Year 8 Dance · Responding — Analyse and Evaluate · 9m read

Hip Hop and Street Dance

Hip hop dance grew from the streets of New York into a global culture. Its history is as important as its moves.

Learning objective: Explore the history and techniques of hip hop and street dance.

By the end of this lesson you can:

• I can describe hip hop origins.
• I can perform grooves and basic steps.
• I can explain battles and cyphers.

Hip hop is a conversation. Breakers, poppers and lockers "talk" through movement — responding to the beat and to each other in cyphers and battles. It's a culture of expression, creativity and respect.

From the streets

ORIGINS:
• 1970s Bronx, New York; African American and Latino communities.
• Part of hip hop culture: DJing, MCing, graffiti, breaking.

STYLES:
• BREAKING (b-boying/b-girling), POPPING, LOCKING, krumping, house.
• Breaking debuted at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

CULTURE:
• Cyphers (circles where dancers take turns), battles, freestyle, respect.

| Style | Features | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking | Top rock, footwork, freezes, power moves | Bronx, 1970s |
| Popping | Contracting muscles to "hit" the beat | California, 1970s |
| Locking | Points, wrist rolls, sudden "locks" | Los Angeles, 1970s |
| Krumping | Aggressive, expressive, chest pops | LA, 2000s |
| Hip hop choreography | Groove-based, commercial | Music videos, studios |

Key ideas at a glance

• Respect the culture: Hip hop has elements: DJing, MCing, breaking, graffiti.
• Find the groove: Bounce and rock.
• Musicality: Hit the beat.
• Cypher etiquette: Take turns, support others.

Worked example (Easy)

What is a cypher?

1. Definition. A circle where dancers take turns freestyling.

Answer: A circle for taking turns dancing.

Worked example (Medium)

Plan an 8-count hip hop phrase.

1. 1–2. Bounce groove with head nods.
2. 3–4. Pop chest twice on the beat.
3. 5–6. Body roll down.
4. 7–8. Spin and freeze.

Answer: Groove, pops, body roll and freeze.

Common mistakes

• Ignoring hip hop's history It is rooted in specific communities. Fix: Acknowledge its origins.
• Ignoring the culture's history Misunderstands the style. Fix: Learn its roots and pioneers.

Breaking at the Olympics

Breaking made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, with B-boys and B-girls battling one-on-one.

Judges scored creativity, technique, musicality, vocabulary and execution. It brought global attention to a dance born in Bronx block parties 50 years earlier.

Practice questions

1. Hip hop dance began in:

   1. Paris
   2. The Bronx, New York
   3. London
   4. Tokyo

   (1 marks)

2. Name two street dance styles.

   (2 marks)

3. Breaking originated in:

   1. The Bronx, New York
   2. Paris
   3. London
   4. Rio

   (1 marks)

4. A cypher is:

   1. A dance circle where dancers take turns
   2. A costume
   3. A type of music
   4. A ballet step

   (1 marks)

5. Name two hip hop dance styles and one feature of each.

   (2 marks)

Summary

• 1970s Bronx origins.
• Breaking, popping, locking.
• Cyphers and battles.
• Hip hop is a culture, not just moves.