There is no time frame for dancing - if you have been enjoying hip hop for a long time, it's time to finally go and learn it. An ideal place to learn dancing is a studio where you can find like-minded people. But if you are dreaming about how to learn how to dance hip-hop at home, you can start with simple steps to your goal.
Not a dance, but a culture
Hip hop is not just dancing. This is a whole culture. This is a musical genre, and clothing style, and lifestyle. He hails from the African quarters of New York in the 70s. The founding fathers of hip-hop are black-skinned DJs Africa Bambaataa, Cool Gerk and Grandmaster Flash. The driving force behind this dance genre was music. And the further she went in her development, the more various dance branches and subgenres appeared in hip-hop. So, in California, the styles of locking and popping appeared.
In addition to dancing and music, hip-hop culture also includes elements of fine art - graffiti drawings, as well as the original style of clothing - wide trousers, t-shirts, caps, massive jewelry. Depending on the direction of hip-hop, other elements may be included. For example, hip-hop hills dance in heels (from English heels - heels).
If you decide to master hip-hop and the basic elements of this style solely for self-development and do not aspire to perform in public, you can limit yourself to homework on video. But if you intend to immerse yourself in hip-hop culture with your head, then sooner or later you will have to find a studio.
Another thing is if you live in a small town where such a studio is not there at all. Then your task is to study by video, go to workshops and festivals in other cities, and who knows, you may be the first to open a hip-hop studio for beginners in your city. The task is not easy, but it’s worth trying.
How to dance hip-hop: pumping the body
A strong and agile body is the key to the effective performance of dance elements. Your workouts should include not only directly practicing the dance movements, but also exercises for different muscle groups - push-ups, squats, trims and necessarily stretching.
Acting
To be a cool dancer, you need to have strong energy. If a dancer moves sluggishly, it is simply not interesting to look at him. You have to “light” people with your dance. To do this, you need to learn not only how to dance hip-hop, but also how to work with the public.
How to dance hip-hop: features
The ability to dance well will bring you not only admiration of the public. Possession of your body and daily work on yourself truly change your character, provide a constant surge of endorphins - hormones of happiness and at the same time make a person much more confident in himself.
Despite the fact that this dance is based on freestyle (free improvisation) to easily improvise in hip-hop style, the basic elements must be worked out and repeated many times. Freedom of movement is achieved by practice. The simplest elements can be learned from the video, the more complex ones will require working with a trainer.
It is important to learn to feel the so-called "groove" in music. In the Russian-speaking hip-hop party, this is usually called "quality" - you seem to spring into the rhythm of the music with your body. To understand how to dance hip-hop, you need to master this quality. In this style of dance, rhythm is not beaten with movements. Try to spring with your knees so that it hits every bit. All other movements will be superimposed on top of this quality.
The movements from the old-school hip-hop are quite amplitude and jumping. For example, one of the simplest elements in hip-hop is called kris-cross. This is a jump from a wide stance, during which the legs cross like scissors. The new wave of hip-hop implies more variety in technique and playing with the rhythm of the track - your movements are not uniform in rhythm, they can suddenly slow down or accelerate.
Where to go to study?
When you decide that homework is enough for you, you should start looking for a hip-hop group for beginners. Yes, despite the fact that you trained hard at home, you should come to the beginner group, and the trainer will already determine the group of a higher level, if he considers it necessary. If, on the contrary, it turns out that you are doing something wrong, you will have to relearn with the group (by the way, sometimes it’s even more difficult than learning “from scratch” - muscle memory takes its toll).
Do not try to choose a studio closer to home. Students will go to really good teachers to the other end of the city. You need to choose a trainer not only based on the success of the group, but also on personal energy and charisma. A good dancer is not always an attentive coach. And vice versa: a competent teacher can be very inconspicuous on stage. The search for the guru is a very individual process. There is no single recipe for everyone. You just need to walk and try to engage with those who you like. Over time, you will understand whether it’s yours or should go off again in search of.