and poses.
Poppers generally integrate other styles such as robotic, waving, and tutting to create a more varied performance.
There you have it, these are just a few of the 3 popular hip hop dance styles that people love. Go to any studio in your area and you will find individual courses that will teach you each of these hip hop dance moves.