Pop dance is a style of street dancing that uses quick tensing and relaxing of the body’s muscles to create sharp movements. This dance is usually accompanied by music that has a high beat and fast tempo.
The dance originated in the late 1960’s and 1970’s. It was created by dancers who wanted to look tough like gangsters in Oakland and Los Angeles. They would come up with moves, practice them, then show them off at clubs and in dance battles. The dancers would use names such as “Popping”, and a slang term called “hitting” to describe their movements.
After the dance became popular, it was featured in many movies such as Breakin’ and Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo. The national exposure of these movies brought the dance to a larger audience. It also sparked interest in other styles of street dance such as Locking, Boogaloo and New Jack Swing.
Popping is typically danced to funk and disco music. However, it is common to see popping danced to electronic music such as hiop hop or dubstep music today.
A dancer who dances the popping style is known as a “Popper”. A Popper’s style can be influenced by the artists they listen to such as Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Twilight 22, or Egyptian Lover. It is also common to see a popping dancer mix their own unique styles with other dance styles such as locking, boogaloo and even modern hip hop.
Popping has evolved over the years and has become more advanced as dancers continue to add their own unique touches. Some of these moves include the “air posing” which has the dancer moving their legs in different directions. Other dancers use the “strobing” effect which looks like the dancer is being lit up by a strobe light.
