Hip Hop Dance History: Evolution and Technology's Role

Introduction to Hip Hop Dance

The history of dance is a lengthy and rich one, certainly worthy of serious scholarly pursuit. It encompasses numerous styles and motivations for dancing, as well as a plethora of cultures, ethnicities, races, and religions. Many aspects of these different facets of dance remain highly visible in the 21st century, especially in a country such as the United States, which is a virtual melting pot of people from varying socioeconomic backgrounds. However, despite the multitude of dance styles, the one that has consistently been most compelling — ever since becoming aware of dance from a fully conscious perspective — is what is commonly referred to as hip hop dance. Although the term "hip hop" is used in a variety of contexts, the type of hip hop dancing discussed here is that which accompanies hip hop music. The vast majority of such music is rap, although there are also songs in which artists sing — typically in a variation of rhythm and blues — and dance in this style as well. A thorough deconstruction of this form of dance reveals that history and various tools today, most of which involve technology, have helped to catapult it into one of the most influential styles of dance in contemporary times.

Origins and Styles of Hip Hop Dance

The true history of hip hop dance began alongside hip hop itself, in the streets of the South Bronx in New York City during the 1970s. Hip hop culture has always encompassed three distinct elements: music (primarily rapping and deejaying), dancing, and graffiti. When hip hop culture was first forming, breakdancing was the form of dance that most commonly accompanied this music. There is, however, a clear distinction between the contemporary version of hip hop dancing and formal breakdancing, in which individuals would spin on their backs and heads.

It is also worth noting that the type of hip hop dancing most worthy of admiration is not the highly choreographed kind performed by large dance troupes, nor the style that artists such as Justin Timberlake or Robin Thicke perform in their videos and concerts. The dancing under consideration here is less rigid than breakdancing, and considerably more fluid than anything those aforementioned artists do on stage. Specifically, the dancing of the Pharcyde — a seminal Los Angeles-based hip hop collective from the 1990s — represents this ideal. The four original members of this group moved in a way that is rarely seen elsewhere, and they remain one of the few acts whose dancing is genuinely visceral and moving. Their style is fluid, compelling, and wholly unique.

New Edition and Bobby Brown's Improvisational Style

Another form of hip hop dancing worthy of recognition is that performed by New Edition, a six-man group largely from Roxbury, Boston, which made its debut in 1983. Although they do engage in the coordinated group choreography typical of the many "boy bands" that have populated popular culture since, certain members of the group stand apart. Bobby Brown, in particular, displays footwork that is so effortless, and an agility and dexterity that seemingly defies physics. His best dancing — considered a form of hip hop dancing — is not the coordinated ensemble work he performs with the rest of his group, but rather the moments in which he freely improvises and simply moves as the music moves him.

This same quality — where the dancer takes a kind of autonomy with the music — is also what makes the Pharcyde's dancing so compelling. Bobby Brown was once seen performing a few solo dance moves during a Whitney Houston concert television broadcast, and the spontaneity and precision of his movement was completely captivating. The rows of girls engaged in uniform, synchronized hip hop dancing that appear in some music videos of that era represent the opposite of this ideal: choreography that is technically proficient but lacking in individual expression.

Conclusion

Hip hop dance has traveled a remarkable path from the streets of the South Bronx to global screens, carried forward by a living chain of artistic influence. From James Brown to Michael Jackson, from New Edition's Bobby Brown to the Pharcyde, each generation has both inherited and transformed the styles that came before it. What technology has added to this ancient human process is speed and accessibility: dance moves that once spread through live performance and rare broadcasts now circulate instantly, crossing borders and generations with every upload and share. It is this combination of deep cultural roots and modern technological reach that has made hip hop dance one of the defining movement languages of the 21st century.