How to Do a Flare in Breakdance: Step-By-Step Guide (Beginner Friendly!)

What Is a Flare?

One of the most common and fundamental power moves that you’ll see being executed by breakdancers is the flare. A flare is a dynamic power move that is distinctly recognized  by its circular motion where a dancer’s legs are swung around their body, as well as how the move is only supported by the arms. Named after its originator, Kurt Thomas, the eye-catching move is also known as a “Thomas flair” and is considered to be a must-have in any breaker’s arsenal of moves.

Like many power moves out there, the flare requires loads of strength and flexibility, but it’s relatively beginner friendly compared to more difficult power moves (e.g. headslides). More than that, the flare is easily combined with other power moves, helps you transition into your next move, and can also help you conserve your energy when you get tired. 

If you’re a beginner and looking to dip your toes into the world of power moves but you’re not sure where to begin, the flare is a great move to start with.

Not sure what it looks like? Take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkrJ6GnMrb0 

Ready to start learning the flare? If you’re hesitant about whether the move is ‘too advanced’, fret not, because we’ll take you through each step of the way in this easy-to-follow guide. Let’s go!

Here’s How to Do a Flare in Breakdance (Even If You Just Started Breaking)

Before you start practicing any power move, it’s important to warm up and stretch especially since the flare is such a hip-intensive move that also requires a lot of flexibility. As for strength, the main muscles you’ll be working are the arms, legs, core and hips. 

As a physically intense move, it’s important not to skip your warm up so that you avoid injuring yourself. Jumping jacks, jogging on the spot, butterfly stretches, and basic hand warm ups will help you get your body ready for practice.

Now, the flare.

Step 1

To do the flare in a counter-clockwise rotation from a standing position, step out with your left leg, allowing your feet to be slightly beyond shoulder-width length apart. At the same time, place your left hand on the ground and push down into the ground through your arm, with your hand pointing outwards at a 45-degree angle. 

Step 2

After putting pressure through your left hand, sweep your left leg around the back and kick it towards your right heel.

When your left leg is about to hit your right heel, kick your right foot up to the sky. For some dancers, it helps to imagine that they’re trying to kick their face with their right foot.

Get used to this sweeping motion and progressively speed it up.

Remember to continue keeping your left arm tight and pushed down towards the ground.

Step 3

As you kick up with your right foot, your left leg is going to swing forward under your right heel, wrap around you, and shoot up towards the sky. 

As you kick your left leg up, you will put your right hand towards the ground and keep it tight by leaning your chest back, which helps you create a high V-shape in the front.

Step 4

After holding down hard on your right arm and kicking up hard with your left leg, finish off the circle by then kicking in with your right leg which will pull your left arm down to the front, creating a V-shape in the back. 

You will end the flare in a position where both your arms are pushed to the ground, and your legs are slightly spread behind you with your hips held high rather than in a neutral or low position.

Congratulations, you’ve done a flare! Read on to learn how to do multiple rounds of the flare and keep the motion going.

Step 5

To enter into your next flare: once your right leg kicks around to the back, you’ll start shifting your weight back into your left arm and you’ll be back at Step 2. Your right leg moves up, and your left leg swoops under, wraps around you, and kicks up as your right arm comes down, creating the V-shape in the front again. After which, you’ll finish off your flare again as mentioned in Step 4. 

Now, you’re able to do flares continuously! 

Quick and Handy Tips to Help You Nail the Flare

Don’t be discouraged if you’re not getting the flare down at the start. It’s a challenging move, but it’s not impossible to do and it’ll be worth it once you see yourself making progress over time. Aim to be consistent because the more you practice , the easier it’ll get.

To help you learn this move faster, here are some tips that you can use:

• Always kick your legs hard. The momentum helps you continue doing multiple flares
• Always hold tight in your arms, pushing down into the ground and not letting your arms slack
• Remember: opposite arms, opposite legs. For example, when you’re kicking your right leg up, your weight is leaning away from your right leg and onto your left arm
• Don’t place your hands too far out of or into your body as you’ll use more energy controlling your body, and can also make you more prone to injuries
• To build up your core strength, practice  planking

I Know How to Do the Flare, Now What?

Great! Now you can build on what you already know by working on two things: flow and flavor.

For flow, think about how you can transition from other moves into the flare, or how you can use the flare to transition into your next move. For example, how do you go from a handstand, headstand, windmill or 3-step into a flare?

As for variations, explore how you can make the flare your own. How can you add your own style to it, how can you play around with it to make it different? For inspiration, take a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sswXJZrk6Q8 

The possibilities are endless, so happy flaring! 

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