Find your crew for Streetdance
On udansa you will find like-minded people, passionate crews, and the right courses in your area to take your urban moves to the next level. Sign up and become part of the global dance community!
4 minutes
Learn streetdance styles: Basics for Popping, Locking and House
- Classic street dance styles like Popping, Locking, and House are based on precise body control and a deep sense of rhythm.
- The foundation for all styles is the continuous training of bounce and groove in harmony with the music.
- Targeted isolation exercises help to control and move individual muscle groups independently of one another.
- Every style has its own dynamic, from the mechanical stops in Popping to the fluid footwork in House.
udansa community
Streetdance is much more than just wild movements to music. It is an art form full of precision, body control, and a deep sense of rhythm that invites you to find your own style with udansa.
Definition
- Bounce
Bounce refers to the continuous, elastic up and down movement of the body in rhythm with the music, which serves as the motor foundation for almost all street dance styles.
Rhythm in your blood as the foundation for every style
To understand the diversity of urban dances, it is worth taking a look at the roots of the classic styles that emerged apart from the acrobatic floor elements of breaking. The most important foundation for each of these styles is what is known as bounce and groove training. The groove is the rhythmic foundation that permeates your entire body, while the bounce is the elastic up-and-down movement that keeps you in time. Without this deeply rooted connection to the music, even the most precise steps appear stiff and artificial.
Anyone who wants to learn streetdance styles must first let go of the idea of only dancing along to fixed choreographies. It is much more about developing a feel for the rhythm and internalizing the basic movement patterns until they become second nature. Only when the upper body springs in harmony with the beats do the specific techniques of the individual styles unfold their full effect.
Body control through Popping and Locking
An absolute milestone in urban dance history is learning Popping and Locking. Both styles originated on the US West Coast, but they differ fundamentally in their dynamics. A precise guide to Popping basics always begins with the so-called pop or hit: the lightning-fast tensing and immediate relaxing of specific muscle groups, usually in the arms, legs, or chest, exactly on the beat of the music. To execute this effect cleanly, targeted isolation exercises from Hip-Hop are essential. You will learn to move individual parts of your body completely independently of one another.
In contrast to the mechanical illusion of Popping is the dynamic Locking. Anyone who wants to learn the Locking steps relies on fast, clearly defined arm movements that end in a frozen position, the lock. This style is extremely expressive, humorous, and thrives on fast wrist rotations, the twirls, and deep squats. Both styles require a high level of body control, which you build best through regular, focused technique training.
The path to clean street dance technique
- Feel the groove throughout your whole body and move fluidly with it
- Move individual body parts in isolation and with control
- Keep your knees slightly bent for maximum flexibility
- Practice the basics and your sense of rhythm regularly
- Waiting for the beat stiffly and without body tension
- Letting your whole body swing uncontrollably with your arms
- Dancing with completely straight legs
- Trying complex choreographies directly without a foundation
udansa tip
Use your phone to film yourself while practicing isolations. Often, a movement feels much bigger in your own body than it actually looks from the outside.
Streetdance begins in the mind and in the heart, but it is brought to the streets through absolute control over every single muscle.
Weightless footwork to fast club beats
While popping and locking focus heavily on the upper body and rapid muscle contractions, house dance shifts the action to fluid, almost floating footwork. The classic house dance basic step is based on so-called jacking, a wave-like movement of the upper body that vibrates to the rhythm of fast, driving house beats. Complex sequences of steps, such as lofting techniques, are built upon this, which are strongly influenced by African dances, tap dance, and Salsa.
Combining these various street dance techniques makes you a versatile dancer. House dance trains your stamina, your light-footedness, and your feel for driving, electronic rhythms. It is the perfect balance to the hard, isolated movements of West Coast styles and opens the door to a whole new world of musical interpretation on the dance floor.
Two worlds of West Coast street dance culture
Mechanical precision and illusion
The art of muscular contraction
Popping is based on the abrupt tensing of individual muscles to create a mechanical, almost robotic effect. Here, isolations and optical illusions dominate.
High-energy stops and twirls
Dynamics and expressive poses
Locking uses fast, sweeping movements that abruptly freeze into a fixed position. The style is energetic, playful, and designed to interact with the audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
For starters, loose sweatpants, a baggy t-shirt, and sneakers with a flat, flexible sole are suitable. Your clothing should offer you maximum freedom of movement for deep steps and wide arm movements.
Streetdance classes near you
Find the right dance school and learn the basics from experienced coaches.
