A Playlist to Get You Started BPM means beats per minute. Practice these moves starting with
Jason Smith / Little Village
the lower BPM songs and move up the playlist as you learn. 100 BPM Nice & Smooth, “Old to the New” 112 BPM Babe Ruth, “The Mexican” 113 BPM Lyn Collins, “Think (About It)”
Learn to Break
114 BPM Liquid Liquid, “Cavern”
A set for beginners. BY CHUY RENTERIA
115 BPM James Brown “Give It Up or Turnit a Loose”
H
i everyone! Local dancer and author Chuy a.k.a. Bboy Original BEATS here. In these two pages, All The Way Up Studio co-owner Joel Sorenson a.k.a. Bboy Keitsu and I are going to teach you some core foundational elements of breaking (commonly referred to as breakdancing.*) Our goal is to give you the tools to approach your own basic set.
116 BPM Jimmy Castor Bunch, “It’s Just Begun” 116 BPM Incredible Bongo Band,
A set is the beginning, middle and end of your dance. If you were to dance in a circle or in a battle, your set is what happens when all eyes are on you. Following these WATCH steps in order is a good template for a beginner foundational set: tops>go down>footwork>freeze. Note that this order is not set in stone. Breaking is all about remixing things and making it your own. You could jump out with a dope freeze then transition to footwork, etc. Feel free to mix it up! To see video breakdowns of these movements and for even more moves, ideas and concepts scan this QR code.
First things first… This is a dance. A lot of folks gravitate to breaking because of the high-flying moves, but rule numero uno is that this is a dance. Even when you’re doing crazy intricate footwork or sticking a freeze, you should always try to do your movement to the music. (See sidebar for a playlist and a super-beginner intro to counts.)
BEATS AND JAMS: It’s all about the music Breaking formed in the Bronx in the early ’70s. DJ Kool Herc would throw block parties at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, known as the birthplace of
“Apache” 118 BPM CAN, “Vitamin C” 119 BPM Big Daddy Kane, “Set It Off” 120 BPM Herman Kelly and Life, “Dance to the Drummer’s Beat”
hip hop. The party people loved what they called the break of the record—the moment in a song when the drummer got down. In response, Herc created what he called “the merry go round.” He looped the break with two copies of the same record. (An example of a break is at the 2:23 mark of “Apache” in the provided playlist). B-boys and b-girls (break boys and break girls) one upping each other on the dance floor created this dance style.
you hear “five, six, seven, eight!” Truthfully, not a lot of breakers count like this. (I was years into my dance journey before someone taught me the concept.) For now, let’s think of the music in terms of kicks and snares— the boom and bap. Or, if you insist on counting, let’s break it down into a repeating one, two, three, four:
“Don’t Cry Over Broken Bones” 123 BPM Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, “Holdin’ On” 124 BPM Laura Vane & The Vipertones, “Roof Off” 128 BPM Fusik, “Cypher Black” 130 BPM Bronx River Parkway, “Donde”
1
2
3 4
LISTEN ON SPOTIFY
SYNCOPATION
A note on counts
1&2
Go to a dance studio and it won’t be long before
1&2&3&4
34 June 2021 LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV295
121 BPM djblesOne,
REST
3&4
SLIDING INTO YOUR DMS LIKE: LittleVillageMag.com/Subscribe
