Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (women), is a style of street dance developed by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in The Bronx borough of New York City.
Breakdancing consists mainly of four kinds of movement—toprock, footwork, power moves, and freezes—and is typically set to songs containing drum breaks, especially in funk, soul, and hip-hop. Its modern dance elements originated among the poor youth of New York during the 1970s and early 1980s. It is tied to the birth of hip-hop, whose DJs played songs featuring rhythmic breaks for dancers.
The dance form has expanded globally, with an array of organizations and independent competitions supporting its growth. Breaking became an Olympic sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as per...
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A breakdancer performing in Cologne, 2017 (2 of 2).jpg
A breakdancer standing on his head in Schildergasse, Cologne, August 2017
Break-dancing competition, Riga, Latvia (1986).jpg
Break-battle in Riga, Latvia
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Break dancers perform at San Francisco's Powell Street - Vilay Sinsiam
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Performance de breakdance, no Centro Cultural Jabaquara, São Paulo, Brasil
Dancesport at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Mixed Team – Battle for 3rd Place (53).jpeg
Bronze medal match of the mixed team breaking tournament of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. Ella (AU...
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Eric Abbey practicing downrock at a studio in Moscow.
Ottawa youth breakdance during Canada 150 celebrations.jpg
Taken outside of Le Spot, in Downtown Ottawa, on Rideau St.
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B-boy in a cypher at R-16 2014.
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Two Steps Ahead - a break dancing street performance group in front of Natural History Museum at Was...
William H. Johnson - Jitterbugs (V) - Smithsonian American Art Museum.jpg
Artist: William H. Johnson, born Florence, SC 1901-died Central Islip, NY 1970
Type: Graphic Arts-Pr...