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About street dance

Street dancing is a style of dance that originated outside of studios, typically in urban environments or in any available open space. This includes streets, alleys, parks, school yards, raves and nightclubs. The roots of this dance genre can be traced back to the late 1960’s and the early 1970’s in the streets of New York.

Back then, African American and Latino people were not allowed in many dance clubs so they learned to express themselves anywhere they saw an opportunity. Since then street dancing has grown into a global phenomenon and can be seen practiced anywhere around the globe.

Are there specific styles of street dance?

Street dancing originated by people improvising and freestyle dancing mostly to rap music due to its rhythm. Each dancer is free to create their own dance moves in order to truly express themselves. However, with the evolution of street dancing and it’s increasingly growing popularity, certain moves and styles have become big parts of the genre. Popping, locking and breaking are three of the founding styles that are most commonly associated with street dancing today.

Breaking or also known as “breakdancing” features close to the ground improv and acrobatic hand, head and shoulder spins. Locking involves freezing a movement and then suddenly continuing it at a fast pace. It involves a lot of arm and hand movements. Popping on the other hand features explosive and jerky moves that thrust outward from a quick contraction.

Almost any experienced street performer will incorporate moves from these styles into their dances.

How do you learn to street dance?

Luckily, nowadays there are plenty of ways to learn how to street dance. All you need to do is buy a comfortable pair of shoes and look online for options near you. In most big cities there should be personal tutors or local dance studios that offer lessons in street dance.

With the amount of content online, you can also choose to learn by watching videos. However if you have the opportunity, joining a crew or a dance studio is always a better option. Street dancing is more than just learning a few moves, it’s always been about a sense of community. Meeting like minded people, learning from them, making friends and improving together, that has always been a big part of street dance and why it originated in the first place. If you’re a student at a university, ask around, you might be surprised to find many people who share your interest.

Also, always be on the lookout for workshops, often experienced dancers from around the world go around and give workshops to people in different parts of the world. It’s a great way to learn new moves and meet new people.

Are street dance lessons expensive?

The cost of learning how to street dance entirely depends on how you decide to learn. If you join a crew or find a group of friends, you might end up learning for free. However, if you decide to join a dance studio or look for a teacher, the price will vary. TutorExtra offers a wide variety of classes with tutors ready to help you. Prices vary from studio to studio so make sure to ask when you contact them!