Breakdance (media coined phrase), also known as breaking, b-girling or b-boying, is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement that originated among African American & Latino youths in the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. It is arguably the best known of all hip hop dance styles. 

The Origin

 To trace the predecessors of the dance would be difficult at best but speculation points towards the ‘lindy hop’ and also the ‘Charleston’ not to mention several moves being, shall we say, "borrowed" from ‘kung-fu’. The term break-dancing is associated to the breaks in music, and the movements that can be performed in these breaks. It was first performed in the Bronx in New York in the very late 1960’s and early 1970’s, usually as a result of a break in a record. When this occurred, dancers would fill the break with corresponding moves. Ironically enough, with regards to musical genres, and as cringe-worthy as it may now be to some hardened break-dancers, but their dance’s birthplace was on the floors of the New York disco scene. Break dancing soon moved from the clubs to the street, were rival gangs in the South Bronx would, in theory, replace actual fighting and turf disputes with a break dancing battle. The theory was sound, often with the best dancer being the best fighter due to large quantities of strength needed for both activities, but more often that not fights would break out after the results were issued by the judging audience. That said breaking battles have today, to a large extent, replaced fighting in the Bronx. 

James Brown’s Influence 

The godfather of break dancing was, without doubt, the infamous ‘James Brown’. In 1969 Mr Brown was enjoying massive success with "Get on the Good Foot" the subsequent hustle, or dance, craze that followed was the ‘Good Foot’ soon to be renamed the ‘B-Boy’. As anyone who has seen James Brown perform live at concerts or even seen him on television his dance style can only be described as brilliantly energetic. It is this dance style that shaped break dancing and pointed it in new directions. Dance battles were already established when the B-Boy became popular but its high energy and almost acrobatic nature was ideal for the competitive and heated nature of battling. What followed was what is now referred to as old-style breaking. There were no headspins, no windmills, no handglides and certainly no backspins. Old-style breaking consisted of only floor work, or floor rock, which is much more complex to perform due to incredibly complicated leg moves performed at great speed.

 

Afrika Bambaataa Influence

 As time went by, rival gangs would become rival crews who practised and performed together. ‘Bambataa’s Universal Zulu Nation’ was one such group. Afrika Bambaataa is the legendary grand master DJ whom history has marked as the man most responsible for the successful growth of break dancing. The Rock Steady Crew Bambaataa’s old-style break dancing remained popular until 1977, when the ‘Freak’ based on the hit record ‘Freak Out’ by the Shieks took its place. Then, out of the ashes arose the break dancing equivalent of a phoenix in the form of the ‘Rock-Steady Crew’. With the nurturing help of Bambaataa, the Rock-Steady crew took break dancing to new heights. The new style of break dancing was much changed from the old in that there were many more acrobatic moves added into the dance routines. It is at this point in time that we start to see more difficult moves like the headspin come into existence. It is this form of break dancing that is still with us today. 

What Break Dancing actualy Involves 

Break dancing like all dancing involves moving a certain way in time with music. The actual dancing as evolved considerably from the old-style due to the addition of new ideas and techniques. It involves moving the feet sideways and onto the toes, spinning on the knees, head, elbows, hands, and mocking fighting moves (i.e. kung fu). 

There are hundreds of moves but 10 of the more frequently used are listed below: 1. Headspin 2. 1990’s 3. Handglides 4. Backwallovers 5. Flare 6. Crab 7. Six step 8. Windmills 9. Backspins 10. Freeze