Breakdancing Basics: A Guide to Breaking’s History and Moves

Breakdancing—more commonly called breaking, b-boying, or b-girling—is a style of street dance that is athletic, energetic, and improvisational. It’s composed of a few elements: toprock, drops, downrock, power moves, and freezes. Breaking is highly competitive and “break battles” are a popular part of the culture. It is most often set to hip-hop music but can be performed to any track with a strong, steady beat. Related dance forms include capoeira and uprock.

Although the word “breakdance” is widely used in pop culture, it is often considered incorrect and sometimes offensive, as it was invented in the 1980s when breakdance came into the public consciousness. In addition, “breakdancing” is also sometimes used to refer to other unrelated moves, including popping and locking, which rose to prominence around the same time in Los Angeles.

The birth of breaking is usually attributed to hip-hop pioneer DJ Kool Herc, who in the early 1970s birthed the genre by “breaks”—the percussive and bass-heavy sections of classic funk and soul songs, including those by James Brown. Dancers were especially energetic during these breaks, so Kool Herc began encouraging the b-boys during performances, talking to them over the mic as he looped the percussion breaks.

By the late 1970s, breakdance was a full-fledged part of hip-hop culture in New York City, especially in the Bronx and Manhattan and among Black and Puerto Rican youth. In 1977, several breakers came together to form Rock Steady Crew; original members included Richard “Crazy Legs” Colón, Kenneth “Ken Swift” Gabbert, and Santiago “JoJo” Torres.

In the early 1980s, breaking was propelled into the mainstream spotlight when the Rock Steady Crew featured in a number of movies, including Flashdance, Wild Style, and Breakin’. Breaking then exploded in popularity across the globe, both as an art form and a sport. Today, large breaking communities exist across the globe, from Paris, France to Tokyo, Japan. A number of countries host annual international breaking competitions and breaking is set to debut at the Olympics in 2024.

There are five foundational elements of a breakdance set:

1. 1. Toprock: These are steps that are performed while standing. Many breakdancers begin with toprock moves before transitioning into other elements, then intersperse transitions throughout the set to give a visual break between standing, footwork, and floorwork.
2. 2. Downrock: These are steps that are performed on the ground, usually with the breaker supporting themselves by their hands or feet. One of the most foundational downrock moves is called the six-step, in which the breakers support themselves with their arms and work their feet in a basic sequence that propels them in a circle.
3. 3. Drops: Drops are transitions between toprock and downrock. Breakers can be as simple or as creative as they want with their drops—b-boys and b-girls can drop their body to the floor, or incorporate unique visual elements or moves.
4. 4. Power moves: These gymnastic and martial arts-inspired acrobatic moves rely on athleticism and momentum. Foundational power moves include the windmill, swipe, flare, backspin, and headspin.
5. 5. Freezes: These are poses that the breaker holds for multiple beats, which require balance and strength. Freezes are most often incorporated during strong beats in the music or to mark the end of a set.
   

Breaking is a highly competitive style of dance and sport featured in a number of regular competitions:

• Battle of the Year (BOTY): The biggest international breaking competition is held every year in Germany.
• Chelles Battle Pro: An annual breaking competition held in Chelles, France.
• Red Bull BC One: A yearly competition that brings the top 16 breakers in the world together to compete.
• R16 Korea: A breaking competition held in South Korea every year.
• Youth Olympics: In 2018, breaking was officially inducted as a part of the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, marking the first time that breaking had been featured in an Olympic competition.
• 2024 Summer Olympics: In late 2020, the International Olympic Committee greenlit breaking as an Olympic sport. It will debut at the 2024 games in Paris, France.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Usher, Misty Copeland, Alicia Keys, St. Vincent, and more.