Breaking (B-boying/B-girling) Dance Moves
Breaking, also known as b-boying (for men) or b-girling (for women), is an energetic street dance form that originated in New York City, specifically the Bronx, during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is largely improvisational and emphasizes energy, movement, creativity, humor, and an element of danger. Breaking consists mainly of four kinds of movement: toprock, footwork (downrock), power moves, and freezes.
Toprock:
Toprock refers to upright movements performed before transitioning to floor work.
Toe Heel Jump Toprock:
Start by tapping the floor with your toes.
Hit the floor with your heel on the end count.
For the third step, let the heel stand where it is while jumping with the other foot towards it and locking the feet together.
Detach the feet to perform the hit with the toes on the opposite side, followed by the heel.
Perform the exact same jump towards that heel, locking the feet together.
While hitting the toe-heel part, hit poses with your arms.
While jumping forward, open your arms up, maintaining posture for style.
Footwork (Downrock)
Footwork, also known as downrock, involves intricate steps performed on the floor, often with rapid leg and body movements while supported by hands.
Six-Step:
Stay on your toes, avoiding being flat-footed.
Start in a push-up position.
Step out for "one."
Step behind with your right for "two."
Step out with your left for "three."
Cross right over left for "four."
Step back with your left foot for "five."
Step back with your right foot for "six."
This involves three steps using your left hand and then three steps using your right hand.
Single Leg Four-Step (Counterclockwise Example):
Be very heavy on your left foot, doing all the work.
Hop back with your left foot.
Hop again with your left foot.
Hop a third time with your left foot.
Hit the turn, finally putting your right foot down.
Then hop back on your left foot.
The same process applies when going the other way, using the opposite leg.
Power Moves
Power moves are acrobatic and dynamic movements that require momentum, strength, and endurance, often involving spinning or rotating the body.
Backspin:
The dancer rotates on their upper back.
Use your legs to swing to create speed and momentum.
Often starts with legs spread wide open.
Once the dancer closes their legs, the spin becomes faster.
The power is generated predominantly by the second leg kicking and the hand pulling on the floor.
When spinning on your back, start with arms and legs extended.
Once balanced, bring arms and legs closer to the midline to increase speed.
You can grab behind your knees to help pull into a tuck, then extend your feet toward the ceiling.
Initially, do at least one rotation with legs extended before tucking to avoid losing balance.
Windmill:
The dancer rolls over and across their torso in a circular motion with the legs spread in a V-shape in the air.
Speed is created through swinging the legs and shoulders.
Barrel Windmill: Arms are formed in a barrel shape, allowing the dancer to roll over their arms and forearms, then via a roll over the head back to their back.
Baby Windmill / Babymill: Legs are bent and crossed, while the arms are positioned in a barrel form.
Nutcracker Windmill: Both hands cover the dancer's private parts, using shoulders and legs to swing the windmill.
Handcuffed Windmill: Hands are held together behind your back during the windmill.
Tap Windmill / Tap Mill: Each time you come to your back, use your toes to tap the floor and use that momentum to take off for the next tap windmill.
Tombstone Windmill: Both legs are straightened and kept together, making it difficult as you cannot use the momentum of your legs to swing.
Australian Windmill: One leg is straight and extended, and the other leg is crossed over the straight leg, making a figure four with the legs.
Headspin:
This move involves rotating around the vertical axis of the body while balancing on the middle of your head.
Swipe:
The dancer leans on their arm with their arms and feet on the ground and their hips in the air.
The b-boy or b-girl then swings their arms either clockwise or counterclockwise.
They use their core to swing the upper body with them and lift their legs in the air, twisting 360 degrees.
The dancer then lands on their feet again and repeats the movement.
Freezes
A freeze is a position held without any movement, where the body is completely still. Freezes are often performed aligned to the rhythm of the beat and/or towards the end of a breakdance round.
Baby Freeze:
Stab one elbow into the side abs, and let your body rest on your hand palm.
The other arm bends at a 90-degree angle, also using the hand palm to lean on the floor.
Simultaneously, rest your head on the ground and have both legs off the ground, lifted in the air.
This freeze is often performed while resting the knee on top of the arm that is bent on the ground in the 90-degree position, using the elbow as a table for the surface of the knee.
Chair Freeze:
Fold your body in the form of a chair.
Start from a bridge position with your head and feet on the ground for support, while keeping your back off the ground.
Use the elbow of one of your arms to find support in your back.
Dancers often learn this move with two feet on the ground first, then progress to lifting one leg off the ground and putting it on top of the other leg in a figure four position.
Airchair:
This is an evolution of the chair freeze, where the head is lifted off the ground and both legs are in the air.
The dancer brings the knees towards the chest, bringing the upper and lower body closer to each other, forming a real-life chair position.
Head Freeze:
Place your head on the ground, with your hands forming a triangle with your head.
Bring your hips up and your legs close to your body.
Bring one leg up first and push off with the one that's on the bottom, balancing with your hands.
Once in a triangle form, you can hold this base freeze.
You can add variations like a pike freeze, a bend freeze, or a lock freeze, as long as you stay in the triangle form for balance.