In the mid-20s, Earl Tucker ("Snake Hips") was a performer at the Cotton Club during the days of Duke Ellington. His style of dance is definitely related to that of waving that you see young hip-hop dancers still doing today, as hip-hop dance refers to dance styles, mainly street-dance styles, primarily danced to hip-hop music, or that evolved as a part of the hip-hop culture. It can include a wide range of styles such as breaking, popping, locking, krumping, and even house dance. It can also include the many styles simply labeled as hip-hop or old school (hype or freestyle). This dance style, primarily associated with hip-hop as breaking, appeared in New York City during the early 1970s and became a cornerstone of hip-hop as a culture. Funk styles, such as popping and locking, evolved separately in California in the 1960-70s but were also integrated into hip-hop when the culture reached the West Coast of the United States. This course will be a technique-based course in the learning and participation of the various styles that make up hip-hop dance today. |