WIB # 48 – An Exploration of Breakdancing by Thewordisbond.Com on Mixcloud

Breakdancing is an integral part of hip-hop culture. It got its start well before anyone had even used the term hip-hop, before the four elements solidified, and before rap music became popular.

It all started with the DJ. That’s the foundation of hip-hop. Deejays would play records for people to dance. And for some strange reason, people really enjoyed the break – the portion of the record where the sound was stripped down to a drum beat and a few sparse sounds. Deejays soon figured out how to extend the break by using record players as the earliest form of sampling. The people who danced to the break portion of the records were known as b-boys or b-girls.

The earliest breakdancing didn’t involve as much floor work and gymnastic type movement as what we are familiar with today. It instead focused on intricate foot movements.

This style of dance was made popular by James Brown. His historic Live at the Apollo concert in 1962 introduced us all to “The Good Foot,” quite possibly the first b-boy dance step or movement.

So without further ado, let’s get into the podcast and really start our exploration of breakdancing.

What you need to do right now is to clear a spot on your kitchen floor, on your living room floor if you