With the advent of the internet and the digital video revolution, finding good breakdancing or b-boying videos is just a click away. In addition to finding videos online, there are also some great dance DVDs you can purchase to teach you the basics.
Breakdance Step-by-Step
Breakdance Step-by-Step is a 2-disc DVD designed for beginners. It offers a complete instructional guide to basic and power moves and features master instructors Break Easy and Zulu Gremlin. On the first disc, these hip hop masters will train you in all the basic footwork, spins and floats. It will also break down the coveted popping and locking. On the second disc, you will delve into more of the power moves of the 90s and 2000s.
On Amazon, this video has 3.9 out of 5 stars with 64 percent of those leaving a review thinking it was worthy of 5 stars. Some of the reviewers enjoyed this video because "when they show the guys dancing, if they're doing a full body dance, they show them head to toe at all times". Additionally, IMDb gave this a rating of 9.1.
How to Break Dance: Salsa Steps
On YouTube, BBoy Vincanity, who also teaches breakdancing in Sacramento California, offers a series of 88 videos that range in length from about 3-8 minutes that cover all the basics of breakdancing through his series How to Breakdance: Beginner Tutorials. In this tutorial video on salsa stepping, Vincanity provides you with the basics of doing the salsa steps front and back. However, throughout this tutorial, you can find all level of beginner and advanced b-boying moves.
This video has about 200,000 views and over 1,000 likes and the channel has over 40 million views. The video has several positive reviews from those seeking to learn breakdancing. For example, one reviewer commented "The way you break it down makes it so convenient to understand."
How To Break Dance Vol. 1
World Renowned breakdancer Mike Garcia (aka the BREAKER) uses an instructional style to teach beginners the basics of break dancing moves in the 31-minute DVD: How To Break Dance Vol. 1. This novice video of the 4-volume set breaks down different fundamental moves like swipes, 6-step, hand spins, popping, and waves.Mike is an 18-year veteran that has been featured on MTV, Nickelodeon, and Showtime Television and entertained audiences with his unique breakdancing style all across the globe. On Amazon, this DVD received a 3.4 out of 5. Reviewers liked the product and how "Mike Garcia shows the complete move, then breaks it down into its simpler skill set."
How To Breakdance for Beginners
With over 800,000 views and nearly 5,000 likes, How To Breakdance for Beginners is an instructional YouTube video that breaks down some of the basic moves in breakdancing through a short 4-minute video. The video is taught by James an instructor at Hip Hop Pop, which is a hip hop company out of the UK.
In this video, James breaks down several foundational moves including top rock, Indian step, freeze and a CC, as well as the history of some of these moves. At the end of the video, James demonstrates for you how to put all the moves together.
Live at Broadway Dance Center: Breakdance with Ephrate aka B-Girl Bounce
Breakdance with Ephrate aka B-Girl Bounce takes you through the basic moves of b-boying or girling like chair freezes, patterns, and the baby swipe. The point of the video is to allow you to feel comfortable with the basic steps and moves involved in breakdancing so that you can transition into a free-form style combining the moves and adding your own specific flavor. Additionally, the different dancers all have slightly different styles, which allows for variation.
The DVD is filmed at the Broadway Dance Center, which is a world-class facility in New York City. Ephrat Asherie is a highly trained ballet and modern dancer that has been featured in magazines and several TV shows. She has also won grants to fund her hip hop programs and is cofounder of Concrete Soul Dance Company.
Keep It Real
Break dance instructional videos can be a great start to a long and enjoyable life of dance. You can find several available videos for breakdancing and hip hop at various levels on YouTube. There are also instructional DVDs that can run you through the beginner steps. No matter what your preference just remember breakdancing is a fun, exploratory dance style that you can make all your own.
