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Popping

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Popping (a.k.a. hitting) is a funk dance and street dance style based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit. This is normally done continuously to the rhythm of a song in combination with other movements.[1]

Popping is also used as an umbrella term for a group of illusionary dance styles and -techniques that are often combined with popping to create a more varied performance.

It's generally believed that the dance evolved in California in the 1970s and was originally inspired by locking.[2] It was later incorporated into both the hip hop- and electronica dance scenes.

History

In the late 1970s a popping group called Electric Boogaloos (earlier known as the Electronic Boogaloo Lockers) made popping and some of its related styles famous by performing on the television program called Soul Train. The Electric Boogaloos themselves state that their founder Boogaloo Sam came up with the popping technique and the basics of the electric boogaloo dance style in 1975, after being inspired by one of the pioneer locking groups known as The Lockers.[1]

Most sources from famous and old generation poppers, and people who were alive during the time, agree that the Electric Boogaloos came up with the foundations of popping and some of its related styles,[2] while some argue that popping existed in other areas of California in the late 1960s, before Electric Boogaloos was started.[3]

The mainstream media greatly confused the naming structure of the funk style dances by calling it breakdancing. The movie Breakin' and Michael Jackson's popularity contributed to the naming confusion as moonwalking (known as backsliding in popping terminology) came to be associated with breakdancing instead of popping.

Techniques and styles

There are a number of techniques and styles that are often combined with popping to enhance the dancer's performance and create a more varied show. When using popping as an umbrella term, these can also be considered a part of popping.

Animation
A style and a technique that attempts to imitate film characters being animated by stop motion. The technique of animation consists of strobe-like halting at very small intervals, to make it appear as the dancer has been animated frame by frame. This style was heavily inspired by the dynamation films created by Ray Harryhausen.[4]
Boogaloo/electric boogaloo
A fluid leg-oriented style utilizing rolls of the hips, knees and head. This style was created and made famous by the Electric Boogaloos.
Main article: Electric boogaloo
Dime stopping
A technique of moving at a steady pace and then abruptly coming to a halt, as if attempting to stop within the area of a dime. This is often combined with a pop at the beginning and/or end of the movement.
Floating, gliding and sliding
A set of footwork-oriented techniques that attempt to create the illusion that the dancer's body is floating smoothly across the floor, or that the legs are walking while the dancer travels in unexpected directions.
Main article: Floating, gliding and sliding
Liquid dancing
An illusionary dance style that focuses on flowing and continuous liquid-like motions, with concentration on the fingers, hands and arms. This style is often mixed with waving.
Main article: Liquid dancing
Popping/hitting
The technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to create a jerking effect (a pop or hit) in the dancer's body. Popping can be concentrated to specific body parts, creating variants such as arm pops, leg pops, chest pops and neck pops.[4]
Puppeting
A style imitating a puppet tied to strings. Normally performed alone or with a partner acting as the puppet master pulling the strings.
Robot/botting
The robot is a style imitating a dancing robot or mannequin.
Main article: Robot (dance)
Slow motion
Moving very slowly with exagerrated movements to make it appear as if the dancer is viewed in slow motion.
Strobing
Similar to dime stopping, but movements between halts should be shorter, and as quick and regular as possible to give the impression that the dancer is moving within a strobe light.
Main article: Strobing (dance)
Ticking
A way of popping where the dancer pops at very small intervals.
Tutting/King Tut
Inspired by the art of Ancient Egypt, tutting exploits the body's ability to create geometric positions and movements, predominately with the use of right angles.
Main article: Tutting
Vibrating
Tensing muscles very hard, causing them to shake or vibrate.
Waving
Waving is composed of a series of fluid movements that give the appearance that a wave is travelling through the dancer's body. It is often mixed with liquid dancing.
Main article: Waving (dance)

Notable poppers

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Electric Boogaloos. "The Birth of Popping and Boogaloo Style". "Funk Styles" History & Knowledge. Retrieved 2006-05-15.
  2. ^ a b Holman, Michael (1984). "History". Breaking and the New York City Breakers. Freundlich Books. ISBN 0881910163. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help) The Fantastic Poppers. "Popping". Knowledge & Articles. Retrieved 2006-05-15. The Twilight Players. "Hall Of Fame". The Dance. Retrieved 2006-05-15. Thomas Guzman-Sanchez of Chain Reaction. "History Of A Forgotten Era". Underground Dance Masters. Retrieved 2006-05-15. SpaceCapital at 4dapoppers.com. "Interview with Bopping Andre". Interviews. Retrieved 2006-05-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ SpaceCapital at 4dapoppers.com. "Interview with Scooby from California". Interviews. Retrieved 2006-05-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Mr. Wiggles. "Move Lessons". Dance Lessons. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
  5. ^ Poppin' Pete's page at the Electric Boogaloos
  6. ^ Full cast for Breakin' at IMDB
  • The Electric Boogaloos Boogaloo Sam of the Electric Boogaloos claims he is the creator of the style of popping we see today and of Boogaloo Style Popping
  • Mr. Wiggles The website of Mr. Wiggles of The Electric Boogaloos
  • Chuco.us Represents popping/hitting from a Hip-Hop perspective.
  • Mass Destruction One of the few popping crews in Europe.
  • Nachopop Nachopop is a Sydney based popper and DJ
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