Name

Course

Professor

Date

Hip hop dance,

When it started

In 1970s, Latino and Black Americans established several styles, which include popping, locking and breaking (Chang 2). As such, hip hop danced started in 1970s in New York and California. The dance does not have a coordinated choreography as seen in other dances; it is a freestyle dance whose moves emerge while on stage. In 1970s, several dance styles were created, such as the funk style, breaking style and the up-rock styles (Chang 18). As such, these dances played a significant role in the emergence and the development of the hip-hop dance.

How it started

Hip hop dance evolved from the culture of hip-hop. The development and popularity of the popping, locking and breaking dance styles in the 1980s created an opportunity for the development of the hip-hop social dancing (Schloss 19). Such were evident in the television shows, such as Soul Train, which showcased the dance styles and crews in the early stages; hence, giving a mainstream exposure of the hip-hop dances. In response, the dance industry had a commercial show of the hip-hop dance version, which was considered as the “new style’ (Schloss 17). Since then, hip-hop is seen in both outdoor dance spaces and studio dances (Schloss 26). Further, commercialization of hip-hop occurred in 1990s and 2000s. Such was evidenced by the production of several movies and television shows, which include Step Up, The Grind, Rize, America’s Best Dance Crew and Planet B-Boy among others (Schloss 3). However, the dance has a stronger presence in the urban centers in comparison to the rural centers, which makes it associated with middle and upper class income earners. Such is because there is a rare practice of the dance in the rural areas.

Works Cited

Chang, Jeff. Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop. New York City: BasicCivitas, 2006.

Schloss, Joseph. Foundation: B-Boys, B-Girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York. New York City:

Oxford University Press, 2009.