With bboying people in general don’t appreciate the immense skill and physical ability one must have to achieve such aeronautical splendour; plus its deep seated routes in American culture not to mention its connection with hip hop and subsequently its distant link with the civil rights movement.
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Dancer/Martial artist/ Bboy Wang (King)/Choreography/ Performer http://bboyking.blogspot.com/
In tracing the predecessors of the dance it 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’ and martial arts. For those of you who want to further your martial arts study. http://guerrerodesombra.blogspot.com/
The term break-dancing is associated to the breaks in the music itself, 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 which eventually knocked bboys off for a while.
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 (God rest his SOUL):
The godfather of break dancing was, without doubt, the infamous, man, myth and legend ‘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. If you are in a club even to this very day, and hear a James Brown song. You will most likely see a group of guys "busting."
Therefore, 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 practiced 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. With songs such as Planet Rock and Breakers revenge, Afric Bambaataa can be heard even to this day!
The Rock Steady Crew:
With Bambaataa’s old-style break dancing remaining very 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 fire breathing dragon, 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. Even today the RSC is going strong!
What is Breaking and where is it from?
Breaking was born when street corner DJ's (in legend it is DJ Kool Herc who was first) would take the breakdown sections (or "breaks") of dance records and string them together without any elements of the song per se. This provided a raw rhythmic base for improvising and further mixing, and it allowed dancers to display their skills during the break.
Popular speculations of the early 1980s suggest that breakdancing, in its organized fashion seen today, began as a method for rival gangs of the ghetto to mediate and settle territorial disputes.[1] In a turn-based showcase of dance routines, the winning side was determined by the dancer(s) who could outperform the other by displaying a set of more complicated and innovative moves.[2]
It later was through the highly energetic performances of the late funk legend James Brown and the rapid growth of dance teams, like the Rock Steady Crew of New York City, that the competitive ritual of gang warfare evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon receiving massive media attention. Parties, disco clubs, talent shows, and other public events became typical locations for breakdancers, including gang members for whom dancing served as a positive diversion from the threats of city life.
Though its intense popularity eventually faded in the 1980s, breakdancing persists as a mainstream phenomenon, maintaining exposure through often comical portrayals in commercials, movies, and the media. Breakdancing remains an enjoyable pastime for enthusiasts and, for a few, a serious competitive dance where annual exhibitions and competitions of all levels take place.[3]
Popular speculations of the early 1980s suggest that breakdancing, in its organized fashion seen today, began as a method for rival gangs of the ghetto to mediate and settle territorial disputes.[1] In a turn-based showcase of dance routines, the winning side was determined by the dancer(s) who could outperform the other by displaying a set of more complicated and innovative moves.[2]
It later was through the highly energetic performances of the late funk legend James Brown and the rapid growth of dance teams, like the Rock Steady Crew of New York City, that the competitive ritual of gang warfare evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon receiving massive media attention. Parties, disco clubs, talent shows, and other public events became typical locations for breakdancers, including gang members for whom dancing served as a positive diversion from the threats of city life.
Though its intense popularity eventually faded in the 1980s, breakdancing persists as a mainstream phenomenon, maintaining exposure through often comical portrayals in commercials, movies, and the media. Breakdancing remains an enjoyable pastime for enthusiasts and, for a few, a serious competitive dance where annual exhibitions and competitions of all levels take place.[3]
The moves:
Bboying is moves matched with music, music sense if you will. Basically, when you hear the beat you follow with your own "flavor." 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
11. Toprock
12. Drops
13.Downrock/Footwork
14. Freezes
15. Power Moves
16. Coin Drop
17. Knee Drop
18. Drop of Science
19. Sweep Drop
20. Thread Drop
12. Drops
13.Downrock/Footwork
14. Freezes
15. Power Moves
16. Coin Drop
17. Knee Drop
18. Drop of Science
19. Sweep Drop
20. Thread Drop
Definitions of moves:
Coffee grinders- leg sweeps that are just above the floor. The leg remains straight throughout. Begin in the third step of the 6-step. As your right leg swings out wide for step 4, put your right hand down quickly. Instead of letting the right leg hit the left, lean on the right hand and hop slightly so your right leg sweeps under the left leg and continues around for another full circle. Continue sweeping and hopping.
6 steps:
2-step/Baby Swipes/Knee spin: A footwork sequence.
3-step: a footwork sequence.
6-step: A footwork sequence.
12-step: A footwork sequence.
Switch/Pompo: The breaker sits on the floor with their palms and feet on the floor and their butt in the air. They will then crouch their right leg so it's in a 90 degree angle and lean it to their left so that the left (inner) side of their right foot slightly touches the floor. They lift their right arm up and put their weight on their left foot as they lift their right leg up and a little bit to the left. Next they straighten their right leg and bend the left leg as they put their weight on the right leg and lift the left hand. And at the same time they lift up their left (bent) leg.
Freezes on ground:
Airbaby: A type of freeze with one knee resting on the corresponding elbow.
1-handed Airbaby: An airbaby with only the hand of the arm supporting the knee on the ground.
Airchair: A type of freeze in which the breaker stabs their elbow into their side and balances on it while keeping their legs in the air.
Baby Freeze: A freezes in which the breaker stabs one elbow into their side and brings their legs to their other arm.
Chair Freeze: A type of freeze where the breaker balances with their elbow stabbed into their side and their head on the ground. They will then place one leg on the ground and cross the other leg over it.
Handglide Freeze: A type of freeze where the breaker balances on their stabbed arm and uses their free arm for support.
Planche: A position from gymnastics which involves both hands being on the ground, straight arms, and the rest of your body is held off the ground completely horizontaly.
Air freezes:
G-Kick: A kick with the legs and arm forming a G shape.
Headstand: A freeze while standing on the head, with or without hands on the floor for support.
Hollowback: A freeze that involves arching the back in a handstand position.
Invert: A variant of the hollowback that involves bending the legs forward instead of backwards. An inverted hollowback.
K-Kick: A kick with the legs and arm in a K shape.
L-Kick: A kick with the legs in an L shape.
Pike: A kick with both legs in the air and the free hand holding on to the feet.
V-Kick/Applejack: A kick with the legs in a V shape. Squat on both legs, then fall backward onto your hands while at the same time kicking one leg into the air, as high as possible. Then you get back up onto both legs, and repeat.
Power moves:
Flare: A widely recognized power move that involves swinging the legs around in a circular motion while balncing on the hands.
King Flares/Hopping Flares: A flare that is done while hopping from hand to hand.
Virgin Flares: A flare that is done with closed legs.
Swipes: A widely recognized power move in which the breaker twists their upper body in the air followed by their legs..
Windmills/Mills: A widely recognized power move in which the breaker rotates on the upper body while swinging their legs.
Floats:
Crickets: A float that involves hopping around in a circular motion while in the hanglide position.
Jackhammers: Crickets on one hand.
Turtles: A float that involves balancing on both hands and walking in a circular motion.
Pumping Turtle/Darkhammers: A hopping float.
Spins groung and air:
1990s: A spinning one-handed handstand.
2000s: A 1990 with your spare hand on top of your supporting hand.
Elbow Spin: A spin on the elbow.
Back Spin: A spin on the back.
Butt Spin: A spin on the butt.
Handglide/Handspin: A type of spin performed while balanced in a one-handed float position.
Headspin: A spin on the head.
Drills: A variant of the headspin.
Knee spin:spin with knee
Specialozed moves:
Back 2 Back: The Back 2 Back involves 2 people X & Y. X & Y stand facing each other (over 5 feet apart). X bends over bending his knees slightly and can rest his elbows on his knees (head must be down). Y runs at X and puts his hands on his shoulders and flips himself onto X's back and does a tumble while on his back anwith his legs in a 4 shape. He hops and lands with the leg that was bent behind on the ground and the other leg pointing straight out. The breaker points one hand in the air and bounces on and off each foot while turnin in a circle.
Broncos: The breaker starts in a hand stand, kicking her legs and pushing off with her arms at the same time sending her feet on a mission. The goal is to spend as much time in the air before her feet touches the ground. When her feet touches, she bounces immediately off her toes, sending her upper body back towards the ground. When her hands touches, she repeats from step two and get a fly bounce going.
Frogs: You do the same motion as a Bronco, but you land in the turtle position, then you bounce back up and do the same thing over and over.
Butterfly kick: A Wushu move sometimes incorporated into breakdancing
Butterfly 2?: Step hard like you're going to jump really high forward. Then jump up really high in a diagonal direction and become horizontal in the air. Now, while still airborne, (you should be facing the ground) bend your back inward so your stomach is sticking toward the ground. At the same time, extend your arms behind you, close to your knees. Now snap out of it so that your legs are in a "V" shape and your arms are close to your chest to support your fall. Land with your arms in a push-up position.
Caterpillar: synonymous with the Worm.
Fly & Roll: A B boy/B girl jumps forward "flies" forward hits the ground and rolls ending up back on their feet. This move can be done between two people.
Headglide/Icey Ice: With one elbow in your side, hand on the ground, your head slides around your supporting hand like a compass.
Headspring: A kip up executed from a kneeling position, going to the head and kiping up.
Insane Corkscrew: A spin with the direction of rotation constantly changing.
Knee Spin: A spin on one or both knees, usually in the kneeling position. Breakers often perform freezes or stylish movements of the upper body while spinning.
Leghop: Bend your weakest leg in front of your strongest, creating a figure-4 with your legs. Use the opposite hand to grab the toes of that weakest leg. This should form a circle through which you will jump. Jump as high as possible with your strong leg. Quickly scrunch it up to your chest, bring it over and through your leg-hand circle, and shoot it straight again to catch yourself before you fall to the ground. Legitimate leghops leave the leg-hand circle unbroken throughout the jump. It helps to bend over a little rather than stand totally erect.
Rocket: Go into a 6-step and go into a helicopter/coffee grinder and as soon as you jump with your crouched foot in a rotation, you jump as high as you can with your crouched foot straight in the air (you can use your hands if you want)and as you go up, swing your leg back under your foot before you land for another rotation.
Rolls: The b-boy starts in all four with feet wide apart. Now he takes his right hand and throws it over to his left side so that his hands are with the same width that you would do a handstand in. Now he lifts his right leg off the ground, and kicks up into a handstand, with his legs bent and then jumps off of the hands and back onto the ground in the crab position. The body is twisted like a swipe.
Skyscraper: The b-girl gets into handstand position. She lifts her left hand off the ground and moves it back. The right hand is stucked to the ground. Then once she gets her left hand moved back, her body will turn to the hand. Then she picks up the right hand and moves it more or less next to the left hand and the body will turn still. Then she moves her left hand backwards again, and she is facing the opposite direction.
Solar Eclipse: A move where the b-boy balances on one hand and bounces in circles.
Threading: A technique incorporated into some freezes.
Valdez: From a sitting position, the right hand is swung behind the back, then the left hand. While the left hand is up in the air, do a backflip after it.
Worm, The: A rippling of the body along the ground. most commonly used by amaturs for a lack of power moves.
Lets Recap:
Breakdancing is generally unstructured and highly improvisational, allowing the incorporation of many different elements. A basic routine might include toprock, a transition into downrock, a display of power moves, and finally a climactic freeze or suicide.
Toprock refers to any string of steps performed from a standing position, relying upon a mixture of coordination, flexibility, style, and most importantly, rhythm. It is usually the first and foremost opening display of style, and it serves as a warm-up for transitions into more acrobatic maneuvers. In particular, uprock is a competitively oriented type of toprock consisting of foot shuffles, spins, turns, and creative movements that may mimic combat. It was developed from the "Jinga", a footwork pattern used in capoeira, which was taught to youth in African-American community centers as a method of developing self-esteem and character.
Downrock includes all footwork performed on the floor, most notably the 6-step. Downrock is normally performed with the hands and feet on the floor. In downrock, the breakdancer displays his or her proficiency with foot speed and control by performing footwork combinations. These combinations usually transition into more athletic moves known as power moves.
Power moves refer to moves that require momentum and physical power to execute. In power moves, the breakdancer relies more on upper body strength to dance, using his or her hands to do moves. Power moves include windmill, swipe, and flare. Because power moves are physically demanding, breakdancers use them as a display of upper body strength and stamina. Many moves are borrowed from gymnastics, such as the flare, and martial arts, with impressive acrobatics such as the butterfly kick.
Freezes halt all motion in a stylish pose. The more difficult freezes require the breakdancer to suspend himself or herself off the ground using upper body strength, in poses such as the handstand or pike. Whereas freezing refers to a single pose, locking[4] entails sharp transitions between a series of freezes.
Suicides are another type of end to a routine. Breakers will make it appear that they have lost control and fall onto their backs, stomachs, etc. The more painful the Suicide appears, the more impressive it is, but breakdancers execute them in a way to minimize pain. In contrast to Freezes, Suicides draw attention to the motion of falling or losing control, while Freezes draw attention to the final position.
"Battles" refer to any level of competition in which breakdancers in an open space (typically a circle or square) participate in quick-paced, turn-based routines, whether improvised or planned. Participants vary in number, ranging from head-to-head duels to battles of opposing breakdance crews, or teams. Winners are determined by the side exhibiting the most proficient combinations of moves. "Cyphers," on the other hand, are open-forum, mock exhibitions where competition is less emphasized.
In pop culture:
Since its inception, breakdancing has provided a youth culture constructive alternative to violent urban street gangs. Today, breakdancing culture is a remarkable discipline somewhere in-between those of dancers and athletes. Since acceptance and involvement centers on dance skills, breakdancing culture is usually free of the common race, gender and age boundaries of a subculture and has been accepted worldwide.
The world scene:
Social interaction centers on practice and performance, which are occasionally intertwined because of its improvisational style. While featured at dance schools, breakdancing is very difficult, typically taught to newbies, or beginners, by more experienced breakdancers and passed on to new generations by informal word-of-mouth. Clubs and hip-hop schools do exist, but are rare in number and more so in organization.
Music:
As the clichéd quote "break to the beat" insists, music is a staple ingredient for breakdancing. The original songs that popularized the dance form borrow significantly from progressive genres of jazz, soul, funk, electro or electro funk, disco, and R&B. (See 1970s and 1980s). The most common feature of breakdance music exists in breaks, or compilations formed from samples taken from different songs which are then looped and chained together by the DJ. The tempo generally ranges between 110 and 135 beats-per-minute with shuffled sixteenth and quarter beats in the percussive pattern. History credits Kool Dj Herc for the invention of this concept, later termed breakbeat.
The musical selection is not restricted to hip-hop as long as the tempo and beat pattern conditions are met. It can be readily adapted to different music genres (often with the aid of remixing). World competitions have seen the unexpected progressions and applications of heavily European electronica, and even opera.
For most breakdancers, fashion is a defining aspect of identity. The breakdancers of the 1980s typically sported flat-soled Adidas, Puma, or Fila shoes with thick, elaborately patterned laces. Some breakdancing crews matched their hats, shirts, and shoes to show uniformity, and were perceived as a threat to the competitor by their apparent strength in numbers. B-boys also wore nylon tracksuits which were functional as well as fashionable. The slick, low-friction material allowed the breakdancer to slide on the floor much more readily than with cotton or most other materials. Hooded nylon jackets allowed dancers to perform head spins and windmills with greater ease. Additionally, the popular image of the original breakdancer always involved a public performance on the street, accompanied by the essential boombox and oversized sheet of cardboard, which serves as a dance floor.
The b-boys today dress differently from the b-boys in the 80s, but one constant remains: dressing "fresh".[citation needed] Due to the spread of breakdancing from the inner cities into the suburbs and other social groups, different perceptions of "fresh" have arisen. Generally the rule that one's gear needs to match has remained from the 80s, along with a certain playfulness. Kangols are still worn by some, and track pants and nylon clothes still have their place combined with modern sneakers and hats. Trucker hats were reintroduced to the scene in the late 1990s, well before the mainstream pop culture began wearing them again in numbers.[citation needed]
Function is heavily intertwined with b-boy fashion. Due to the demands on the feet in b-boying, b-boys look for shoes with low weight, good grip, and durability in the sole as well as elsewhere. Headwear can facilitate the movement of the head on the ground, especially in headspins. Bandannas underneath headwear can protect against the discomfort of fabric pulling on hair. Wristbands placed along the arm can also lower friction in particular places, as well as provide some protection. Today's breakdancing styles, which emphasize fast-paced, fluid floor moves and freezes, differ from that of two decades ago, requiring more freedom of movement in the upper body. Therefore, less baggy upperwear is more common today (though pants remain baggy).[citation needed]
Some dancers and crews have begun to dress in a style similar to "goth" or punk rockers in order to stand out from the more traditional toned-down b-boy appearance.
Certain clothing brands have been associated with breaking, for instance, Tribal. Puma is also well known in the breaking community. Both brands sponsor many b-boy events.
But aside from these generalities, many b-boys choose not to try too hard to dress for breaking, because one would want to be able to break anytime, anywhere, whatever the circumstances.[citation needed] This is part of the reason why many breakdancers would rather learn headspins without a helmet even though helmets allow them to learn the technique more easily.
Breakdancing as a folk dance
There is some academic interest in whether breaking can be considered a folk dance. In particular, street dances are living and evolving dance forms, while folk dances are to a significant degree bound by tradition. Breakdancing was in the beginning a social dance but in its later years, because of media and television exposure, it has become a more performance oriented dance.
Breakdancing as a stage show
In many different countries, most notably South Korea, different stage companies and individual breakdancing crews are creating musicals and stage shows that are either based on, or focus on breakdancing. Among the most notable is A Ballerina Who Loved A B-Boy, a musical telling the story of a ballerina who falls in love with the power of breakdancing. It is played by professional breakdance crews, including Extreme Crew, Maximum Crew, and Able Crew. Another famous breakdancing musical is Marionette, performed, created and choreographed by a famous Korean breakdancing crew, Expression. It is a 90-minutes non-verbal performance that is based on a 9-minute show Marionette created by the same group, early in 2006. The show has gained much recognition through self-promotion using videos and sites such as youtube.com, and many countries have invited the crew to perform. Also myspace.
Movies and the media:
In the 1980s, with the help of pop culture and MTV, breakdancing made its way from America to the rest of the world as a new cultural phenomenon. Musicians such as Michael Jackson popularized some of the breakdancing styles in music videos, and movies such as Flashdance, Wild Style, Beat Street, Breakin', and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo also contributed to the growing appeal of breakdancing. Today, many b-boys and former breakers are disappointed by the media hype that has changed the focus of breakdancing to money and overuse of power moves. Breaking was given proper respect in the critically-acclaimed, feature documentary film; The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy. The film captured the essence of the culture and accurately traced the origin, evolution, and position of the dance within the Hip Hop movement.
Breakdancing in fiction:
Cover design for the volume of Hip Hop, by Kim Soo Yong.
In 1997, Korea, Kim Soo Yong began serialization of the first breakdancing themed comic, Hip Hop (comic). The comic was immediate success, and sold over 1.5 million books when it was published into books. Hip Hop is credited for introducing the Hiphop and breakdancing culture to Koreans, and inspired many teenagers to begin breakdancing, which was still looked down in Korea these days. Many Korean breakdancers such as Bruce Lee (dancer) admitted they were first introduced and inspired to breakdancing by reading Hip Hop when they were teenagers.
The first breakdancing-themed novel, Kid B, was published by Houghton Mifflin in 2006. The author, Linden Dalecki, was an amateur b-boy in high school and directed a short documentary film about Texas b-boy culture before writing the novel. The novel evolved from Dalecki's b-boy themed short story The B-Boys of Beaumont, which won the 2004 Austin Chronicle short story contest.
Pop-media references to breakdancing
Buffalo Gals (Malcolm McLaren music video. 1982): The first breakdancing video on MTV, that brought hip hop to the mainstream, most noticeably in Europe.
Wild Style! (Movie. 1982)
Flashdance (Movie. 1983): features an appearance by the Rock Steady Crew and a stunt breakdance stand-in for the main character.
Style Wars (Movie. 1983): Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's historic PBS documentary Style Wars tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At the peak of its popularity, graffiti was as much a part of B-boy culture as rapping, scratching, and breaking.
Breakin' (Movie. 1984): The first movie all about breakdancing
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (Movie. 1984).
Delivery Boys (Movie. 1984) Genres Comedy, Plot Synopsis: A gang of boys under the Brooklyn Bridge are united by their common interest in break dancing. Some work as pizza delivery boys, hence they call themselves the "Delivery Boys". They form a dance team and enter a local break dance contest, sponsored by a woman's panty manufacturer. A rival gang's sponsor intimidates their employer into thinking she must keep the boys working so they won't be harmed. She gives the boys some "specialized" deliveries to make them late for the contest. The antics and calamities abound as the boys wrestle with her work assignments and getting to the contest on time.
Beat Street (Movie. 1984)
It's Like That by Run DMC (Music Video. 1997): Quite possibly the dance video responsible for the return of breakdancing to mainstream culture. The recording, though seemingly unrelated to the harsh themes of the song, features a comical battle between two talented respectively all-female and male crews.
Bust A Groove (Video game franchise. 1998): The two games series by 989 Studios which spanned comprises of a rhythm based gameplay that featured characters with distinctly unique dance styles. The fictional main character, "Heat," former F-1 racer, specializes in breakdancing, while other selectable characters, punk Gas-O and alien twins Capoiera use respectively house and (obviously) Capoiera martial arts.
Zoolander. (Movie. 2001): On a catwalk, model Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) engage in a "walk-off," or a mock modeling exhibition which sees both them randomly performing breakdancing moves—notably the Robot, the wallflip, and a few windmills. Later in the film, Hansel uses headspins to kick his enemy in the face, an absurd attack to which villain Mugatu (Will Ferrell) blurts, "They're breakdance fighting!"
Save the Last Dance (Movie. 2001)[citation needed]
Days Go By by Dirty Vegas (Music Video. 2002): The music video tells the story of a man who returns to the same spot every year to breakdance in the hopes that the girl who left him will return.
Pro-Test by Skinny Puppy (Music Video. 2004): Features B-Boys breakdancing on a sidewalk in Los Angeles, when a group of Goths show up to the B-Boys ridicule. At this point a battle breaks out between the B-Boys and the goths with the goths winning out in the end. The video also features Krumping.
You Got Served (Movie. 2004): The film centers on street dancing, where two inner-city dancers (played by Omarion Grandberry and Marques Houston), along with their crew, compete in a tournament to regain pride and money lost in a hasty bet. Though marred by mediocre acting and story plot, the film was praised for high-level choreography, and featured world-class breakdancers from California. The movie also popularized the slang term "served."
South Park - You Got F'd in the A (Television series. 2004): This episode features a parody to the plot seen in You Got Served.
Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers (Music Video. 2005): features three young boys who sneak out of their homes late at night wearing clown makeup and then sneak into a dance club for a break dance competition focuses heavily on Krump the song mixes Hip-hop and Electronica elements.
B-boy (videogame) (2006): a console game which aims at an unadulterated depiction of breakdancing[5]
Break (Mini Series 2006) The Korean mini series featured well known singers and dancers including Poppin' Nam Hyun Joon that brings people of all backgrounds into a breakdancing competition.
Over the Rainbow (Drama series 2006) centers on a different characters who are brought together by breakdancing as they all try to aim for fame. This series includes many popular Korean stars including Fany of Fly to the Sky and also guest stars many Korean bboys including the 2005 BOTY champions, Last for One's Zero-nine.
Energy Drink Energzen Commercial (2006) A Korean commercial featuring Bboy Bruce Lee from the 2004 BOTY champions Gambler.
Canon in D Korean video clip (2006) features a famous DJ (DJ Chang Eue), beatboxer (Eun Jun), and three members of the 2005 BOTY champions, Last for One in two different versions.
South Korea vs North Korea Breakdancing video clip (2005) depicts the separation of these two nations and the will for reunification through bboying. Ths video clip includes world famous breakdancers Bboy Ducky (Drifterz). Bboy Trickx (Drifterz), Bboy Phyicx (Rivers), and Hong10 (Drifterz).
World famous Korean crews including Gambler Crew, Rivers Crew, Extreme (Obowang) Crew, Drifterz Crew and more have participated in creating breakdancing tutorial clips shown on television and online to help instruct the new generation of aspiring bboys.
In addition, members of the boy band Shinhwa including Minwoo and Junjin have participated in teaching their own breakdancing skills to their fans.
The 2002 BOTY champions, Expression Crew, the 2004 BOTY champions, Gambler Crew, and the 2005 BOTY champions, Last for One along with many other well known crews have created schools for aspiring breakdancers and advertisement in Korea has been profound as they have recruited hundreds of students from around their country.
Korean singers have been known for incorporating breakdancing moves into their choreographies, music videos and performances. The list of such singers include:
Se7en (singer) in his music videos and performances including "Passion", "Crazy", "I Know", and more.
BoA in her 2005 "Girls on Top" performance at the M.Net 2005 Music Awards.
Rain in his music videos and performances "It's Raining", "Bad Guy", "I'm Coming", and more.
Group Big Bang in their music videos and performances "V.I.P", "We Belong Together", "My Girl", and more.
YG Family in their 2003 music video "Get Ready."
Group 1TYM in ther music videos and performances including "1TYM", "Ready or Not", "Nasty", "Hot" and more.
Group Jinusean in their music videos and performances "Gasoline"m "A-Yo", and more.
Boy band Battle in their music video "Crash."
Korean popstar, Hyori's music video "Anymotion" featuring Eric of Shinhwa shows scenes of breakdancing
Boy Band Shinhwa in their music videos and performances including "Yo!", "Only One", "All Your Dreams", "Wild Eyes", "Brand New", and more.
Jang Woo Hyuk in his music videos "Flip Reverse", "The Sun That Never Sets", "Pump Flow" and more.
Boy band TVXQ in their music videos and performances including "Rising Sun" and "O."
Minwoo in his music videos and performances including "Bump!!" as both a soloist and a member of Shinhwa.
Pump It Up is a Korean game that requires physical movement of the feet. The game is open for breakdancing and many people have accomplished this feat by memorizing the steps and creating dance moves to hit the arrows on time. See World Pump Freestyle (WPF) videos.
In 2005, the widow of Gene gave permission to Volkswagen as part of their Volkswagen Golf GTi promotion, to use Gene Kelly's likeness. However, despite Mrs. Kelly's urging, the German auto maker refused to show the commercial in the U.S.. The television clip featured a partly CGI version of Kelly breakdancing to a new version of "Singin' in the Rain", remixed by Mint Royale. The tagline was, "The original, updated."
2006, outside of the large shopping mall at Dongdaemun in Seoul, South Korea, a number of bboys gathered to promote a new mp3 product during the peak of shopping hours successfully gathering lots of attention.
In later installments of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, Sonic is known to breakdance as a form of celebration, or even as attack moves in some situations.
In the game Super Smash Bros. Melee for Nintendo GameCube, some characters use breakdancing moves for their downward smash attack.
In the novel Kid B by Linden Dalecki, published on Houghton Mifflin (2006). The first, and currently only, novel set in the world of b-boying.
Controversy
Though recreational, the dance is not without its heated debates.
With the name
Some practitioners contest the usage of label "breaker" or "breakdancer" to describe "one who breakdances," preferring to be called b-boys or b-girls. These dancers claimed that the term "breakdance" was overused or had been created by the media as a marketing device.[citation needed]
Style vs. technique
Multiple stereotypes have emerged in the breakdancing community over the give-and-take relationship between technical footwork and physical prowess. Those who focus on dance steps and fundamental sharpness—but lack upper-body brawn, form, discipline, etc.—are labeled as "style-heads" and specialists of more gymnastics-oriented technique and form—at the cost of charisma and coordinated footwork—are known as "power-heads." Such terms are used colloquially often to classify one's skill, however, the subject has been known to disrupt competitive events where judges tend to favor a certain array of techniques.
Gang association
It has often been stated that breakdancing replaced fighting between street gangs, though some believe it a misconception that b-boying ever played a part in mediating gang rivalry. These gang roots made breakdancing itself seem controversial in its early history.
Internet e-boys
In contrast to subcultural forums, there are Internet b-boys, also known as wannabe-boys, e-boys' or Otaku b-boys in Japan. These individuals are particularly self-taught, learning moves seen in video clips, read in instructional text or otherwise acquired from online sources. Some argue against this antisocial behavior, while others defend self-tutoring for the lack of instructors or social circles that can provide the necessary directions needed for learning. Certain e-boys are also known to spend too much time on the Internet criticizing other dancers and video clips instead of practicing or attending events. B-boys and B-girls are a minority in many countries so, many e-boys would participate but find it hard to find other similary minded people. With the increasing popularity of breakdancing a growing number of e-boys will probably become b-boys.
Breakdancers of some groups look down upon e-boys as "not having their heart in hip-hop," a subculture based around much social bonding and skill development. They are the ones who entertain.
