Breakdance

Breakdance (or b-boy) is a dance style that was a core component of the origins of hip hop among African American and Puerto Rican youth in the Bronx borough of New York City during the early 1970s. In most cases, it is danced to remixed extended breaks of hip hop music. It is said that breakdancing was one of the critical components of hip hop culture (along with rap music, graffiti, and DJing) that popularized the culture and brought it to the main stream.

Origins

Breakdancing originated in the early 1970s in the South Bronx. Many house party DJs, most notably DJ Kool Herc, noticed that the most unique improvisational dance moves occurred during the section of the song where the music and lyrics dropped out and only the beat was left. This section of the song was known as the break. These DJs realized that they could extend these high intensity interludes by purchasing two copies of the same song which allowed them to repeat and extend the break. Some of the most popular songs of the early era of breakdancing include "Apache" by the Incredible Bongo Band, "South Bronx" by KRS-One, and many James Brown funk songs.

Breakdancing Crews

The popularization of this dance form occurred throughout the 1970s with the formation of various breakdancing crews. One of the first of these crews, the Rock Steady Crew, formed in 1977 in the Bronx by members Jimmy D and Jojo. One of their early rivals was the Manhattan based Rockwell Association.

Movement into the Mainstream

The first movement into the mainstream came when, in 1981, photographer Henry Chalfant helped the Rock Steady Crew get an oppurtunity to perform at Lincoln Center in Manhattan where they battled The Dynamic Rockers. This outdoor performance was covered by many local television stations as well as local and national newspapers. In 1983, the Rock Steady Crew went on tour with Afrika Bambaataa, Fab Five Freddy, and other early rappers. They also appeared on the Jerry Lewis Telethon.