What Are the Different Styles of Hip Hop Dance?

Hip Hop Styles

Hip hop dance is a dynamic genre that encompasses athleticism, flexibility, agility, creativity and soul. This type of dance originated back in the late 1970's and early 1980's, and has evolved tremendously since then. Old school hip hop dance started off mainly as breakdancing, which in and of itself is a truly dynamic and remarkable style of hip hop!

Hip hop dance moves like popping and locking are a couple of the original moves that dancers incorporated into their dance routines back in the early days of hip hop. By the late 1980's the styles of hip hop really began to take on new forms, and innovative dance moves were rapidly being developed.

Although breaking is still largely a part of hip hop dance, more upright moves have become very popular as opposed to sticking mainly to moves performed on the floor. By the 90's and into the 2000's, hip hop dance became very aggressive and intricate. The popularity of this type of dance grew from the streets of New York and L.A., and has spread all throughout the globe!
Although there are many different styles of hip hop dance, some of the main ones include:

- Breakdancing
- Popping
- Locking
- OldSchool
- NuSchool
- House
- Krumping
- The Newer Style of Lyrical Hip Hop

One of the newer styles of hip hop that has emerged onto the dance scene is lyrical hip hop dance. This type of hip hop is a very interpretive and fluid version of the conventional hip hop that has been on the scene since the 1970's. In essence, the dancers are telling a story through their dance routine, and thus must include some sort of acting abilities into the dance routine.
Although traditional dance styles and moves – like popping and locking – are still part of this newer hip hop style, the moves are much less rigid, and are more fluid in their execution. Whereas traditional hip hop moves dance to the beat of the music, lyrical hip hop moves dance along to the words of the song.

For some video samples of these popular hip hop dance moves, visit Fitforafeast.com for a vast library of online hip hop dance videos and lessons to help you get acquainted with this popular genre of dance, and learn how to hip hop dance from home!

To learn the best hip hop dance moves, you need to start with some lessons on the basics. If you want to take online hip hop lessons, the best, most flexible course is available at Hiphopcrusher.com. You can learn hip hop from 10 professional teachers/entertainers and work your way through 5 levels of moves and combos, as well as bonus levels on popping, locking and breaking. Put your new skills together in the final 20 minute master class! Learn at your own pace with these online lessons and dance with confidence!