Breakdance, breaking, b-boying is a street dance style that evolved as part of the Break movement among African American and Puerto Rican youths in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. It is normally danced to electro or Break music, often remixed to prolong the breaks, and is a well-known Break dance style. Breakdancing involves the elements of toprock, downrock, freezes, and power moves. A breakdancer, breaker, b-boy or b-girl refers to a person who practices breakdancing.

Breakdancing may have begun as a building, productive, and a constructive youth culture alternative to the violence of urban street gangs. Today, breakdancing culture is a discipline somewhere between those of dancers and athletes. Since acceptance and involvement centers on dance abilities, breakdancing culture is often free of the common race and gender boundaries of a subculture and has been accepted worldwide.

Contents 1 'B-boying' and 'breaking' vs. 'breakdancing' 2 Origins: From street to dance 3 Dance techniques 3.1 Music 3.2 Fashion 3.3 Stage shows 3.4 Media exposure 4 Gender inequality 5 Battles 6 Crews 7 Controversy 8 Pop-culture references 8.1 Music videos 8.2 Films and television shows 8.3 Video games 8.4 Other media 9 Notes 10 References

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'B-boying' and 'breaking' vs. 'breakdancing'

What is popularly known as breakdancing is referred to as “b-boying” and “breaking” by the majority of the art form’s pioneers and most notable practitioners, as well as by many of Hip-Hop’s most prominent figures.

“B-boying” and “breaking” are the terms used throughout QD3 Entertainment’s documentary The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy. KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and DMC of Run-DMC refer to it as “breaking”[2], Michael Holman and Fab 5 Freddy refer to it as “b-boying”[2], and Jo Jo of Rock Steady Crew uses “breaking” and “b-boying”[2]. The terms 'b-boys' and 'breakers' are used to describe the actual dancers - B-Boy London of New York City Breakers and Michael Holman refer to “breakers”[2], Frosty Freeze of Rock Steady Crew says, “we were known as b-boys”[2], Afrika Bambaataa says, “b-boys, what you call break boys… or b-girls, what you call break girls”[2], and Jo Jo and Mr. Freeze of Rock Steady Crew and Fab 5 Freddy use the term “b-boy”[2].

The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy explains how the term ‘breakdancing’ was a term coined by the media and is not the term used by the actual dancers[2] - Crazy Legs of Rock Steady Crew says, “when I first learned about the dance in ’77 it was called b-boying… by the time the media got a hold of it in like ’81, ’82, it became ‘breakdancing’ and I even got caught up calling it breakdancing too”[2], and Action of New York City Breakers says, “you know what, that’s our fault kind of… we started dancing and going on tours and all that and people would say, oh you guys are breakdancers - we never corrected them”[2]. Jo Jo of Rock Steady Crew adds - “b-boy… that’s what it is, that’s why when the public changed it to ‘breakdancing’ they were just giving a professional name to it, but b-boy was the original name for it and whoever wants to keep it real would keep calling it b-boy”[2].

The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy presents two versions of why the ‘b’ stands for ‘break’[2]. The first is that it comes from the ‘breaks’ on the record - Mr. Freeze of Rock Steady Crew says, “the break of the record… ‘b’… break, we are the b-boys”[2], and Mr. Wiggles of Rock Steady Crew and Electric Boogaloos says, “the DJs used to cut breaks, and the b-boys would break to what? The breaks. So you know, it’s just common sense”[2]. Alternatively, it is said to come from the street slang of the term break and breaking – Grand Mixer DXT says, “breaking boys - because people would be breaking at the party, starting trouble… when somebody would get mad - yo he’s breaking, stop breaking man, and when Kool Herc says it, it’s official”[2], and DJ Kool Herc himself (billed as ‘The Father Of Hip-Hop’ in the documentary) says, “b-boy – boys that break, it didn’t come from breaks on the record, it comes from… this man he ‘broke’, he went to a point, a breaking point… we just used that exaggeration of that term to the dancing – the b-boys, break boys”[2].

Origins: From street to dance

Breaking became popular in the Western world when street corner disc jockeys would take the rhythmic breakdown sections (or "breaks") of dance records and string them together with many elements of the melody. This provided a raw rhythmic base for improvising and further mixing, and it allowed dancers to display their skills during the break.

Breakdancing, in its organized fashion seen today, may have begun as a method for rival gangs of the ghetto to mediate and settle territorial disputes.[3] 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.

Michael Jackson's televised performance of the robot dance in 1974 displayed elements of the breakdance subculture to a wide audience and helped spark its popularity. Meanwhile, dance teams such as the Rock Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers, changed the dance into a pop-culture phenomenon receiving a large amount of media attention. In the 1980s, parties, disco clubs, talent shows, and other public events became typical locations for breakdancers. Though its intense popularity eventually faded in the mid-1980s, in the following decades breakdancing became an accepted dance style portrayed in commercials, movies, and the media. Instruction in breakdancing techniques is even available at dance studios where hip-hop dancing is taught. Some large annual breakdancing competitions of the 2000s include the Battle of the Year or the Red Bull BC One.

Shortly after groups such as the Rock Steady Crew came to Japan, breakdancing within Japan began to flourish. Each Sunday performers would breakdance in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park. One of the first and most influential Japanese breakdancers was Crazy-A, who is now the leader of the Tokyo Rock Steady Crew.[4] He also organizes the yearly B-Boy Park which draws upwards of 10,000 fans a year and attempts to expose a wider audience to the culture.[5]

Dance techniques

There are four basic elements that form the foundation of breakdance. These are toprock, downrock (also known as footwork), power moves, and freezes.

Toprock refers to any string of steps performed from a standing position, relying upon a mixture of coordination, flexibility, style, and 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. Perhaps the most basic toprock is the Indian Step, but toprock is very eclectic and can draw upon many other dance styles. Though commonly associated with popping and locking (two elements of the funk styles that evolved independently in California during the late 1960s) breakdancing is often considered distinct from popping and locking, as its moves require a greater sense of athleticism, as opposed to the contortion of limbs seen in pop-and-lock. Breakdancers who wish to widen their expressive range, however, may dabble in all types of Break dance.

In contrast, downrock includes all footwork performed on the floor as in 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 are actions that require momentum and physical power to execute. In power moves, the breakdancer relies more on upper body strength to dance, and is usually on his or her hands during moves. Power moves include the windmill, swipe, and flare. Power moves are very physically demanding and a great display of upper body strength and stamina. Several moves are borrowed from gymnastics, such as the flare, and martial arts, with impressive acrobatics such as the butterfly kick.

Breakdance sets usually end with freezes that 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. Alternatively, suicides can also signal the 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.

Music

As the clichéd quote "break to the beat" points out, rhythmic music is an essential ingredient for breakdancing. The original songs that popularized the dance form borrow significantly from progressive genres of jazz, soul, funk, electro, disco, and R&B.[6] 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.[6] 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. Some b-boys, such as Pierre, even extend it to rock music.

Fashion

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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

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.

Other breakdancers style their pants by cuttting off or rolling up one pant leg. Bucket hats are also popular.

Stage shows

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 breakdancing musical is "Marionette" performed, created and choreographed by Korean breakdancing crew "Expression Crew". Many entertainers have incorporated breakdance moves into their stage performance, ranging from professional wrestler Booker T to Korean singer Se7en.

Media exposure

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.[citation needed] 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 and Break culture have also been the subject of documentaries such as The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy and Style Wars.

Gender inequality

As in its musical counterpart, rap music, males are generally seen as the predominant gender within b-boying. However, this belief is being challenged by the rapidly increasing number of b-girls in the world today. Like most aspects of Break, including the three other major components graffiti, emceeing and turntabalism, women are overall seen as having less influence than men. Relatively speaking the women are seen as outsiders to the groups. It is interesting to note that if there is a group with a majority of males and a minority of females, the crew will still be referred to as b-boys. However, if there is a majority of females and a minority of males, the group will normally not be known as a crew of b-girls. This simple concept of naming certain groups, feminists argue, is proof of the gender inequalities within the break dancing world.[7]

Critics argue that it is unfair to make a sweeping generalization about these inequalities because women have begun to play a larger role in the break-dancing scene[8][9][10]. Despite the increasing number of female break dancers, another possible barrier is lack of promotion. As Andrea Parker a.k.a. Firefly, a full-time break dancer, says, "'It's getting more popular. There are a lot more girls involved. The problem is that promoters are not putting on enough female-only battles.'"[11]

Issues such as these have been addressed more and more in recent years by such groups as We-B-Girls, who seek to "influence and inspire leadership to change the perceptions and roles of women in hip-hop for current and future generations."[12] As well, more people are seeking to change the traditional image of females in hip-hop culture (and by extension, break-dancing culture) to a more positive, empowered role in the modern Break scene.[13][14][15]

However, this argument is deemed nonsensical by its detractors[who?]; is it stated that "the floor does not discriminate against anyone"[citation needed]. The lower exposure of female dancers is probably caused not by any conscious discrimination, but simply by there being fewer female break dancers. Since there are no women division as in "official" sports, they have to compete with men on equal terms. In any "Bboy" Battles, if it is a one-on-one competition or maybe a battle between crews, B-girls attend the event as equals to the B-Boys. They compete against the B-boys and as members of crews alongside B-boys, and all female B-girl crews battle against other crews with no negative discrimination. The term "B-girling" is as acceptable as the term B-boying and the only reason the masculine form is used more often is simply because of a lack of a gender-even term. Other than the terminology, both males and femles practice this art together.[original research?]

Battles

Battles are an integral part of the b-boying culture. They can take the form of a cypher battle and an organized battle. Both types of battles are head to head confrontations between individuals or groups of dancers who try to out-dance each other.

The cypher (or the circle) is the name given to a circle of b-boys and/or b-girls who take turns dancing in the center. There are no judges (other than the participants of the cypher itself), concrete rules or restrictions in the cypher, only unsaid traditions. Although people aren't always battling each other in the cypher, there are many times when battles do take place. B-boying began in the cypher and only later did organized competition develop. This type of battle is how b-boying was originally and it is often more confrontational and more personal. The battle goes on until it ends for one of many possible reasons, such as one dancer admitting defeat. Cypher culture is more present in communities with a stronger emphasis and understanding of original, true Break culture. Battling in the cypher is also a common way for dancers to settle issues between each other whether it be individuals or crews.

Organized battles, however, set a format for the battle, such as a time limit, or specify a limit for the number of dancers that can represent each side. Organized battles also have judges, who are usually chosen based on years of experience, level of deeper cultural knowledge, contribution to the scene and general ability to judge in an unbiased manner. There are however, times when non b-boys or non b-girls are chosen to judge by some organizers, and these type of events (jams) are often looked down upon by the b-boying community. Organized battles are far more publicized and known to the mainstream community, and include famous international-level competitions such as Battle of the Year, UK B-Boy Championships Redbull BC One, Freestyle Session and R16 Korea. It should be noted however that a view exists that a trend in recent years has been to place an over-emphasis on organized battles, which takes away from a more originality-based aspect of the culture that is often more emphasized in cypher culture.[16]

Crews

A crew is a group of two or more b-boys or b-girls who choose to dance together for whatever purpose, either simultaneously or separately. Crew vs Crew battles are common in breakdancing. Many B-boys and B-Girls are part of a crew, which makes many feel more dedicated to breakdancing. A few of the most well known crews are the New York City Breakers, Rock Steady Crew, Last For One, Super Cr3w, Gamblerz, Ichigeki, Turn Phrase Crew,Sick n' Slick, Rivers, Flying Steps, and most recently Quest Crew.

Many b-girl crews often find themselves competing or trying to prove their legitimacy and passion for this specific type of dancing. Anonamiss is an all female b-girl crew, based in Christchurch, New Zealand, known for incorporating b-girling moves with Samoa siva dance inspired moves.[17]

Controversy

Though recreational, the dance is not without its heated debates. Some practitioners state the original terms b-boying or breaking are better names for the dance as breakdance was supposedly created by the media as a marketing device[who?]. As such, the term breakdance is said to lack the depth and history of the older terms and are today looked down by some who consider its use as an evidence of ignorance and disrespect to the history of the dance style itself.[weasel words]

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. 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.

Uprocking as a dance style of its own never gained the same widespread popularity as breakdance, except for some very specific moves adopted by breakers who use it as a variation for their toprock. When used in a breakdance battle, opponents often respond by performing similar uprock moves, supposedly creating a short uprock battle. Some dancers argue that because uprocking was originally a separate dance style it should never be mixed with breakdancing, and that the uprock moves performed by breakers today are not the original moves but poor imitations that only shows a small part of the original uprock style.

Pop-culture references

Music videos

Buffalo Gals (Malcolm McLaren music video. 1982): The first breakdancing video on MTV, that brought Break to the mainstream, most noticeably in Europe. 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.

Canon in D Korean video clip (2006) features a famous DJ (DJ Chang Eue), beatboxer (Eun Jun), and two members, Bboy Joe and Bboy Zero-Nine 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. This video clip includes world famous breakdancers Bboy Ducky (Drifterz). Bboy Trickx (Drifterz), Bboy Physicx (Rivers), and Hong10 (Drifterz). 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 b-boys.

Korean singers have been known for incorporating breakdancing moves into their choreographies, music videos and performances, including Se7en, Big Bang, BoA, Rain, and Minwoo. In 2004, the Pro-Test video by Skinny Puppy depicted B-Boys breakdancing on a sidewalk in Los Angeles, who ridicule a group of goths, which leads to a dispute. The video also depicts krumping, a street dance which originated in LA, which is characterized by free, expressive, and highly energetic moves.

Films and television shows

In 2007-2008 MTV created America's Best Dance Crew featuring street dance crews from the United States. Super Cr3w (Season 2), and Quest Crew (Season 3) were declared winners and have all won the $100,000 (USD) prize during their respective season. In the early 1980s, several films depicted breakdancers, including Wild Style! (1982) and Flashdance (1983), which showed the Rock Steady Crew. The 1983 PBS documentary Style Wars by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant 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. Several 1984 movies focused on the dance, including Breakin'; Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo; Delivery Boys, a comedy about a gang of boys under the Brooklyn Bridge who are united by their common interest in breakdancing; Kruch Groove and Beat Street. In the 1994 Australian documentary Sprayed Conflict, by Robert Moller, Australian graffiti artist and future Melbourne Extreme Games breakdance winner Duel performed breakdancing.

The 2001 comedy film Zoolander depicts Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) performing breakdancing moves on a catwalk. The acclaimed documentary film The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy (2002) provides a comprehensive history of b-boying, its evolution and its place within hip-hop culture and beyond. Break is a 2006 mini series from Korea about a breakdancing competition. Over the Rainbow (Drama series 2006) centers on a different characters who are brought together by breakdancing. The character Mugen on the anime TV series Samurai Champloo uses a fighting style that is based on breakdancing. The 2007 film Transformers includes a robot character named Jazz who performs a "1990" (breakdance move) as it transform into its robotic form. Planet B-Boy (2007) brings contemporary b-boying alive as it follows crews from around the world in their quest for a world championship at Battle of the Year 2005. The award-winning documentary Inside the Circle (2007) goes deep into the personal stories of three talented b-boys (Omar Davila, Josh "Milky" Ayers and Romeo Navarro) and their struggle to keep dance at the center of their lives.

Video games

Breakdance was an 8-bit computer game by Epyx released in 1984, at the height of breakdancing's popularity.

Bust A Groove (Video game franchise. 1998): The two games series by 989 Studios which spanned comprises 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 Capoeira use respectively house and (obviously) Capoeira martial arts.

B-boy (videogame) (2006) is a console game which aims at an unadulterated depiction of breakdancing.[18] 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.

Developed by Freestyle Games, B-Boy allows you to battle through authentic Hip-Hop break-dancing culture, challenging the world's best B-Boys on the world's greatest B-Boy stages - and hopefully take home an in-game adidas sponsorship along the way.

Some characters in the Tekken series, notably Eddy Gordo and Christie Monteiro, specialize in capoeira, resulting in a fighting style similar to breakdancing.

Other media

In 1997, Korea, Kim Soo Yong began serialization of the first breakdancing themed comic, Break. The comic sold over 1.5 million books and it helped to introduce hip-hop and breakdancing culture to Korean youth. 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.

In 2005, a Volkswagen Golf GTi commercial 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."

Notes

References

• David Toop (1991). Rap Attack 2: African Rap To Global Break, p.113-115. New York. New York: Serpent's Tail. ISBN 1-85242-243-2.
• The Freshest Kids: A History of the B-Boy (DVD) 2002 by Image Entertainment.

 

Break dance refers to dance styles, mainly street dance styles, primarily danced to Break music, or that have evolved as a part of the Break culture Afrika Babaataa was the first person to use the term "hip-hop" By its widest definition, it can include a wide range of styles such as breaking, popping, locking, and even house dance. It can also include the many styles simply labelled as Break, old school Break (or hype), Break new style and freestyle.Although, "Break" and "dance" should be classified as unrelated as was stated by legendary "Breakper" Ice Cube, "Gangster's don't dance, we boogie.".

Contents 1 History and classification 2 Competitions 3 Famous Dance Studios 4 External links

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History and classification

The dance style primarily associated with Break as breaking, which appeared in New York City during the early 1970s and truly became a cornerstone (or "element") of Break as a culture. Funk styles, such as popping and locking, evolved separately in California in the 1960-70s, but were also integrated into Break when the culture reached the West Coast of the United States.

Though breaking and the original funk styles look quite different stylistically, they share many surrounding elements, such as their improvisational nature, the music they are danced to and the way they originated from the streets, mainly within African American and Hispanic communities. These similarities helped bring them, and other street dance styles, together under the same sub-culture, and help to keep them alive and evolving today. Yet, this has not been without problems, often involving the media, such as when the movie Breakin' put all various styles under the label "breakdance", causing a great naming confusion that spawned many heated debates.

In the late 1980s, as Break music took whole new forms and the Break subculture established further, new dance styles began appearing. Most of them were danced in an upright manner in contrast to breaking with its many ground moves, and were in the beginning light-footed with lots of jumping. Some moves hit the mainstream and became fad dances, such as The Running Man, but overall they contributed a lot to later Break styles, and heavily influenced the development of house dancing.

During the 1990s and 2000s, parallel with the evolution of Break music, Break dancing evolved into heavier and more aggressive forms. While breaking continued to be popular on its own, these newer styles were danced upright, and draw much inspiration from earlier upright styles. Classifying these newer Break styles as a unique dance style of its own has grown common with larger street dance competitions such as Juste Debout, which includes Break new style as a separate category for people to compete in. Today, we see many specific styles that first appeared on their own, such as krumping and clown walking, now being danced and accepted within Break new style contexts.

All Break styles from the 1980s and beyond are sometimes collectively called new school while the distinct styles from the 1960-70s, such as breaking, uprocking, locking and popping, are considered old school. However, this classification is controversial, and often old school Break (or, in some areas, hype) is used solely for the late 1980s upright and jumpy Break styles, excluding locking, popping and breaking, and new style Break for the heavier Break styles of today. Break and break dance soon became popular among Asia. Today Break is well known all over the world and despite cultural differences among the Break dancers they all follow the same moves.

Competitions

There are many Break dance competitions around the world today, some allowing all styles to enter while others focus on more specific styles.

The World Break Championships in America is a large international competition for Break dance featuring the worlds most recognised dance crews and nations. Battle of the Year, the UK Bboy Championships and Juste Debout remain the choice for specific forms.

Juste Debout is a large, international and annual street dance competition held in Paris, which includes Break new style, popping, locking, house, and experimental as competition categories. Breaking is not included to put more focus on the upright Break and street dance styles.

The International Dance Organization (IDO) holds many competitions every year. The most important of them are the European Street dance Championships (which were held in Espoo, Finland this year and which will be held in Graz, Austria in 2007) and the World Championships which are held in Bremen, Germany each year.

In the UK Break Crew Championships is a recognised event, and so are others such as the Gforce Productions StreetDance Weekend and JumpOff.

Famous Dance Studios

Dance Studios around the world famous for their Break dancing include Millenium (LA), Debbie Reynolds (LA), Braodway Centre (New York), Pinapple Studios (London), Sunshine Studios (Manchester), The Vibe - The Internatinal Hiphop Dance Center (Oslo, Norway) and Ones to Watch (Japan & Hong Kong), DREAM Dance Studio (Vancouver, Canada). In these studios you will find choreographers and dancers who have worked with many of the entertainment industries biggest stars.