How to Hip Hop Dance

It’s a form of dance that first started in the early 70’s. This is a western dance, but it took the world by storm just because of its sheer exuberance. It was popular in all the social circuits, but primarily it was the dance of the socialites. This form of dancing was an integral part of the club culture during the contemporary 70’s.

You have to be very particular about the dress and shoes that you use while dancing the hip-hop style. To do it you need to have a good figure and also strong muscle power. You need to warm up before you start the hip-hop dance. It will increase your stamina.

This form of dance includes many body movements. So to do it you need to have a flexible body. Hip-hop dance does not need any formal training. The body movements also include the jumps, rotations and the breakages. This together combined to make the hip-hop form of dancing. There are different styles of hip-hop dancing also.

Chest movement is very much predominant in this dancing style. The chest is maneuvered in a particular style that tends to seem that particular portion of the body is popping out and this is called chest pop. Then there is body roll where the toes are crossed, and body seems to roll in a delicate fashion.

Four basic moves that every beginner Hip Hop dancer should know how to do are the Back Slide, Body Rolls, Ball Change and various Isolations.

The backslide is performed by bringing the heel up on the back foot with a forced arch and then sliding the front foot staying flat on the ground back to meet the foot that is arched. When they meet the foot being dragged back goes into a high forced arch, and the other foot now goes flat, you then repeat the move alternating with each sliding foot.


Ball Change is a technique widely used in many forms of dance. The move is performed by separating your feet, normally hip-width apart and then you make a very small hop onto one foot while the other foot is lifted and placed in front of the foot that just hopped.

Various isolations are very important and require control and practice. You can start by isolating the neck by moving your neck side to side keeping only that part of the body in motion and the rest of the body still.

These are basic moves that anyone can practice and are safe to do without a dance teacher. Of course, watching a video demonstrating these moves would be helpful, and you have access to a professional dance instructor this would help expedite the learning process greatly.

People that practice Hip Hop dance will learn control of their bodies and connect their mind to their movements all while getting a healthy workout. Let the Hip Hop Roll since it is so free and very expressive and plain fun to do. A great way to learn Hip Hop is from a professional which you can find by calling up your local dance studio to see what classes they have to offer.