Hiphop and Street Dance

Compare-Contrast Essay

Hip Hop and Street Dance

Is Hip Hop and Street dance one and the same? Most of the people would say a yes. Both these dance styles have been widely accepted by the youth today. Any dance forms can be matched up or vary with factors like origin, dance style, beats, moves and age limit. Although, the youth tend to use hip hop and street dance to mean the same thing, the fact is both these dance forms have been a success due to their individual creativeness.
A dance is introduced only when it is known where it derived from and what inspired the person to begin it. Hip Hop was originated from the urban community in early 70’s in New York by the Black and Latino Americans. It started from the young frustrated people who were desperate enough to express themselves (Trapmedia). Like Hip Hop, Street dance was first seen in USA in the 1970’s as well. But it came from the social dance and the culture. Though it grew from Hip Hop, it did not start within the studios. Instead it was introduced in an open space like night clubs, playgrounds, schools, etc (Greeney).
Not only the origin, but the dance style it masters in and what it portrays is one of the main reasons that give recognition to any dance form. Hip Hop is all about locking, popping, breaking and krumping. Locking is more of a dynamic dance. It has more of freezes and poses. Breaking, in other terms B-Boying, is more of gang dances. The hip hop dancers love themselves getting engaged into wars and battles. Free-styling, battles and ciphers are the three elements of hip hop dance. Hip Hop depicts music, dance, poetry, art, fashion and language. This dance form also makes uses of slangs as Rapping is the major part of it.
Street dance involves dance styles like Jazz, Contemporary and modern folk dance with free style. But the root of where it was inspired from is the European ballet. It portrays stories of people’s life within a three to five minute dance. This dance form is eco-friendly and the only aim for the dancers is to encourage interaction with people and other dancers. In contrast, Street dance motivates to fight against the violent gangster activities (Trapmedia).
Like the dance style; the beats, music and the moves are very crucial for a dance. Without these, a dance would not be called a dance. Street dance got moves like clapping hands, head movements and stomping feet. Both music and the moves are fast, powerful and dramatic. It is highly used by artists such as Pussycat Dolls, Usher, Justin Timberlake and many more (Greeney). Whereas, Hip Hop is quite slow. The moves need a lot of pause and freezes. Wrists, knees, back are the parts which are used more. Groups like The Lockers, the Electric Boogaloos and the Rock Steady Crew are the ones that made this dance style popular (Trapmedia).
Lastly, dance forms like Hip Hop and Street got their own age limits. It requires practice and skills to do it. Street dance has got no age limitation. This is the reason it is still growing in popularity. It still gets popular through movies like Step Up and Street Dance 3D, and television shows such as Britains Got Talent. The best thing about the Street dance is its creativeness. There are no fixed moves; it’s all based on a person’s creativity. A street dancer does not have to be skilled in locking, popping and breaking to present a dance. The demand for it is very high in schools today. It has been a success because it involves children to participate and promotes them further in life. On the other hand, a hip hop dancer has to master in certain dance styles for participating. A person needs to be talented; due to this not all ages can reach this level. The movie, Stomp the Yard features this kind of dance (Greeney).
Today, Hip hop and Street dance contribute to millions of industries and have become a necessity for any successful star to perform. So it is important to aware the youth today that Hip Hop and Street do not fall under the same category. They are set apart by features like origin, style of dancing, music and beats and the limitation of age. This is what gave an individual identity to both these dance styles and made them popular in their own field of creativity. Knowing this would help youths master in what their interests are and help understand the use of it.

References

Greeney. J. (n.d.). The Origins of Street dance. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/20889055/The-Origins-of-Street-Dance.
Street Dance vs Hip Hop Dance (2010, September 3). Street Dance Workshops. Retrieved from http://www.trapmedia.com/blog/street-dance-workshops-and-hip-hop-dance-workshops/.

References: Greeney. J. (n.d.). The Origins of Street dance. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/20889055/The-Origins-of-Street-Dance. Street Dance vs Hip Hop Dance (2010, September 3). Street Dance Workshops. Retrieved from http://www.trapmedia.com/blog/street-dance-workshops-and-hip-hop-dance-workshops/.