Hey there!!
Gyaan Guru Maa is back :-)
I love those dance movies where people are passionate about dancing and there are contests where amazing talent is displayed and discovered.
For example: Step Up, Dirty Dancing, Footloose…
(Can’t remember any Hindi movie apart from Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Aaja Nach Le, which were definitely not as exciting as the English counterparts.)
Even the Hollywood films with cheerleader competitions are super fun to watch – Bring It On, et al.
Really, I think no one can beat the Americans when it comes to boogie-ing!
Especially the hip-hop. And that’s my topic for the day…
Ta-daaa!!
A little history / introduction, anyone?!!
Captain Wiki to the rescue…
Gyaan Guru Maa is back :-)
I love those dance movies where people are passionate about dancing and there are contests where amazing talent is displayed and discovered.
For example: Step Up, Dirty Dancing, Footloose…
(Can’t remember any Hindi movie apart from Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Aaja Nach Le, which were definitely not as exciting as the English counterparts.)
Even the Hollywood films with cheerleader competitions are super fun to watch – Bring It On, et al.
Really, I think no one can beat the Americans when it comes to boogie-ing!
Especially the hip-hop. And that’s my topic for the day…
Ta-daaa!!
A little history / introduction, anyone?!!
Captain Wiki to the rescue…
(As always… honestly, where would we be without google and wiki?)
So, (I quote from the site…) Hip-hop dance includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were developed in the 1970s by Black and Latino Americans. Freestyling, battles, and ciphers—are key components of hip-hop dance. What do they mean? Read on…
Hip-hop dance is unique because it is often freestyle (improvisational) in nature and hip-hop dancers frequently engage in battles (formal or informal freestyle dance competitions). Informal freestyle sessions and battles are usually performed in a cipher, "a circular dance space that forms naturally once the dancing begins.”
To some, hip-hop dance may only be a form of entertainment or a hobby. To others it has become a lifestyle: a way to be active in physical fitness or competitive dance and a way to make a living by dancing professionally.
This form of dance is more than 30 years old, and it became widely known after the first professional crews were formed in the 1970s. The most influential groups are the Rock Steady Crew, The Lockers, and the Electric Boogaloos who are responsible for the spread of breaking, locking, and popping respectively. What’s this now, you say?
Breaking includes four foundational dances:
1. Toprock - footwork oriented steps performed while standing up
2. Downrock - footwork performed on the floor using the hands to support your weight
3. Freezes - stylish poses done on your hands
4. Power moves - difficult and impressive acrobatic moves.
Two more interesting terms in breaking are:
Drops - Transitions between toprock and downrock, and
Burns - A move intended to embarrass the opponent during a battle, such as crotch grabbing.
Locking is similar to a freeze or a sudden pause. A locker's dancing is characterized by consistently locking in place and after a quick freeze moving again.
Popping is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit.
Enough about the technicalities. You can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip-hop_dance for further info.
Let’s check out some freezes… that’s what excites me!!
So, (I quote from the site…) Hip-hop dance includes a wide range of styles notably breaking, locking, and popping which were developed in the 1970s by Black and Latino Americans. Freestyling, battles, and ciphers—are key components of hip-hop dance. What do they mean? Read on…
Hip-hop dance is unique because it is often freestyle (improvisational) in nature and hip-hop dancers frequently engage in battles (formal or informal freestyle dance competitions). Informal freestyle sessions and battles are usually performed in a cipher, "a circular dance space that forms naturally once the dancing begins.”
To some, hip-hop dance may only be a form of entertainment or a hobby. To others it has become a lifestyle: a way to be active in physical fitness or competitive dance and a way to make a living by dancing professionally.
This form of dance is more than 30 years old, and it became widely known after the first professional crews were formed in the 1970s. The most influential groups are the Rock Steady Crew, The Lockers, and the Electric Boogaloos who are responsible for the spread of breaking, locking, and popping respectively. What’s this now, you say?
Breaking includes four foundational dances:
1. Toprock - footwork oriented steps performed while standing up
2. Downrock - footwork performed on the floor using the hands to support your weight
3. Freezes - stylish poses done on your hands
4. Power moves - difficult and impressive acrobatic moves.
Two more interesting terms in breaking are:
Drops - Transitions between toprock and downrock, and
Burns - A move intended to embarrass the opponent during a battle, such as crotch grabbing.
Locking is similar to a freeze or a sudden pause. A locker's dancing is characterized by consistently locking in place and after a quick freeze moving again.
Popping is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit.
Enough about the technicalities. You can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip-hop_dance for further info.
Let’s check out some freezes… that’s what excites me!!
A freeze is a breakdance technique that involves halting all body motion, often in an interesting or balance-intensive position. It's like "freezing" into ice. Freezes often incorporate various twists and distortions of the body into stylish and often difficult positions. Depending on what part of the body is in contact with the ground, there are several freezes like the headstand, handstand, forearm, elbow and shoulder freezes.
Here are some other funky-titled freezes, with visuals where possible:
Planche - body straddled parallel over the ground, while arms are straight
(Looks fantastic, eh?)
Baby freeze - hands are used for balance, with the nearest side of your waist on one elbow and a knee on the other.
(Surely, no baby could do this....)
(Variations are airchairs, of which double airchair is the most difficult and dangerous - rarely seen or performed.)
Chair freeze - arched to the floor, arm stabbed into the back to support the body
(Variations are airchairs, of which double airchair is the most difficult and dangerous - rarely seen or performed.)
Turtle freeze - All the weight is placed onto the hands and the rest of the body is suspended above the ground
Pike - A freeze with one hand planted on the ground while the entire body is perpendicular to the floor with both feet held high to the air.
And now I'm all geared up... no, not to learn hip hop but to watch a dance-themed movie...!!
Catch ya later, pumpkins!!
"Sign"-ing out with a freeze...
(one of the simpler ones obviously)
(or maybe I'll just stand still with my hands flailed out...)
Cheerio!
Princess
Princess
1 comment:
Cool, I like the baby freeze. I'm not super good at dancing but it's fun, and I like the dancing bollywood movies too... especially some of it is very good!
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