An Analysis of the History and Development of Hip hop Dancing from late 1960's to 1970s - Research Paper Example

Task: An Analysis of the History and Development of Hip hop Dancing from late 1960s to 1970s. Executive Summary Hip-hop dancing emerged in 1960s to 1970s in the USA, mainly in the ghettoes in New York and the general east coast and west coast. It can be referred to as an art that is essentially formed from hip-hop music. It involves various styles of dances within this category as per the findings in this paper. During this period, it evolved through distinct elements that made up the different styles. The dances majorly consisted of the break dance, rapping and funk styles including locking and popping. It was initiated by African Americans. In fact, the word “hip” was used by the African Americans way before the evolution of the music and dance. It was performed along the streets, and there were well known promoters of the dance. In giving the whole picture a better view, it involved a lot of creativity that was accompanied by listening to the hip hop music. The manner in which it was carried out in most cases involved getting serious about the dancing which was rather hard to do. At the end of sufficient training, one got ready to enter the circle of performance and do lots of footwork including creating witty things and returning to the outside of the circle. This research also brings it clearly that the development of this dance was in an underground form that had lots of social significance. It, however, was not much appreciated by the outsiders until the media brought it to the surface. In facilitating this, there was a need for other elements such as mcing, djing driven by the urban culture. Brake dancing was the most known aspect of the dance and was known as b-boying. Introduction Hip hop dance appeared in the United States. It was majorly done by the black Americans and some Latin Americans. It is a fact that the dance was not highly recognized by most people until the media machinery started highlighting it. Among these dances, there was the locking which was begun back in the 1970s. This was associated by Don Campbellock from Los Angels. He attempted to perform and learn how to dance in parties and more specifically, he did the “funky chicken” at this point in time. B-boying dance was another dancing style of hip hop that featured in these times. More precisely, it took place in 1972 in block parties. There was also the up rocking in the New York streets in the 1960s. This was followed by top rocking. Another style that required lots of techniques was the ground rocking. There was no basic training on the dance during these times, but individuals who had instincts for natural movement brought it to the streets. Break dancing was also well known among the dancers who performed it. A majority of the promoters of the dance was known, and most of them were good at the performance. In the early times, that is, 1960s to 1970s, the dance there were competitions held mostly along the streets. Many dances established their names as some of the most well known hip hop dancers across east cost and west cost. Movies that highlighted these dancing styles also promoted the dance and new moves. Theoretical perspective It is assumed that hip-hop is an African dance that developed in the States. This, however, is a misconception baring the fact that its origin also encompasses of Latina Americans. It may also be thought that the dancing style is only associated with the young generation and that it must have begun in the recent past. This research finding nullifies this thinking and gives a clear understanding of the places and year of origin of it. The publication sectors play a big role in ensuring the appreciation of any innovations in the music industry at large. Dance is the most benefited art in this field, especially in the audiovisual means of publication. Hop has always been associated with the ghettos in the United States; this is not a misdirected understanding as its origin, on a wide view, lies there. There are common figures that were associated with the pioneering and promotion of the dance. There were new inventions in the styles of performance where most styles were learnt about and copied into the system. The naming of these dancing styles was coded to various meanings that made reference to specific moves. It, however, must be appreciated that the hip-hop dance goes along with its music. Thus, when viewing the history of the dance, the history of the music may be torched on. This is meant in order to derive a better feel of the real hip hop as a whole, rather than partial. The well known style in this dance was free styling, which involved performing without particular set plans. In fact, it was viewed as a chance to be creative and freedom exploitation to express talents. It could help one show off their moves; and in case the move proved to be successful and original, one was set for competition. This was known as battling; it involved club performance and street performance. This was done in turns whereby the dancers took the stage to show off their moves alone or in crews. There were formal and non-formal battling, but in both cases, crowds could stand around to watch and in some cases, the winner could get awards. Research methodology The research was carried out through internet sources, reading of related books and use of relevant journals in the field. A deeper look into the research field involved interviews carried out on well known hip hop funs and dancers within the vicinity. Various reviews of materials documenting on the history of the dance was also put into consideration. The other source of the research findings was the use of documentaries on the dancers and performance in this art field. In so doing, the research was based on arguments of the funs concerning the history of various dancing styles and their origin. Performances in the 1970s and 1960s were also looked into through a consultative process with the most likely participants of the time. Findings and discussions Hip-hop dance is a field that consists of a variety of dance moves that have been labeled distinctly. The people who took part in the inventions have also been included in the subsequent sections. There were essentially three stages in the development of the hip-hop dance. The first was the Latino and citywide and was based in Brookline. This was followed by b-boying which consisted of blacks and Latino based in Bronx. Breaking was also developing in New York at the same time when others were developing in California. In these developments, the system was partially formalized in that the dancers who had an interest in more than respect could ensure a sign up for formal battles to compete for medals and cash. Crews were also formed to perform before judges who awarded points and dancers who scored the highest achieved various awards. The dancing styles Breaking It is believed to have started in the 1970s at the South Bronx in New York; the African Americans created it. Its growth was maintained by Puerto Ricans. This dance involved four basic dances: toprock which included a lot of foot work while standing up. The other was the downrock which involved footwork that included both hands and feet on the floor. Freeze was also manifested in that it involved poses done on the hands; finally, there was the power move that was associated with acrobatic moves that were complex and impressive. It is worth noting that the transitional steps from toprock to downrock are referred to as “drops” (Mohanalakshmi 15-19). Locking This style was associated with Don Campbellock who established a crew known as the Lockers. The moves here are similar to those in the popping style and maybe confused by an observer. The dancers here hold their positions for relatively longer time. A sudden pose is also involved just like in the freeze move. This was basically created in the late 1960s. The developer, Don Campbellock, developed the dance when he included poses as he tried to remember a move in “the funky chicken”. Other moves included the skeeters, stop n’ go the fancies, Scooby doos. Campbellock started his crew in the 1973, which made an appearance in the soul train (Chang 100). This style became widespread in most parts in the US although various states came up with their own styles which comprised of diverse but relatively similar approaches of the dance (Johan 20). Popping This street dance is one of the funk styles that originated in California in the 1960s to 1970s. His techniques involved quick contracting and relaxing muscles in order to cause a jerk in the body of the dancer. This was referred to as a”pop”. It was more of illusionary and created more varied performances s involving waving, tutting and waving. It is believed to have been created by Sam Solomon at Fresno in California who had a crew with the name Electric Boogaloos. It involves gliding, floating and sliding which are essentially lower body dances performed by the legs. More specifically, in gliding, the performers appear, as though they are drifting across the floor. An opposite of this is the tutting which involves the arms and at some point can primarily apply the fingers. This style has a potential for confusing one for the other funk styles that have been looked into in the previous sections (Chang 19). East cost versus west cost Thought in the 1970s, the west coast engaged a lot in the funk dancing. This was started by Campbellock; locking phenomenon was featured in many TV shows in the region including the Johnny Carson show; then popping was developed in the streets of California. Many other styles emerged in this region then. A blend of these styles, however, emerged in the subsequent years, hence, forming most of the general hip-hop dancing styles (Pagett 70). In the east coast, it emerged with different styles in New York. According to Chang (46), it is even believed that, at this time, all raps were of east cost origin. The known d-jays of this time were the likes of dj kool Herc who were the pioneers of hip hop. Various crews emerged in this region and were given recognition in their musical talents (Mickey iix). Conclusion The hip-hop dance is known to have originated from the United States. It is mainly associated with the African Americans, though there are Latino society members who also took part in the beginning of hip-hop dance. As such, there are individuals who are associated with its promotion. Most of the performances were done informally in the streets while in some cases there were formalized performances, which even included offering of awards to the best performance. There was an evolution associated with the west coast and east coast where various moves were invented. Funk was more of a west coast invention and later spread to most parts in the US. 1960s to 1970s were the years when these dancing styles were invented. The basic dances were popping, locking and breaking which involved distinct moves, which can confuse an ordinary person to be similar. The dance gained popularity due to the media coverage that gave them a focus. There were dance crews that emerged during this time and competed amongst themselves. This dance is highly associated with hip-hop type of music; however, the kind of music was the funk type of music. It is a misconception that this dancing style originated in the recent past. This research paper looked into the origin of hip-hop dancing. It also looked into the key players in this field including their groupings. Regional innovation is another key factor that forms part of the coverage. As such, the notion of hip hop being a dance of black origin is not applicable. References Mohanalakshmi, Rajakumar. Hip Hop Dance: The American Dance Floor. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2012 press. Print. Thomas, Hatch. A History of Hip-Hop: The Roots of Rap High Five Reading, New York: Capstone, 2005. Print. Kugelberg, Johan. Born in the Bronx. New York: Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2007. Print. Pagett, Matt. The Best Dance Moves in the World... Ever. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2008. Print. Chang, Jeff. Cant Stop Wont Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York City: St. Martins, 2005. Print. Chang, Jeff. Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop. New York City: Basic Civitas., 2006. Print. Mickey, Hess. Hip Hop in America: East Coast and West Coast, ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. Read More