An influence on toprock was uprock which was created in Brooklyn, New York. Breaking at this period was not primarily floor-oriented as seen today it started out as toprock which dancers perform while standing up. In its earliest form, it began as elaborations on James Brown's ' Good Foot' dance which debuted in 1972.

Breaking was created in The Bronx, New York in the early 1970s. These include uprock, breaking, and the funk styles. Hip-hop dance is a fusion dance genre with influences from older street dance styles created in the 1970s. It can also be a way to stay active in competitive dance and a way to make a living by dancing professionally. Hip-hop dance can be a form of entertainment or a hobby. Since being exposed, educational opportunities and corporate dance competitions such as World of Dance and Hip Hop International have helped maintain its presence worldwide. What distinguishes hip-hop from other forms of dance is that it is often 'freestyle' (improvisational) in nature and hip-hop dance crews often engage in freestyle dance competitions-colloquially referred to as 'battles'.įilms, television shows, and the Internet have contributed to introducing hip-hop dance outside the United States. Though the dance is established in entertainment, including mild representation in theater, it maintains a strong presence in urban neighborhoods which has led to the creation of street dance derivatives Memphis jookin, turfing, jerkin', and krump. The commercialization of hip-hop dance continued into the 1990s and 2000s with the production of several television shows and movies such as The Grind, Planet B-Boy, Rize, StreetDance 3D, America's Best Dance Crew, Saigon Electric, the Step Up film series, and The LXD, a web series. Because of this development, hip-hop dance is practiced in both dance studios and outdoor spaces.

Classically trained dancers developed these studio styles in order to create choreography from the hip-hop dances that were performed on the street. The dance industry responded with a commercial, studio-based version of hip-hop-sometimes called 'new style'-and a hip-hop influenced style of jazz dance called 'jazz-funk'. The television show Soul Train and the 1980s films Breakin', Beat Street, and Wild Style showcased these crews and dance styles in their early stages therefore, giving hip-hop dance mainstream exposure. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. Turntables – Hip hop music – Social dancing/Party dancing - African-American culture Memphis Jookin' – Turfing – Jerkin' – KrumpingĬommercial/New Style – Jazz-funk – Lyrical hip hop A b-boy performing in Turkey surrounded by a group of spectators.

Lyrical dance costumes children