When you're a parent, finding fun, physical activities for your children is always a top priority. If your little one tends to get up and move when you play music, enrolling them in dance lessons at a hip hop dance studio is a great choice. If you're curious about the origins of this style of dance, here's a brief guide to review. 

Its Origins

Hip hop is a bouncing, rhythmic style of movement that's inspired greatly by hip-hop music. With deep roots in African American communities and culture, the rise of this style of dance originated in the 1960s and 1970s in New York. Young dancers in the Bronx and other boroughs connected with hip-hop DJs and unique beats played under rhythmic rap, and blended styles of movement from modern to tap and swing into an original art form that's continued to grow in popularity and evolve. 

Dance Studios

On nightclub dance floors and on bustling sidewalks, hip-hop dancers would go head-to-head, showing off their moves in what was deemed a dance "battle." Crews of dancers also bonded together to compete against other crews in a combination of freestyle movement and choreography. By the 1980s and 1980s, battles and dance competitions became national events and, in turn, east coast and west coast dance styles started to blend. 

Around this time, hip-hop dance studios began to emerge, teaching children and adults the beauty of this beat-focused movement. As an innately fun art form that values originality and freestyle movement, hip-hop dance studios have grown in popularity as not only great exercise, but as a way to gain confidence, rhythm, and express your uniqueness. 

Popular Forms

The three primary styles of hip hop dancing include breaking, popping, and locking. Breakdancing is incredibly acrobatic in nature and is focused on tricks and complicated floor work, such as headspins, power freezes, leg flares, slides, and posed handstands. 

Popping is focused on muscle contractions that create a unique, jerking effect. A dancer can create a robot-like persona that's visually eye-catching and fun to watch. Locking, which is often combined with popping, is all about locking into frozen positions, then moving quickly into another fresh and interesting pose. 

If you're looking for an inclusive, fun hip-hop dance studio that instills a sense of confidence in its students, Elite Dance Studio is the place to go. Based in the heart of Lindenhurst, NY, this local establishment has taught children across Long Island the beauty of movement for over 15 years. To schedule a tour of their facilities, call today at (631) 450-4740. For more information on their professional instructors and myriad dance classes to suit beginners and advanced dancers, visit their website.