The first djs would only play the breakdown of the record; they would play just the beat of the record. A break beat can come from any record that has a break down beat in it. So famous djs would only play the breaks of records and people would dance over the breaks of the record and these were called break dancers.
Break dancing is one of the most popular forms of dancing all over the world. People would take their aggression out in dancing, instead of going out and robbing people or participating in gang related activities. Hip hop dancing began in the Bronx, and requires a lot of energy, athleticism, and creativity. It is an important element of hip hop, just as important as emceeing, beatboxing, and djing.
There are many different styles of dances in break dancing. There are 7 basic moves: the drops, the foot work, the floor rock, the power moves, the top rock, the suicides, and the freezes (Kulkarni). These basic moves also break down into various sub categories. The most fascinating part about break dancing is that people can create their own moves all the time, there are little to no rules when it comes to breaking, so any move can be made up.
Capoeira, which is Brazilian martial arts, that consists of a stylized dance, performed in a circle called the 'roda', with music playing in the background. It involves self-defense, combat, dance-like expression, acrobatics, and music. Capoeira isn't fought, it is 'played'. Then two capoeiristas enter the roda or circle and perform a dance-like battle (What is Capoeira). I find Capoeira interesting because it reminds me a lot of break dancing. There are probably many break dancers who are influenced by Capoeira, and incorporate it into their dance.
This is what a Capoeira performance looks like:
Kulkarni, Arjun. "Breakdance Moves List." Buzzle.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/breakdance-moves-list.html>.
"WHAT IS CAPOEIRA?" Get Fit While Having a Blast with Capoeira! N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. <http://capoeirasd.com/what-is-capoeira/>.
This was an excellent, layered text. I am impressed with how you anticipated my needs as a reader. After the first paragraph, I needed to know more about back beats--but then you slid right into breakdancing. But the blend worked so well in that video. My heart started beating faster just watching those dancers.
ReplyDeleteAnd you continued the blend when you moved to the topic of Capoeira. For some writers, this would be too much jumping around, but in this text it really works!