Breakdancing seems so different from other types of dancing that the first question people may ask is, 'Where did these kids learn to dance like that?' To many people, this dance seems to have come out of nowhere. Here I will tell you the story.
It all started in that famous city - New York, The Big Apple, whatever you what to call it; in areas like the Bronx and Harlem. In the mid 1970's gangs would have face-offs with each other, at what were called Block Parties,to see who could pull off the illest moves. This new dance form James Brown's famous track - 'Get on the goot foot' where Mr. Brown would get down to his own dance - the Hustle. This new dance form quickly caught the eye of the media, and was becoming better known by the day. The first professional breakdancing crew was called 'The Rock Steady Crew' with famous members such as crazy legs and Mr Wiggles who have helped move and push breakdancing to what it is today.
In the mid 80's area's that before had had huge crime problems and that were very dangerous had become less dangerous. Gang warfare was at an all time low in the mid 80's, and this was because of Breakdancing. The gangs now had break-offs (dance battles) substituting this for fights and putting all their energy into pulling off the best moves. By this point in time, Breakdancing had evolved into pulling off huge power moves like head spins and windmills - these were heavily influenced by gymnastics and martial arts, yet stylised in a way that put them into a breakdancing context.
Up untill this very day breakdancing remains very popular with people from all cultures and races, and continues to bring people together from all over.
