Pop dance is a style of street dancing that incorporates quick contraction and relaxation of muscles. It is characterized by sudden jerks in the body called “hits” or “pops”, done continuously to the beat of music. Popping is closely related to Hip hop dance and has been incorporated into Electronica dance scenes.
Pop music is an upbeat genre of popular music that usually features a melody, vocal harmony and lyrics. It is often influenced by other musical styles, such as contemporary R&B, disco and rock. The songs may be accompanied by a variety of musical instruments including guitars, pianos and keyboards. Pop music has been used in many forms of entertainment such as movies, television shows and video games.
It was not until the mid-1980s that pop dance became more popular and recognized as its own unique form of artistic expression. The movement gained momentum with the debut of the Electric Boogaloo Lockers on the American musical variety show Soul Train. This helped to put breaking and street dance on the national stage. The Lockers’ fluid motions, incorporating rolls of the hips and knees as well as the head, were trademark characteristics of their style.
It was at this time that the style of popping began to develop among groups of teenage friends in deindustrializing areas. They would come up with their own moves and practice them before showing them off at clubs or in dance battles. This spawned many different techniques and variations, including air posing (in which the legs move in a way that makes them look like they are attached to the rest of the body), Strobing (in which the body breaks one movement into smaller movements) and Spiderman (which involves mimicking the movements of the legendary comic character). The Electric Boogaloo Lockers also popularized the Backslide and the Neck-o Flex.
