Overview of BBoying by Invent

BBoying: The roots of bboying as it is known today are far and spread. The earliest forms of bboying sprouted back in 1972 at Kool DJ Hercs house and block parties. The stlye of uprocking (basic footwork while standing) comes from New York City gang dances of the 1960's (much like people today doing the Crip Walk). Since uprocking really expanded from copying gang dances into its own form of dancing in Brooklyn, it has come to be called "Brooklyn Uprock" or "Brooklyn Rocking." In UpRock, it is almost a mock fight form, in which the person doing it must drop down to a crouching position on the 4th beat of every measure.

From UpRocking, sprouted another form of standing footwork is called top rocking. Top rocking is its own form of footwork in which the person doing it does not need to drop down, and it can be done solo (whereas Brooklyn should only be done when someone else is doing Brooklyn). Most of th erocking you will see from bboys and bgirls is toprocking.

When people started to hit the floor (ground work) it became known as "Ground Rocking". Ground Rocking consists of a series of step techniques known as 2-step, 4-step and 6-step. (I am not sure of there being other steps, like a 9-step.) There are also CCs, swipes, and switchbacks.

Another element developed around the same time was freezes. The most basic freeze is the baby freeze. Over time freezes have developed to be more physically demanding and difficult (one such example is the "Hollowback").

The elements of power moves (continuous headspin [pencil spin developed in mid-late 70's]) where not added until around 1982. A popper and member of the Electric Boogaloos, Suga Pop, visited New York City around that time (visiting Mr. Wiggles, Frosty Freeze, and other members of the RockSteady Crew) and the dances of popping and bboying were traded between coasts. (NYC already had a popping form known as Electric Boogie, but Suga Pop brought technique and terminology to the east coast.

When Suga Pop returned to the Los Angeles Area from New York, bboying became huge on the west coast, with people taking it to the next level by adding flares, windmills, elements from capoeira (Brazilian Martial Arts/Dance), and other highly risky gymnastics based moves.