Popping is a kind of dance that began around the late 1960s and ’70s. A sudden tensing and releasing of muscles according to the rhythm of beats in music is called popping.
History of popping dance: It was first started among a group of teenage friends in less crowded parts of the city. The dancers come up with new yet powerful moves, practice them, and then show off a power-packed performance in clubs or dance battles. Gradually it created a great identity for all popping dancers.
As time goes on, The word popping with the exact meaning hitting was used to mention a set or collection of dance moves and techniques.
Key moves in popping dance:
Animation: The dance in which an animated character moves from frame to frame and involving abrupt tensing of the muscles to create a stop-motion illusion.
The Boogaloo: The Boogaloo, invented by the great Boogaloo Sam, is a form of loose, fluid motion that gives the impression of the body having no bones. It connects all isolated circular rolls of body parts.
The Robot / Botting: When you try to imitate a robot or mannequin using several different Popping dance techniques is called the botting style.
Dime Stop: Moving at a steady pace, and then coming to a clean halt without any shaking or reverbs called dome stop. The special effect comes from being able to stop suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, or “stopping on a dime”.
Gliding / Floating / Sliding: Footwork techniques that create a great illusion that when your feet are moving smoothly across the floor. The usual backslide which people commonly confuse as the Moonwalk is a move followed in this technique.
Hitting: Flexing all your muscle groups very quickly or suddenly is called hitting. You can hit continuously to a steady rhythm, and combined with different poses and pathways.
Miming: This was inspired by some classic mimes, miming is when you utilize isolations to create pictures and illusions of an object or scenery that isn’t there. Representing one which is an illusion is called miming.
Scarecrow: A type of moving and hitting with pictures that imitate a puppet or scarecrow with strings attached to your joints is called scarecrow.
Snaking: In this fluid rolls in your chest and body. It’s a different style that involves full-body waves as if you’re slithering around with your body like a snake.
Strobing: Moving and stopping your body suddenly in steady increments using dime stops to make it look like you’re moving within a strobe light is called the strobing style.
Thus these are the key moves while popping. Each one has got its beauty while dancing. A constant practice on these types can take you to heights.
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