Music Hip Hop, Utah and Tap Dance Lessons

A hip hop dance teacher as the name indicates teaches hip hop dance movements and techniques. The music that accompanies the dance is also called hip hop music in keeping with the culture that defines the ’70s.

The dance started in the 1970s. The style of dancing evolved from the styles created by Black and Latino Americans. What makes the dance distinctive is it is in freestyle. Hip-hop dance has three main elements: freestyling, battles and cipher.

Freestyle is the improvisations you make while dancing. Unlike other dance forms, hip-hop does not have uniform steps that you need to master. Battles pertain to the dance competitions that the dancers engaged in. And finally, a cipher is a circle formed when the dancing starts. The dance is often associated with all these three elements.

The most popular hip hop dance styles that a teacher should know are breaking, locking and popping. Breaking first started in Bronx, New York in 1970′s. Breaking has four foundational moves: toprock which is performed standing up and involves a lot of footwork; downrock, footwork with the aid of hands supporting the weight; freezes, poses using the hands and finally, power moves, which are complicated acrobatic moves.

Locking was introduced in Los Angeles by Don Campbell. The dance move is like freeze or sudden pausing but the dancer freezes for a longer period of time. The dancer continuously locks in place then freezes and moves again.

Popping is a move created by Sam Solomon from Fresno, California. The technique involves contracting the muscles and quickly relaxing it to cause the body to jerk. Popping can be liquid or strobing. Liquid when the movements are so smooth that the jerking movement is not noticeable at all. Strobing is the opposite of liquid. The dancer uses, quick, static and jerky body movements.

Due to the popularity of the dance, it is not unusual for a number of people who want to learn it. The dance is not only impressive but also a good way to stay fit. This is the reason why there is a growing demand for the dance lessons.

An instructor does not need to have formal training of the dance. If you are passionate about the dance and have the necessary dancing experience then you can teach it. But he or she does need to acquire some basic skills in order to teach effectively.

It is important to know your skill level of this dance style. A more advanced level is desirable because you can teach a wide variety of students. If you are just starting out with the dance most likely you can only teach the basic level.

Get certification in teaching general aerobics. The training you will get in aerobics is invaluable. It complements the rigorous steps that you need to teach.

A dance teacher can also observe other dance classes of hip hop. Visit local gyms or dance studios to get ideas. There are instructional videos on teaching it that can provide you a clear idea on what to teach.

Just like any other dance class, teaching hip-hop requires that you remain safe and avoid injuries. A good warm-up at the start of the lesson and a cold down at the end are necessary part of the training. This will help make sure that the students are prepared for the physical demands of the dance.

You probably go through Youtube to find hip hop dance tutorials – like many others, including me as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely a good way to learn what your body can do in hip hop dances. However, it would waste too much of your time trying to imitate those moves.

Moreover, you’ll be lacking your own style. Good hip hop dancers have their own unique signature moves. By the time you finish reading this, you should be able to really differentiate hip hop dance from other forms of dancing.

You need to know the fundamentals of hip hop dance. And after knowing it, you can come up with your own style of dancing. Knowing the basics of hip hop dancing also boosts your ability to learn moves from the experts. This is definitely one of the best shortcuts to learn hip hop dancing.

One of the most basic concept of hip hop dancing is doing really simple moves that define Hip Hop.

Firstly, you need to know that hip hop dances separates / isolates the movements of the upper and lower body. That simply means that both of these main parts of your body must have its own life, it’s own rhythm. Once you get this into your head, you’ll eventually have it built into your body rhythm and be able to build on this dance habit.

With that in mind, remember not to just focus on your footwork like what most beginners would do. You may have skillful footwork and able to dance at fantastic speeds. However, you will lack the showmanship factor and that does not take your dancing to the next level.

Express yourself in your dance. Put your character into it. Don’t be a robot (no pun intended!).

My second advice is – take up space. Hip hop dancing is a street dance. I know many people who are somehow scared of taking up huge amounts of space when dancing. Really put your dance moves out there and let it shine. I can’t stress enough that this is one of the very essence of hip hop dancing. Get people to notice you, and notice your awesome movements.

There are actually five fundamentals to hip hop dancing and for the sake not cramming too much into your head, let me list another one.

Know your music.

Only dance to hip hop beats that you love. Some hip hop songs annoy the hell out of me – or just simply not my style, so i just avoid them. Do not dance to a song just because your friends love it or simply because it’s famous! Love your music. You show your love for the music through your dance moves!

Many people would be surprised to know that hip-hop dancing originated from well in the 1970s. Many people are only recently learning about it because of how popular it has become in the mainstream. This type of dance is really a social dance style that allows people the opportunity to express themselves through movement. If you are interested in learning a dance style that gives you that same freedom of expression, you should consider attending hip hop dance classes in your area for an empowering experience.

Hip hop dancing involves a wide range of styles, including locking, popping and breaking. All three styles that comprise this dance allow some amount of improvisation on the part of the dancer, thereby making this style of dance a very flexible and expressive art form. Any dance classes you plan to attend will definitely outline that in the beginning. You can expect to be given free reign to express yourself through the movement while staying true to some of the traditional styles that were a part of hip hop dance from in the 70s.

Classes usually last from 45 minutes up to 2 hours depending on how intense they get. Because these classes are more about expression and not as much about techniques, people often get captivated in these dance classes as they have the opportunity to let loose and let their bodies express their feelings.

There are various skill levels with hip-hop dancing as is the case with other types of dancing. Depending on how much of that style you are familiar with, you should be able to know which one of the levels you should begin at.

Because this type of dancing involves so many styles requiring flexibility, there is usually a warm up period at the beginning of the class before the actual dancing starts.

To many people, dancing has become a very key form of entertainment. This is specifically evident in the fact that there are now many TV shows that showcase the talents of hip-hop and street dancers. If you watch these programs and feel the urge to learn some of those moves, then attending dance classes would be the best way to go about it. This is a great way to become physically fit while learning dance techniques that embraces freedom of expression.

There is not as much pressure put on hip hop dance teachers as there is put on teachers of the more technique driven styles of dance. This is perhaps why many students love attending classes — they have the opportunity to just play out their emotions on the dance floor.

Attending hip hop dance classes is a great way to get fit and learn an energetic style of dancing that seems to want to take over a generation. Whether you want to do it casually or become a competitive dancer, you can get some very valuable and rewarding experiences by attending classes in hip hop dance.