According to the dictionary, breakdancing, also known as b-boying and breaking, is a style of acrobatic dancing characterized by intricate footwork, spinning headstands, tumbling and more. It's the most popular form of hip-hop dancing.
Breaking originated in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the South Bronx by African American and Latino youth.
James Brown is noted as the 'Godfather' of breaking with his unique dance style. His hit "Get on the Good Foot" created a dance called the 'Good Foot' which soon was renamed the 'B-Boy'.
Kung fu also had its influence in breaking with moves like the "headspin" and the "windmill". B-boys watched and imitated the physical abilities of the kung-fu actors.
DJ Kool Herc gave dancers the chance to break battle as rappers would do when rap battling. Herc was interested in the break section of the song where the vocal would stop and the beat itself would play for a short period.
Flashdance was the first major movie to feature breaking. Afterward, breaking continued to star in hit movies such as Breakin, Breakin 2 and Beat Street.
Beat Street made a great impact because of its battle scene between Rock Steady Crew and New York City Breakers.
Breakdancing has grown from a trend to its own worldwide culture.
In 1990, a series of international b-boying competitions known as Battle of the Year began. It's grown as the biggest b-boying competition in the world, often referred to as the 'world cup of breakdancing'.
The best crews go through a series of competition for the ultimate prize.
The 2014 finalists include crews from Africa, Greece, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. The grand finale competition will be held Oct. 18, 2014 in Germany.
Although breaking originated in New York, media coverage mistreated the culture of breaking causing for its popularity to die down. People had a sense that it was only a fad.
Founder of Nuu Elementz, Lance (@JetLifeLidz) believes that people aren't interested in break beats anymore.
"Once its been capitalized and companies figure out they can profit from it, the whole culture gets exploited," he explains.
"The elements of hip-hop that usually don't sell well are pushed to the side," described Frank (@MrPresident522A)
However a few years later, breaking came back with a new generation of Puerto Rican b-boys who put new life into breaking taking it to the next level.
The culture resurfaced with the support of b-boys who never quit.
Breakdance teams like Quest Crew from Los Angeles were declared winners of the third season of America's Best Dance Crew. They've made appearances on So You Think You Can Dance and is currently helping with choreography for artists like LMFAO.
"Tony Hawke Skating Pro had hip-hop and breakdancing all throughout the game," says Rob (
Now a day, b-boy events such as Bboy Summit and Rock Steady Anniversary are organized every year.
The Bboy Summit encompasses knowledge of the history of Hip-Hop culture with the skills of b-boying and b-girling. The summit serves as a platform in which break dancers come together to dance and pay homage to the traditional dance of hip-hop.
Throughout the world are breakdancing societies at universities like Portland and United Kingdom. Lessons and trailings are offered as well as social events.
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