[demonhand]

Are you saying we should not take moves literally from other dances, but rather... take the concepts that give the moves their appeal?

[Rath]

That is the first time I've seen a tektonic battle.

I don't know what to make of it. At least it isn't as scarring as that time I watched a random dance battle thinking they were girls, only to find out afterwards that it was a vogueing battle.

[k1ng]

Originally Posted by demonhand Are you saying we should not take moves literally from other dances, but rather... take the concepts that give the moves their appeal?

we should take moves from other dances and we've already been doing it. it enables us to understand the concept and transform it. key word: "transform" which does not mean to merely "apply". b-boying is not what it is today from basic application; it's exciting because it's always been about transformations.

by competitive and energy-packed nature, b-boys are very impulsive about using concepts rather than first understanding them. how far people get into developing their style this way is debatable. yet, we all know that originality does not come by easily and some people even go so far as to say that it's beyond our natural grasp since everything is an imitation of something before it.

however, if we view originality like a trait to be possessed rather than an attitude to be exercised, then i think we have missed the whole point of our art.

what does this have to do with concepts?
originality is the key to unlocking the concepts. it is not the other way around. there are a limited number of concepts at any given time (i.e. year 2000-2010) but there is an infinite # of paths and approaches you can choose to develop those concepts. why take the most conventional, predictable, or literal ones?

start with the move but cultivate with the mind. don't let it die because you chose ignorance, apathy, or comfort over being a pioneer.

[MaDD]

Originally Posted by beaniekapp yo madd do you mind sharing the 4 corners...? im too lazy too type... haha...!!

I've heard four corners explained a couple of different ways. The one I think is most fitting/appropriate involves imagining you are inside of a square. each step you take should only touch the corners or side of the box... so for example if you step side you should be hitting the side of the box, if you cross you should hit the corner, if you step forward you should hit the front if you step backward you should hit the back. When this was explained to me the person also emphasized that you should keep steps in the box symmetrical but I'm not sure if thats part of it I think it might just be a bay thing.

Yo beanie did you go to eswifts thing? I went with the intent to battle Mikeyice but we couldn't find him lol. So instead I just got creamed in the 2v2s by entering by myself.

[beaniekapp]

Originally Posted by MaDD I've heard four corners explained a couple of different ways. The one I think is most fitting/appropriate involves imagining you are inside of a square. each step you take should only touch the corners or side of the box... so for example if you step side you should be hitting the side of the box, if you cross you should hit the corner, if you step forward you should hit the front if you step backward you should hit the back. When this was explained to me the person also emphasized that you should keep steps in the box symmetrical but I'm not sure if thats part of it I think it might just be a bay thing. Yo beanie did you go to eswifts thing? I went with the intent to battle Mikeyice but we couldn't find him lol. So instead I just got creamed in the 2v2s by entering by myself.

yo i was there...!! were you the one in the jersey...?! hahaha...!! i was in all black with a muhammad ali long sleeve... youd prolly have seen me in the apache lines of course... mikeyice didnt show up... but i found it hella funny when i heard somebody talked to my boy wacko asking him if he was mikey... hahahaha...!! it was a fun night... too bad my boys got knocked out by smooth and his kid in the first rounds but its all gravy... i was there to celebrate... hahah...!!

as in regards to the 4 corners thing... it can also apply to symmetry as well...

oh and KING... i totally feel what ure saying broskii... as the things ive been dropping do lead to originality... im just here dropping what i can to help out how people can use the steps in whatever and limitless ways... peace...!!

good discussion so far too...!!

[bboysabuta]

I have a theory
I think that it is physically impossible to toprock without using indian step at least once (no, not cross step i know these things get confused or whatever...)
I'm talking about the indian step that the guy does in the game "bboy" if you've ever played it.
It's just like.... you can't resist doing it, it looks so cool and it's so simple.

Does anyone agree with me?

[MaDD]

Originally Posted by beaniekapp yo i was there...!! were you the one in the jersey...?! hahaha...!! i was in all black with a muhammad ali long sleeve... youd prolly have seen me in the apache lines of course... mikeyice didnt show up... but i found it hella funny when i heard somebody talked to my boy wacko asking him if he was mikey... hahahaha...!! it was a fun night... too bad my boys got knocked out by smooth and his kid in the first rounds but its all gravy... i was there to celebrate... hahah...!!

Yeah my boy bunny asked wacko if he was mikeyice cuz I was about to just call him out assuming it was cuz of all the toprock lol. Yeah I was in white with the black Jersey my partner's surprise birthday was on the same day so he ended up not coming but I didn't find out til after I'd signed up so I just went in on my own. Bunny and Slip also lost to smooth rock and his kid lol...

Well glad you could hit up down here, Its good to see how people get down from all over I was pretty hyped about lil john and moy coming out from texas a couple of weeks ago for the burning the 9floor9 jam.

[Man of Confiden]

To rock you need to know how to dance, it ain't that hard. Too many kats are trying to be bboys but can't do a simple 2 step side 2 side with some groove and flavor. If you want to learn to rock, learn how to dance. Take up popping, locking, salsa, WHATEVER. Or just work on that side 2 side groove. Once you know how to dance, rocking is easy as cake. I can rock the shit out of any song, but I borrow lots of my moves from the New Jack swing era, House, Locking, etc etc. Take that shit and flip it to a bboy style and you're gold. Ain't no shortcut though.

[beaniekapp]

Originally Posted by MaDD Yeah my boy bunny asked wacko if he was mikeyice cuz I was about to just call him out assuming it was cuz of all the toprock lol. Yeah I was in white with the black Jersey my partner's surprise birthday was on the same day so he ended up not coming but I didn't find out til after I'd signed up so I just went in on my own. Bunny and Slip also lost to smooth rock and his kid lol... Well glad you could hit up down here, Its good to see how people get down from all over I was pretty hyped about lil john and moy coming out from texas a couple of weeks ago for the burning the 9floor9 jam.

was bunny and slip the "green herbs and tea" kats...? anyways... yea i be coming down to meet up with rock bandit for the past couple of years... im thinking of making it a habit of going down once a year or so... its a real dope scene and i learn alot... i came down for the bbeat show interview at manes... you can scope it out as i posted it around here somewhere...

MAN OF CONFIDEN... yo i respect what ure sayin... but were talking bout toprock here not uprock... haha...!! its all gravy as uprock can improve your bboying definitely... im just saying that to avoid misconceptions and separating the line between the 2 dances... so forgive me if i sounded harsh... peace...!!

[Man of Confiden]

Originally Posted by beaniekapp MAN OF CONFIDEN... yo i respect what ure sayin... but were talking bout toprock here not uprock... haha...!! its all gravy as uprock can improve your bboying definitely... im just saying that to avoid misconceptions and separating the line between the 2 dances... so forgive me if i sounded harsh... peace...!!

Beanie you got something mad twisted. I said NOTHING about uprock in there at all. I was talking about toprock. So there are no misconceptions except whatever words you're pulling out of thin air. But of course no offense taken, since uprock was nowhere in my post. Ahh now that I look at it I see you're confusion. By "rock" I was talking about toprock. Where I'm from we'll say rock or "rock up top" for toprock ya know? I was by no means talking about uprocking haha.


But like I said before, to toprock you need to know how to dance. Its not as complicated as ppl make it out to be, its like walking. How do you get dope tops??? Learning how to move! I got dope tops simply from toprockin' EVERYWHERE! Its all really just a bunch of two steps. Add hops, spins, twists...whatever you want B. Dancing ain't science, its art. The minute you analyze and overthink it, you've missed the concept entirely.

[beaniekapp]

Originally Posted by Man of Confiden Beanie you got something mad twisted. I said NOTHING about uprock in there at all. I was talking about toprock. So there are no misconceptions except whatever words you're pulling out of thin air. But of course no offense taken, since uprock was nowhere in my post. Ahh now that I look at it I see you're confusion. By "rock" I was talking about toprock. Where I'm from we'll say rock or "rock up top" for toprock ya know? I was by no means talking about uprocking haha. But like I said before, to toprock you need to know how to dance. Its not as complicated as ppl make it out to be, its like walking. How do you get dope tops??? Learning how to move! I got dope tops simply from toprockin' EVERYWHERE! Its all really just a bunch of two steps. Add hops, spins, twists...whatever you want B. Dancing ain't science, its art. The minute you analyze and overthink it, you've missed the concept entirely.

haha... its all gravy bruddah... so forgive me on the confusion... as for the part bout dancing being a science or what not... i break it down as if it was... for me actually i look at it as math... hahaha...!! peace out and expand your minds fellas... theres no one way to think bout dancing... lets keep it moving... peace...!!

[cHo¢KoLaTe]

Originally Posted by Man of Confiden To rock you need to know how to dance, it ain't that hard. Too many kats are trying to be bboys but can't do a simple 2 step side 2 side with some groove and flavor. If you want to learn to rock, learn how to dance. Take up popping, locking, salsa, WHATEVER. Or just work on that side 2 side groove. Once you know how to dance, rocking is easy as cake. I can rock the shit out of any song, but I borrow lots of my moves from the New Jack swing era, House, Locking, etc etc. Take that shit and flip it to a bboy style and you're gold. Ain't no shortcut though.

Another thing, having control and confidence is definite factor when dancing. It doesn't look too well if you're just tossing yourself around the floor pulling off mediocre movements. You gotta portray that you know what you're doing, otherwise the people watching you will get lost and stop following your movements. That's just the way it is.

With confidence, be able to show others that you're not skeptical about yourself. If your heads down and you're not putting any energy into your movements then forget it. It would be like sitting in a classroom with a blunt monotonous teacher lecturing you for an hour straight. In other words, WE WILL GET BORED and you will lose our attention. Avoid that by showing that you're having fun, responding strongly to the music, use facial expressions, etc. Whatever you can to keep the crowd hooked!

Lastly, you know something is wrong if you step into a circle and you feel like you're obligated to dance rather than having the desire to.

[beaniekapp]

Originally Posted by cHo¢KoLaTe Another thing, having control and confidence is definite factor when dancing. It doesn't look too well if you're just tossing yourself around the floor pulling off mediocre movements. You gotta portray that you know what you're doing, otherwise the people watching you will get lost and stop following your movements. That's just the way it is. With confidence, be able to show others that you're not skeptical about yourself. If your heads down and you're not putting any energy into your movements then forget it. It would be like sitting in a classroom with a blunt monotonous teacher lecturing you for an hour straight. In other words, WE WILL GET BORED and you will lose our attention. Avoid that by showing that you're having fun, responding strongly to the music, use facial expressions, etc. Whatever you can to keep the crowd hooked! Lastly, you know something is wrong if you step into a circle and you feel like you're obligated to dance rather than having the desire to.

in response to the bolded part i believe its better that people would KNOW what theyre doing... haha...!! and the last part on the obligation and desire... that is totally true...!! you can totally see that from people in the cypher as well... i find it funny too... especially when they go in lookin all scared... fuck up... and leave laughing or trying it laugh it off... haha...!!

anyways back on track... another thing i like to share is isolation of the hips and upper body... isolating can make or break peoples forms from what i believe depending on how well they can shift their hips... ill delve more into this later... i wanna if people ever experimented with this... peace...!!

[gibo]

haha i just read this tread from the first and before the last im plannin to put up "power of the hips" but sadly the last one before me says something bout the hips..so yeah i'll just share whats mine..

Hips! hips play a big role for me in toprock and ROCKING..yeah these are two different styles..and even in other styles .but regarding the hips..knowing how to control or shift your hips in different dirrections maybe it up and down, left and right, circles, zigzag different levels etc.. plays a big part in making your toprock natural and with flava. its the one that will throw watever kind of move you wanna do with your tops..its like having sex while dancing..the power of hips!

[beaniekapp]

Originally Posted by gibo haha i just read this tread from the first and before the last im plannin to put up "power of the hips" but sadly the last one before me says something bout the hips..so yeah i'll just share whats mine.. Hips! hips play a big role for me in toprock and ROCKING..yeah these are two different styles..and even in other styles .but regarding the hips..knowing how to control or shift your hips in different dirrections maybe it up and down, left and right, circles, zigzag different levels etc.. plays a big part in making your toprock natural and with flava. its the one that will throw watever kind of move you wanna do with your tops..its like having sex while dancing..the power of hips!

reading that definitely shows you learned form rob... hahaha...!!