Break-Dance Culture - B-Boying and B-Girling
The name, Break dance, is associated with a break down or changes in Yankee culture, in modern times. Soon terms like B-boying and B-girling came into circulation. The style made its debut in the streets of the big cities and soon commercially it came to hit the news as Break dance.
B-boying has a unique history behind it - the aspects are totally apart from most other dance forms. It is a dance which is a combination of many other types. B-boying includes many moves - the term stretches to embrace many types while retaining its distinctiveness. Steps from ballet to jazz are all incorporated in it. The net is indeed wide but there is a parameter - it must bear the stamp of B-boying.
In the early seventies B-boying came into existence for the first time in the back streets of New York City. Strangely - dance began to replace gang warfare. Instead of violence, posturing through dance became the vogue. It developed further during the early 80’s when it became a well defined dance form, with specific basic movements. Groups like Rock Steady Crew and New York City Breakers popularised this form of martial art with dance steps. It immediately drew the attention of the media. As usual the latter exploited the newcomer.
In the early 90’s B-boying hit Europe with a bang. America’s response to the scenario was to give it re-birth. While the European style was dominated by acrobatics, in America the imaginative dance aspect gained predominance. Thus we see that B-Boying involves two sides - one complementing the other. Acrobatics require years and years of practice and skill. It is as if the body throws a challenge to gravity as the spectators remain spellbound. These acrobatic steps are known as power-moves. It involves spinning different parts of the body to unimagined levels. The creative bits are known as top or ground rock, depending on where these are performed. The body rocks to simple routine movements in tune to music.
As distinct from other dances, this form of B-boying has a separate objective, moves and method. The aim is competition between one to one competitors or between groups. For hours practice goes on so as to be ready for the final or informal meet. The moves are inspired and adapted from other dance styles, sports, martial arts, cartoons, comics - in fact almost anything under the sun. The bottom line is that one has to outwit or defeat an opponent during a combat. Here neither teachers nor lessons play any role. To acquire the skills one must practice without stopping and be ready to compete anytime. The basics are learnt by repetition. Then the dancer stamps it with his own style - innovates. It is a way of life rather than just a pastime.
Today B-boying has become an international phenomenon. It is one of its kind having absorbed two poles of dancing and amalgamating it into a special kind of dance number. It has been around for nearly twenty to thirty years and yet it is evergreen - developing by the day.
