Street Dance

With the advent of The Big Band era radio presenters would play popular songs on vinyl 33rpm and 45rpm records.

DJs then moved into night clubs and the Disco Dance trend began.

The first Disco Club opened in the 1950s in Paris and was called the Peppermint Lounge.  By the 1960s the Twist was the latest trend and 15 years later Van McCoy hit the disco scene with the Hustle, followed by Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta.

Since then there have been many social dance trends and the umbrella term 'Street Dance' covers many different styles.

In 1976, the Bronx, New York City, saw the start of Hip-hop as a cultural movement, mostly among the African-American and Latino population.

During the early 1980s, certain aspects of this culture – the clothes, language and music – began spreading into the mainstream population of the USA and by the 1990s,      hip-hop culture had spread throughout the world. 

The various factors that have since influenced hip-hop culture are complex and numerous. New styles come from everywhere. People take moves from martial arts, reggae, locking and even 70s soul train steps. Even now, classic hip-hop moves have been fused with other dance styles to provide a more complete and vast range of dance material to choose from.

Hip-hop as a movement has many different influences on street dance in terms of its background, style and type of clothing.  Unlike most other forms of dance, which are often at least moderately structured, hip-hop dance has few (if any) limitations on positions or steps.

Break-dancing, also known as b-boying or b-girling, is a dynamic style of dance. The term “break-dancer” originates from the dancers at DJ Kool Herc’s parties, who saved their best dance moves for the break section of the song. Breaking is one of the major elements of hip-hop culture.

Top Rocking obtained it's name from some of the earliest b-boy pioneers as it was done upright.  The structure and form of top rocking has infused dance forms and influences from Brooklyn uprocking, tap, Lindy hop, James Brown’s Good Foot, salsa, Afro-Cuban and various African and Native American dances.

Footwork and Freezes came about as a result of the highly competitive nature of these dances.  It wasn’t long before top rockers extended their repertoire to the ground with footwork and freezes. For instance, one dancer might start top rocking, then drop to the ground, suddenly going into leg shuffles, then a freeze, before coming to his feet. His opponent might have to do twice as much floorwork or a better freeze to win the battle.

The transition between top and floor rocking became known as the drop - the smoother the drop, the better.

Locking originated in Los Angeles on the west coast, where another cultural movement was taking place during the 1970s, nourished by soul, R&B and funk music at outdoor functions and discos.

Don Campbell, trying to imitate a dance called the funky chicken, added an effect of locking the joints of his arms and body, which became known as his signature dance. The lock is a specific movement that glues together combinations of steps and moves, similar to a freeze or a sudden pause.

Popping was originally a term used to describe a sudden muscle contraction executed with the triceps, forearms, neck, chest and legs. These contractions accentuated the dancer’s movement, causing a quick, jolting effect.

New school hip-hop originated around 1986. It is a form of hip-hop dance that has different moves from breaking. These moves originated as hip-hop music evolved. Old school music had fast beats that matched breaking moves. As the music changed, people realized that breaking did not fit with the new school style of music.

Unfortunately, we no longer provide Street classes, but if you are looking for a class, either for yourself or your child, take the time to check that the teachers are fully qualified and keep searching until you find the right one for you.