What is breaking (breakdance)?
Breaking is the original hip-hop dance, performed by b-boys and b-girls in battles and cyphers. It combines toprock (standing steps), footwork on the floor, power moves such as windmills and headspins, and freezes, all improvised to breakbeats.
History
Breaking grew from Bronx block parties in the 1970s as dancers attacked the "break" in funk records. Crews such as Rock Steady Crew (founded 1977) and the New York City Breakers spread it worldwide through films like Wild Style and Beat Street. Breaking made its Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games.
Basic technique
- Toprock and the Indian step
- Six-step and three-step footwork
- Baby freeze, chair freeze
- Power moves — windmill, flare, headspin (advanced)
Music & tempo
Breakbeats and funk, usually 100–130 BPM.
Songs for breaking (breakdance)
| Song | Artist | BPM | Key | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nunca es tarde | Canteca de Macao feat. Shangó Dely | 100 | G minor | 2012 |
| I Love This Music | Steve Arrington & DâM‐FunK | 100 | G# minor | 2013 |
| She Loves You | Clazziquai Project | 100 | C major | 2004 |
| Raid | Madvillain feat. M.E.D. aka Medaphoar | 100 | F minor | 2004 |
| It’s Your Time | Plan B | 100 | A# minor | 2006 |
| Love Has Gone | The Contours | 101 | C major | 2010 |
| It's Them Again | Teh Tarik Crew feat. Syaheed | 101 | A# major | 2004 |
| Budget Clubbing | Teh Tarik Crew | 101 | F# minor | 2004 |
| Mister Cee’s Master Plan | Big Daddy Kane | 101 | A minor | 1988 |
| Chicken Strut | The Meters | 101 | G# minor | 1970 |
BPM as measured by audio analysis; some tracks read at half or double the danced tempo.
All 234 breaking (breakdance) songs by BPM →
What to wear
Sneakers, loose clothes; beanies for headspins.
How to get started
Start with toprock and footwork; power moves come after strength and conditioning.
We list 10 studios that teach breaking (breakdance), or browse all dance studios by state.
Movies featuring breaking (breakdance)
- Dancer in the Dark (2000)
- Hairspray (2007)
- The Oogieloves in The Big Balloon Adventure (2012)
- Breaking Through (2015)
Recent research
- Human interpretable grammar encodes multicellular systems biology models to democratize virtual cell laboratories. — Cell, 2025
- Shaping Future Directions for Breakdance Teaching. — Frontiers in psychology, 2022
- Salsa Rhythms and Soul Connections. — Qualitative inquiry : QI, 2024
- Injury Profile of Hip-Hop Dancers. — Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 2020
- Interpersonal synchronization of movement intermittency. — iScience, 2022
More breaking (breakdance) research →
Books about breaking (breakdance)
- Hip Hop by Steven Hager (1984)
- Breakdance by Jairus Green, David Bramwell (2003)
- Break dance by Bonnie Nadell (1984)
- Break dancing by James Haskins (1985)
- Street dance by Emma Torrington (2011)
- Raven by Allison van Diepen (2013)
Encyclopedia summary
Breakdancing or breaking, also called b-boying (when performed by men) or b-girling (when performed by women), is a style of street dance developed by African Americans and Puerto Ricans in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Breakdancing consists mainly of four kinds of movement—toprock, footwork, power moves, and freezes—and is typically set to songs containing drum breaks, especially in funk, soul, and hip-hop. Its modern dance elements originated among the poor youth of New York during the 1970s and early 1980s. It is tied to the birth of hip-hop, whose DJs played songs featuring rhythmic breaks for dancers.
The dance form has expanded globally, with an array of organizations and independent competitions supporting its growth. Breaking became an Olympic sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as per a December 7, 2020 decision by the International Olympic Committee, after a proposal by the World DanceSport Federation.
Frequently asked questions
Is breaking in the Olympics?
Breaking debuted at the Paris 2024 Olympics; it is not on the program for Los Angeles 2028.
What BPM is Breaking (Breakdance)?
Breaking (Breakdance) is usually danced to music between 100 and 130 beats per minute. Browse 234 songs that fit on our Breaking (Breakdance) music page.
How many calories does breaking (breakdance) burn?
About 720 calories per hour for a 155-lb (70 kg) person, based on a MET value of 9.8 from the Compendium of Physical Activities. See calories burned breaking (breakdance) for every body weight.
Related styles
Hip-Hop Dance
The Bronx, New York, and California funk styles
Street & Club DancePopping
Fresno and the San Francisco Bay Area, California
Street & Club DanceLocking
Los Angeles
Street & Club DanceHouse Dance
Chicago and New York City clubs
Street & Club DanceKrump
South Central Los Angeles
Street & Club DanceWaacking
Los Angeles LGBTQ+ disco clubs
Street & Club DanceVoguing
Harlem ballroom scene
Street & Club DanceK-Pop Dance
South Korea
Last reviewed October 2026 · Editorial policy