Hip Hop Dance Genres

Presentation by: Carmen FloresUniversidad Arturo Prat

A bit of History… Hip-hop dance is a broad category that includes a variety of

urban styles. The older dance styles that were created in the 1970s include

uprock, breaking, and the funk styles. Breaking was created in The Bronx, New York. Uprock which was created in Brooklyn, New York. In 1973, DJ Kool Herc invented the break beat. The funk styles refers to several street dance styles created in

California in the 1970s such as roboting, bopping, hitting, locking, bustin', popping, electric boogaloo, strutting, sac-ing, and dime-stopping.

Breaking, Locking, and Popping gained popularity in the 1980s

Main Styles

Breaking

Popping

Locking

Breaking

Breaking was created in the South Bronx, New York City during the early 1970s.

 It is the first hip-hop dance style. Traditionally, breakers dance within a cypher or

an Apache Line. A cypher is a circular shaped dance space formed by

spectators that breakers use to perform or battle in. Apache Lines are more appropriate when the battle

is between two crews—teams of street dancers.

Locking Created in 1969 in Los Angeles, California by Don

"Campbellock" Campbell and popularized by his crew The Lockers.

Originally called Campbellocking.  The lock is the primary move used in locking. Characterized by frequently locking in place and

after a brief freeze moving again. Locking has specific dance moves that distinguish it

from popping and other funk styles.

Popping Created in Fresno, California in the 1970s. Popularized by Samuel "Boogaloo Sam" Solomon and

his crew the Electric Boogaloos. Based on the technique of quickly contracting and

relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in a dancer's body. Popping as an umbrella term also includes floating,

gliding, sliding, strobing, liquid, animation, twisto-flex, and waving.