In 1983, the 8th edition of Dançar Magazine was talking about the great epidemic of dance clubs of the time, the breakdance.
The modality started to be successful in Brazil by the film “flash dance”, and was spreaded in dance schools, fashion and TV.
After a few years, breakdance was strong in the streets and resisted dance and hip hop. Originated in North America, it was popularized by the black and Latin people in New York during the 1960s and 1970s, it was a very marginalized movement for being part of Ny gangs, carrying elements of martial arts.
Breakdancing has as main characteristics the body, mixing elements such as jazz, ballets, Olympic gymnasts, body expression, tap dancing and, in Brazil, capoeira, samba and passinho.
The base is the footwork (moving the body in a circle with the support of the hands), but it is essential that the boy-b or girl b present their top stone (standing, show their style) and finish their entry with a - freeze- that must last at least 3 seconds in the chosen position. Finally, there are the moves, movements considered the most difficult, head turns, jumps, windmills, etc.
The cultural manifestation comes from hip hop (intangible heritage of Rio de Janeiro since January 2018) and, in Brazil, it has a consolidated and vibrant scenario in the state of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Bahia. From the break, the djs shine on the rap circuit as X(Câmbio Negro), GOG, PMC (Poetas da Rua), M.T.Bronks, KLJ (Racionais MC’S) DJ Raffa, Magno (Visão Urbana), Marcão (Baseado nas Ruas) and celebrating hip hop visual artists like “Os Gêmeos”
Battles have been taking place since 1982, in the heart of São Paulo, on the famous 24 de Maio street. Since then, it has spread throughout the city and never stopped. Many Brazilian dancers are conquering spaces around the world and being recognized in the break scene.
Get to know the story of FABGIRL, a dancer from Brasília who, in this episode of the series “Dança Como”, tells how she overcame the challenges of being a b-girl, becoming a world reference.
The series also shows the trajectory of other dancers and modalities such as popping, passinho and heels dance - street movements that conquer space in the dance world. Check it out.
Want to know more about the history of hip hop? we will put other videos showing the current break scene
Breaking the beat in the Bronx
Shows a legendary encounter between B-Boy Alien Ness and E-man, telling the story of the breakdance in 10 minutes
Set in New York, it was filmed with a Super 16mm, narrating the motivation and desires of break dancers, telling the story of the dance. It shows intimately the life of some dancers and the lifestyle, it was directed by Breno Moreira.
