Whether we’ve been at a wedding, out with friends, on a romantic date, or even simply doing the housework, we’ve all likely danced at some point in our lives. Dancing is not just about having fun, it’s about releasing your inhibitions, letting go of life’s stresses, expressing yourself, and being true to yourself.

While there are heaps of pros associated with dancing, one of the best things about it is the fact that there are so many styles to choose from, each steeped in history with its own unique backstory. Hip Hop dance is a prime example of this.

Hip Hop dancing may not be considered as sophisticated or refined as some styles of ballroom dancing, but that is largely due to the fact that it is so misunderstood. Hip Hop dancing was birthed not from a trend, but from a movement. Stylish, trendy, cool, and niche, each style is unique in its own right, and has its own story to tell.

Whether you’re thinking of taking up street dancing or simply want to learn more about it, here’s a look at the different styles of Hip Hop dancing and their origins.

What is Hip Hop Dance?

We’re all familiar with Hip Hop music, but how about Hip Hop dancing?

Hip Hop dancing is a very popular form of street dance that originated on the streets of New York City, particularly impoverished neighborhoods such as The Bronx and Brooklyn. It originated as part of Hip Hop culture and takes elements of Hip Hop music and black culture in the USA to create some of the most innovative dance styles you’re ever likely to witness.

Hip Hop has its roots in African American history and became popular in the 1970s thanks largely to the African American and Latino youth cultures, particularly block parties and DJs such as DJ Cool Herc. Here, in a bid to keep the dancers on the dance floor for longer, DJs would extend the instrumental ‘break’ on funk, soul, and Hip Hop songs.

The dance style, along with the music, involves intricate and energetic footwork, floor movements, popping and locking, and elements from ballroom dance, jazz, and even martial arts. It’s little wonder the dance style became so popular with younger dancers.

Popular Styles of Hip Hop Dance

Now that we have a brief backstory on the origins of Hip Hop dancing, it’s time to learn about some of the individual styles.

From Krumping to Popping to Breaking, here’s a look at the different styles of Hip Hop dancing:

Locking

Locking is a more upbeat, lighthearted form of Hip Hop dance. It has a vibrant summer vibe to it and is typically performed to funk/funky soul music.

Because the music is performed by a real musician, it has a more personal, human feel to it. The movements of the dance reflect the music, in that it is vibrant, energetic, and even sometimes cartoonish and over-the-top.

The origins of the name are believed to go back to American dancer Don Campbell, who was attempting to perform the ‘funky chicken’ dance but couldn’t quite perfect it. Locking is about sudden, urgent movements with sudden freezes where the body ‘locks’ in place. Dancers hold these positions for several seconds before continuing with their routines.

Popping

When there’s locking, there’s also likely to be popping, and that is certainly the case here.

Popping is another style of Hip Hop street dance that is similar to locking, only less pronounced. With popping, dancers will perform quick, jerky movements with their limbs and extremities. Think muscle twitches, or fast jerking movements and snatches and you’re on the right track.

While Hip Hop dance is believed to have originated on the East Coast, Popping originated on the USA’s West Coast. Here, movements are sudden, but more controlled and robotic in nature. If you’re familiar with the popular dance style known as ‘The Robot’ this is a form of popping, and helps give a clearer idea of what the dance actually is.

Krumping

Krumping, or simply ‘The Krump’ for short, is another African American street dance style that originated on the streets of Los Angeles. Krumping is one of the newer dances on our list today, as it only really began taking off in the early 2000s.

Krumping is raw passion and emotion and is almost tribal in nature. It encapsulates the sheer emotion that goes with living in poverty, in rundown neighborhoods where society seems to have turned its back on you.

Each movement associated with Krumping feels raw, passionate, spiritual, even painful. It is characterized by chest thumps, fist bumping, rapid movements, and raw emotion, ranging from anger and heartache to optimism and joy.

Incidentally, the dance style, which was created by Ceasare ‘Tight Eyes’ Willis, is called Krumping, as Krump stands for ‘Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise’. As you can see, there’s a lot of spirituality and faith engrained in this dance style’s DNA.

Breaking

When people think of Hip Hop dancing, Breaking is usually the dance style that immediately springs to mind.

Breaking dates back to New York City’s Bronx and is one of the most acrobatic, physically impressive dance styles you’re ever likely to witness. Breaking, or Break Dancing, as it is also known, is performed by dancers known as B-boys or B-girls and involves flips, radical hand movements, body spins, contortions, floor-work, ground moves, acrobatics, and gymnastics.

Breaking is one of the most popular styles of dance in the entire world. So popular in fact, that it has even featured at the 2024 Olympic Games, though the less said about Australia’s ‘Raygun’ the better as far as most people are concerned.

Freestyle

Finally, we have Freestyle.

Freestyle dancing is probably the most expressive form of dancing on our list today. It is especially popular in dance schools across the nation because there is no right or wrong way to do it. You just let the music kick in and go where your body takes you.

Freestyle takes elements from different styles of Hip Hop dance, as well as other styles of dance in general, and lets the dancers come up with their own routines. It can look as professional, or as amateurish, as dancers like. Throw in a touch of breaking, a hint of popping, a helping of locking, and a sprinkling of Krumping, and you can create your very own freestyle Hip Hop dance routine however you like.