Breaking
Dance
These are the 8 fundamentals of street dance style
As much as fashion is constantly changing, the cornerstones of street dance style never change. Here's everything you need to know.
Across the four elements of hip-hop culture, be it as an MC, DJ, graffiti artist or breaker, and throughout hip-hop’s evolution; when it comes to style some key points have always remained the same. Be original. Express yourself. Look fresh.
From the white gloves and adidas tracksuits that were hype in the early days of the Bronx, to smooth Soul Train divas rocking piercings and tattoos, or as one of the B-Boys and B-Girls designing their own fashion brands today; these are the eight things every dancer and hip-hop head should know about the rise of street-dance style, and some of the people who paved the way.
1. Kangol, Adidas and Rock Steady Crew
Back in ‘77, when DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash first hit the decks and legends like Crazy Legs and Frosty Freeze threw down their first head spins, the dopest looks were accessorised with adidas stripes, mirrored glasses and Kangol hats.
"We grew up watching breaking from our neighbourhood in Brooklyn. They’d have jams back in the projects, you know with all kinds of people (it was mostly the Puerto Ricans that killed everyone), even LL Cool would come out! They’d pull out the cardboard and have the gloves on, the adidas suits. They'd have the shirts with their names on the back, graffiti on the back and the glasses with the lenses out. Yo, these guys were legends! They were dope AF!”, remembers Billy Danze of M.O.P.
B-Girl Kastet rocking a Kangol hat and adidas pants in 2018
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
2. The rebirth of sneaker culture
Bobbito Garcia, one of the members of Rock Steady Crew, made history becoming the first person to document sneaker culture in 1991 in an essay he penned for hip-hop magazine The Source. Not only is he still hugely respected for his continued contribution and knowledge of the sneaker scene, and his skills with sneaker customisation, but Bobbito also became one of the greatest hip-hop radio DJs in history.
He's just put out his third film, Rock Rubber 45s, which is not only his autobiography, but also combines his love of both hip-hop and sneakers. “The first pair of sneakers I got really hyped about?!" he says in the film. "Actually, it was the Super Pro-Keds model back in 1975. That was my transition from wearing skippies to wearing a model that people cared about. “
B-Girl Ami rocking the Puma Suede – an all time favourite among breakers
© Dean Treml/Red Bull Content Pool
3. Poppers and lockers
Coming on the scene in the '70s at a whole other level were the lockers and poppers. Their combined influences from mime, disco, hip-hop and the streets resulted in strong looks, full of sharp personality and loud style. Flexing everything from striped socks, bright colourful satin shirts and blouses, pegged trousers, big collars and gigantic Apple Boy hats.
Greenteck with a custom crew jacket
© Drew Gurian/Red Bull Content Pool
4. Hats off!
Despite Soul Train’s fashionable notoriety, among the dancers' most legendary and outlandish looks throughout the course of the show, there were no hats in sight. Due to Johnson Product Company (manufacturers of the Afro-Sheen line of hair-care products) signing on as a major Soul Train sponsor, all dancers were banned from wearing hats or covering their hair on the show. Johnson's main aim was to expose and show off the hairstyles that could be created with their products.
5. The waackers and the voguers
The birth of these two genres of street dance – voguing came out of the Harlem Ballroom scene of the '60s and waacking originated in the LGBT clubs of LA – not only changed the future of clubbing, and ultimately Madonna's fame, but also brought forth some of the most exciting, provocative and beautifully outrageous looks in history! Sky-high platforms, wigs, fishnets, club-kid wear, leather, lace, latex… Too much is never enough when it comes to the waacker and the voguer. So much so, that not only are their battles about sharp poses, death drops and exaggerated walks, but equally judged on jaw-dropping looks that leave the audience gagging.
Ibuki and Yumeki at the Red Bull BC One Camp France 2018
© Little Shao/Red Bull Content Pool
6. Tribal Gear
The early 2000s brought in a whole new Tribal look for B-Boys and B-Girls and a return to the old school. B-Girl Jeskilz explains: “I started in early 2000. Nobody was necessarily putting a huge emphasis on their 'B-Boy or B-Girl look', it was more like whatever breaking brands were out there. Most people were rocking Tribal Gear because that was the main brand on the scene.
"I feel like back then with Rock Steady, we kinda brought back that old-school look. When I battled Beta, if you watch it now you can see she was old-school but she was rocking this really 2000, Tribal look. I’m in an adidas jacket, adidas hat, some shell toes. Also if you watch the video when Rock Steady battled Flow Mo we had all the gear on. We had our crew names on the backs of our t-shirts and the matching jackets. A new wave started to come where people were rocking the Puma’s with the fat laces and the trucker hats again. For a while that was cool because there was a sense that Rock Steady were the ones bringing it back.”
7. Building a brand
As the hype for power moves and athleticism within breaking accelerated across the dance form and among the stars making the biggest moves on the scene, the B-Boys and B-Girls began to switch to more athletic styles that allowed a wider range of movement. With the increasingly competitive side of the dance growing fast and many dancers finding fame and funding from sponsors, a lot either began rocking gear emblazoned with corporate logos or started designing their own clothing lines.
“For the last two or three years, I feel like a lot of B-Boys and B-Girls have really started their own brands and become more conscious about investing in our community rather than always just going with Nike or adidas,” explains Jeskilz
8. More is more
Rather than conforming to one trend, the most important thing still throughout all genres of street dance today is the expression of yourself. Whether it’s Kangol, Polo and Fubu making a comeback for dancers wanting to give a nod to the old-school wave; face tattoos, neon hair and piercings for dancers that still drive rebel cultures, or the flash Gucci, Palace and Yeezy-wearing dancer who just wants to look fresh as hell. Maybe you’re a dancer that works all three?! Regardless of a preferred style, today’s street dancer wants to be seen and remembered.
