Dance Style
Street dance culture born in the Bronx — the foundation of modern urban dance.
Hip Hop is actually the collective word for four elements: rapping (MCing), breakdancing (B-boying), DJing, and graffiti art. Together these form a complete culture that has influenced fashion, music, and art worldwide. Hip Hop started in The Bronx in New York around the mid-1970s. In the ghettos, a large movement developed that had rhythm and beats in common. There were new dance movements, rappers started performing, and an art form in the form of graffiti emerged. The most accepted birthday of hip hop is November 12, 1974.
Rapping is saying something to the rhythm of the music. Often rhyming is used to make it flow smoothly. Rapping is mostly about what happens around you. If you're in love, you rap about that. If you are injustice, you rap about that.
Breakdance is a style where you combine dancing with acrobatics. The origin comes from African martial arts. A group from New York called the B-Boys made it very popular. Key moves include the freeze, airflare, headspin, windmill, and float.
A DJ originally was someone who cut and scratched records to make unique sounds. Graffiti originated in the early 70s as young people in New York wanted to express themselves writing texts on walls, buses, and in the subways with bright colors and graceful lettering.