Hip-hop dance is a melting pot of tap, jazz, modern movement, and traditional African dancing. Typically performed to hip-hop or rap music, it involves making fast-paced and rhythmic steps, spins, and hand motions. As you get ready to enroll your kids in hip-hop dance classes, here's what to know about this dance form's origins and evolution. 

History

Hip-hop dance got its start in the late 1960s on the East Coast. DJ Kool Herc, who moved to Brooklyn from Jamaica at the age of 12, started hosting and deejaying block parties. He observed that people would wait until instrumental parts of songs, known as "breaks," to showcase their complex and acrobatic moves. This became known as "breaking" or "break dancing," one of the earliest cornerstones of hip-hop dance.

During the same time period in Los Angeles, Don Campbell founded a dance group called The Lockers. He choreographed their trademark move, which entailed stopping in the middle of fast-paced movements. After briefly holding their bodies in place, they would resume rapid-fire motions. This became known as "locking" and quickly entered the repertoire of essential hip-hop dance techniques.

Boogaloo Sam, another West Coast dancer, pioneered hip-hop dancing with his Electric Boogaloo group. One of their signature moves involved rapidly contracting and releasing the muscles to make short, snappy movements. Known as "popping," this marked the birth of another characteristic hip-hop dance move.

Rise to Popularity 

East and West Coast hip-hop styles merged throughout the 1970s. During this decade, dancers met in basketball courts, clubs, and empty streets to engage in informal battles, showcasing their breaking, locking, and popping techniques and trying to show-up one another. 

Over time, this evolved into formal competitions, during which dancers displayed their talents and started developing loyal fans who cheered them on during the battles. During the 1980s, music videos rose to popularity, as did hip-hop music. Videos and concerts frequently featured hip-hop dancers, which helped popularize this dance form. 

Hip-Hop Today

To this day, hip-hop is still one of the most widely beloved styles of dance. In addition to featuring traditional breaking, popping, and locking, it may incorporate contemporary lyrical movements and frequently places an emphasis on improvisation. 

Dance studios throughout the nation now offer hip-hop dance classes as part of their regular programming. Taking these lessons allows kids and teenagers to express their creativity and interact with diverse peers, which are two of many reasons why this dance form remains popular today. 

If your children want to take hip-hop dance classes, enroll them in Forte Arts Center. This dance studio also offers instruction in tap, jazz, and ballet along with tumbling, cheer, and music lessons to kids throughout Morris and Channahon, IL. Call (815) 521-0744 to sign up your kids for programs, and visit the website to learn more about this dance school's upcoming schedule.