Before diving into the history of the fascinating B-girl subculture, it is imperative to understand the roots of the break dancing culture. As talked about in lecture, break dancing is one of the four elements of hip-hop, the other three being DJing, ,MCing, and Graffiti. Break dancing began in the streets of New York mainly in the low-income areas such as Brooklyn, and the Bronx. It originated within the African American and Latino community and eventually spread throughout all communities. James Browns music dramatically affected the evolution of break dancing with the smash hit “Get one the Good Foot” in 1969. The song started off the style of dance “Good-Foot,” which later became known as “B-boyin.” When break dancing first started out …show more content…
People would gather around in the streets to show off their moves and it did not take long for dance battles to occur. There were many different stories as to how break dancing was created but the most popular idea that people thought of was that break dancing is what came of gang fights in New York. A few reasons to this explanation was how the body was affected during break dancing, the same muscles were being used for fighting. The main participants in the beginning were a lot of the youth and street games of the South Bronx. The best breakers in opposing gangs would have a dance battle rather than fighting. Break dancing was all about pushing yourself to your limits and beating your opponent. There were endless reasons as to why they were fighting but it always came down to gaining respect …show more content…
Researching the subculture B-girls, it was evident that just like the other subcultures that were studied throughout the semester the B-girls faced many obstacles in getting recognized in their culture. Therefore, my main focus is to understand why there is an apparent gender divide in the break dancing community between B-Boys and B-girls and to understand why it was more difficult for B-girls to become popular and
Dancing skyrocketed during the 1920s. Many styles of dance that were created before the era did not become popular until the 1920s. For example, the Charleston did not swept the world until after the moves appeared in “Running Wild”, a show on Broadway. The Charleston dance was a fast paced dance that went with the song “The Charleston” by James P. Johnson. Many dance clubs banned the Charleston because the dance was unsuitable for the youth to be dancing. Also new dance styles were being created, for example, the Foxtrot. The Foxtrot was one of cherished dances during the era. The Foxtrot is a partner dance and many disapproved of how close the partners were to each other while dancing, often cheek-to-cheek.
Forman, narrated how hip hop culture maintained local tie and in built element of competition waged through hip hop’s cultural forms of rap, break dancing
Black Bottom dance came from a previously popular dance style, “Echo” in New Orleans. From the south, Black Bottom dance migrated to Georgia and finally New York where it was picked up by musical producer George White. White saw the Black Bottom dance being done for the first time in a Harlem nightclub and decided to bring his new found dance style to the white community. In his original broadway play, Scandal actors Ann
The Waltz isn’t a new dance but the dance had evolved from what it was in the past and became less directional. The dance was meant to be a slower dance than all the popular dances of the 1920s and it was more passionate and romantic. The most popular ballroom dance style was the Foxtrot and it just so happened that it was the easiest dance also. This dance consisted of smooth walking and could be danced to both fast and slow jazz tempos making it easy to transition between the two whenever the music switches up. The Foxtrot can be danced with simple steps if that was how the person felt was better or it could be danced with a series of complex steps meaning that it was a customizable dance. The Tango is another popular ballroom dance and came from Argentina. It’s popularity skyrocketed after “Rudolf Valentino performed it for a movie named Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”(Nelson). The Tango arrived to the dance scene earlier than all the other dances, making its first appearance in 1912. The Tango was a passionate dance meant to be danced with a partner and the steps had a distinct vibe that added a sense of drama to the dance.There were also other popular mentions: The Shimmy which was banned from most dance halls because of its impurity and was also known in gypsy dances, The Black Bottom which eventually beat the Charleston and became the number
Some women of the 1920s rebelled against being traditional. These women became known as flappers and impacted the post-war society. People in the 1920’s couldn’t make up their minds about flappers. Some were against them and some were with them. Therefore, some people in the 1920’s loved and idolized flappers, I on the other hand, believed that they were a disgrace to society. These women broke many rules leading young women to rebel against their families.
Chubby Checker is a rock and roll musician who is responsible for the infamous dance “The Twist” during the 1960s. This changed the way in which people danced and topped the charts. The Twist changed the world because it showed how one person could invent a movement that would captivate an entire country. He proved that one person could change the world. This impacts our lives today because due to Chubby Checker showing us that one man could make up a dance and turn it into a worldwide craze, dances, such as “The Twist,” are still being used today and taking over the
A club known as the Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers possibly began this trend in 1935 when they formed their group of 12 dancers (Swingin’). This group of dancers began, and performed the majority of their lifetime as a group in the Savoy Ballroom. They created the Lindy Hop quite simply, using movements from the Charleston as well as basic tap movements. And because of their dance, they had the opportunity to perform both on Broadway, and even in some movies. First, two partners would dance around together in various ways. Then, the man would complete a series of lifts with the girl, usually ending with them apart. Finally, a section of solo footwork would occur to bring the couple back
The movie Mean Girls, is the most popular and accurate representation of adolescent society in today's adolescent culture. It is sincerely one of my favorite movies because of its satirical portrayal of different facets of high school life.
Tap dance is a style of dance the incorporates complex foot work with rhythmic patterns. Performers wear metal-soled dance shoes that are fit to their feet and that allow them to create clicking patterns as they dance. Tap dance is an ever-changing style of dance that is practiced by people young and old all around the world. This entertaining style of dance originated in Africa and was brought to America by slaves. With African, Scottish, Irish, and British origins, tap has also become one of the greatest forms of dance entertainment in the Americas. Despite his personal shortcomings and the racial barriers of the time, Bill ‘Bojangles’ Robinson created a unique form of tap dance that is still relevant in the current world of dance. The footprint
Within the 1990s there is a persistent problem of Gay culture. Early in the 1990s it was hard to come out and let the world know that you are gay. Within the early 1990s The Wedding Banquet (1993), although it approached the issue of Wei-Tung Gao trying to tell his parents that he is gay and still accepting as who he is. Contrastingly within the late 1990s it becomes more acceptable to society by having celebrities coming out like Ellen Degeneres during her tv show Ellen. The two kinds of media contrast as a form of whether or not to come out as a gay or not during a time when AIDs was prominent and new.
Breakdancing was born as a result of the song “Get on the Good Foot” by James Brown when it was featured on television. People would attempt to copy his moves in their living rooms. Clive Campbell, or more famously known as DJ Kool Herc, is credited with evolving breakdancing. Breakdancing started with fancy footwork and intricate tricks such as head spinning. Breakdancing became popular in dance and disco clubs. As breakdancing further evolved, there was the addition of groundwork with moves like handgliding, windmilling, and headspinning. This addition of groundwork helped shape what we know breakdancing to be today (Bedinghaus).
As Jazz began to become well-known and loved by many, new dance crazes began to evolve. The only thing people wanted to do was dance because they like the feeling of being free on the dance floor. Later on, they came out with new dances like the charleston, the cake walk, and much more. The most famous dance craze in the 1920s was The Charleston because it was a very fast and exciting dance to do and it let the dancers go crazy. This dance was most popular with the “flappers,” the rebellious young women but later on started a new dance called the Lindy Hop. The other people disliked these new dances because they thought it was harmful and they can injure themselves. Also, they like the traditional dances like the Waltz and the Foxtrot, which
Most people describe cool as someone who is confident, does not care what other people think about them, and has a bit of mystery that people can’t really define. Besides that, people see ‘cool’ people as if their appearance is naturally done without putting effort, it’s like they are quoting Beyonce’s song “I woke up like this”, looking good already even if they haven't done anything. Though most say the phrase ‘cool’, is there such thing as ‘cool people’ or at least ‘cool girl’? Do they really exist or the media only manipulated our minds on creating cool girl? In my opinion, cool girl exist, but it is only a phase that every girl has to deal.
Dance became used mostly before the existence of movie (Ellenberger). This is became people did not have any other way of relieving themselves. With the movie and film, dance became less common. There was however change in the dancing styles as the film provided the people with several alternatives of
No one really knows when dance first started but Most likely the beginning of dance goes back as far as cave paintings. The first purpose of dance was probably a ritual, dance and music begin as partners in service of ritual. Dancing usually expresses your mood, that is how the ancient egyptians did it they just turned on music that expressed their mood then danced.