How to Dance Hip Hop
Hip hop dance is a very expressive form of movement whereby the dancer feels the music and lets the beat take control. The ability to dance hip hop is innate for some but others have to be trained to catch the technique. Learn how to dance hip hop so you can impress your friends as you convey emotions through your body.
Hip-hop dance is a cultural phenomenon which evolved from the culmination of several other styles of dance grouped under the hip-hop genre. Popping, locking and breaking are common forms of hip-hop dance but the movement is largely improvisational because the dancer simply feels the music and starts to move the body in an effort to express their subjective feelings. While other types of dance are choreographed and memorized, hip-hop dance invites you to go with the flow and do whatever you want. Here are a few key steps to becoming a great hip-hop dancer:
- Find a strong beat. In order to dance in a hip-hop style you must feel the rhythm of the music. Find a song that involves strong emotions with a driving beat that invokes movement. This song will be a good practice piece because it makes you one with the music.
- Work on your face. Because hip-hop music evolved primarily from oppressed people groups it may not always be a laughing matter. Most hardcore hip-hop dancers either wear a scowl or dance with their lips slightly pursed to convey the seriousness of what they feel. Dance in front of a mirror and see if your face projects what you feel inside. If it doesn't, change it until it does.
- Get the Gear. Hip-hop is not just a dance, it is a lifestyle. Turn your hat backwards, let your pants sag, and walk with the coolest swagger, just like the great hip-hop dancers. Clothes carry a demeanor and if you change your gear you will automatically upgrade your dancing ability.
- Do a two-step. The two-step is central to hip-hop dancing and is the foundation for other more intricate moves. Practice rocking side-to-side in time with the music until you look like a natural. This move will apply to any song and is a great way to appear rhythmical without doing very much.
- Develop a B-boy attitude. B-boys are breakdancers who approach the craft with a stoicism unlike any other group. They are confident in their moves and even if they falter they continue with the steps and end to thunderous applause. Regardless of how you dance, if you continue practicing you will master the art of hip-hop. Believe in yourself and know that you look great while you dance and everyone else will think likewise.
As with any other skill, dancing hip-hop will become easier and more fluid each time you do it. Devote daily time for practice and you will be dancing hip-hop before you know it.