Breakdancing, also known as breaking, B-Boying, or B-Girling, is a type of street dance that originated in New York City in the 1970s involving dynamic, acrobatic, and athletic moves performed to hip-hop music and breakbeats. Due to the highly visual and auditory nature of breaking, you can easily find a multitude of different kinds of breakdancing videos.
Before the internet age, you could find breakdancing videos on VHS tapes, but with the advent of the internet, there has been an explosion in the number of breakdancing videos from all over the world. And the best part? It’s all so accessible!
You can find breakdancing videos on all sorts of platforms. Besides physical tapes and DVDs, breaking videos appear online on various forms of social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and Reddit, just to name a couple.
Why Watch Break Dance Videos
People watch breakdance videos for many reasons. For casual watchers who may not be heavily involved in the breakdancing community, it could be to simply appreciate the beauty of breakdancing and the different styles of breakers from around the world, while also connecting with a community of like-minded folks online.
Another common reason is for dancers to gain inspiration from watching other breakers’ dance and battle rounds, allowing them to have greater exposure to different styles from around the world. This could be used to fuel their motivation to develop their own personal style further and to train harder, pushing them to dance as well as the top breakers in the scene.
This has become far more convenient and accessible with breakdancers sharing their dance videos online and with YouTube channels like .stance which posts content exclusively on breaking.
For dancers of all skill levels from absolute beginners to seasoned dancers, they may watch tutorials on breakdancing. From moves as simple as beginner top rocking or the 6-step, to as complicated as a windmill or head spin, there are dance tutorials for every dancer available online. It is not uncommon to come across a dancer who tells you that they learned a move from a YouTube video! If you’re unsure of where to find good quality breakdancing video tutorials that are easy to follow, check out B-Boy & B-Girl Dojo.
Lastly, another reason why people watch breakdancing videos is to gain a better understanding of the dance form’s culture, history and origins. Classic videos, movies, and VHS tapes from the early periods of breaking have been uploaded online and provide a treasure trove of history, allowing watchers to travel back to the past even for a moment and reflect on how far the dance has developed since.
Different Types of Break Dance Videos
Breaking Battles
Battle videos. This is a given since battling is a huge part of the breakdancing (and street dance) culture. In a given year, there are breaking battles happening on both a large scale internationally, as well as smaller, more local battles. Videos captured by individual audience members, which are usually snippets of a battle, give viewers the sense that they’re at the battle too.
For more high-quality captures of entire battle rounds and battle events, often complete with multiple camera angles, you can find these on the YouTube channels of official events such as Red Bull BC One and video powerhouses like Stance.
Take a look at this power-packed battle between Kid Colombia and Lil Kev at the Red Bull BC One World Finals in Mumbai.
Breaking Tutorials
Regardless of your skill level, you’d be sure to find a breakdance tutorial online that you could benefit from.
One of the best online resources out there is B-Boy & B-Girl Dojo which features a treasure trove of breakdance instructional videos. In their channel you’ll find gems such as their “Good to Great” series, which helps you take your fundamentals to the next level, the type of dance insight that you can rarely find in online videos that just merely take you through the steps.
Think you know the 4 Step? Here’s how you can push it further and level up your dance!
On top of that, B-Boy & B-Girl Dojo also educates dancers with The Knowledge Drop Podcast where they share their experiences, insights, and wisdom into what it takes to become a world-class b-boy or b-girl, and to express yourself authentically in your dance. Here’s a rare opportunity to learn from world-famous B-Boy Focus who brings over 25 years of breaking experience to the table, having taught thousands of students globally and won some of the biggest competitions in the world.
You don’t want to miss out on these videos!
Breaking Movies
You can also find movies featuring breakdancing. Take a look at this scene from the 1983 dance film, Flashdance, which is one of the iconic scenes that introduced breaking to mainstream audiences at the time – a huge moment for the dance. This was the scene that ignited the world’s interest in breaking, changing its path forever with more of its artists and dancers being recognized and appreciated by mainstream audiences. In this scene, you’ll find one of the OG breaking crews, the Rock Steady Crew.
For more modern features of breakdancing, you can also find that in snippets from the Step Up movie series which heavily features the dance style.
Breaking History and Documentaries
Get a glimpse of the past and learn more about the origins, history, and culture of breaking through historical videos, some rare, and documentaries.
Besides being able to get exposed to how breakers got down (danced) in the past with rare archival footage, you can also find no shortage of documentaries that cover topics like the dance’s origins in the Bronx and the origins of the Rock Steady Crew, to name a few.
Funny Breaking Videos
Lastly, you can find compilations of funny moments in battles, showing you the flipside of battling and another battle strategy that you could use to win the crowd and judges over.
There’s also the ever-relatable compilations of B-Boy and B-Girl failures that might be too familiar for dancers at their breaking practices.
Either way, this is yet another side of breakdancing that makes the dance so deep, pure, and a style that we love so much.
Conclusion
Breakdancing videos can be your best friend with the multitude of different types of videos available on the web. Depending on what you’re searching for, there’s bound to be a video out there for you to enjoy or learn from.
If you’re searching for the best breakdancing tutorials on the web, look no further than B-Boy and B-Girl Dojo for all of your training and learning needs, regardless of where you’re at in your breaking journey.
