[MrSander7x]

State you opinion. Do you think the evolution of bboying styles over the years has created a more dynamic dance or is it slowly driving bboying away from it's original essence? Also, if you feel inclined, answer the following: Have styles adapted to fit culture and society? If so, how? Discuss!

[Man of Confiden]

Damn..thats a hard one..hmm.

I can't really find a straight answer, but i'll go with the deterioration bit, startin with this new generation of breakers.

Really this is why....back then there really weren't a huge set of "rules" when it came to breakin. Basically u rocked up top, then hit the floor and did whatever the hell u felt like doin. Each region had its own characteristic style ya kno? One region culdn't really copy another region becuz the atmosphere wuz so different in each place. Everybody looked unique, becuz there were virtually no limits. THe focus wuz more on creativity and bein original more than anythang else.

Here and now...its gone completely the opposite direction. Now its about technique, and gettin down certain basics, before creativity and originality. Now its "learn six step, baby freeze, toprock blah blah blah", where as bak then it wuz "toprock and hit the floor". Now tons of ppl look the EXACT same, with the EXACT same aresenal of moves, and the EXACT same transitions. The only time things get interestin is when u start gettin bboys that been in it for years and years.

That is why i say style has deteriorated. Now on the other hand...loads of new shit has come out over the years, and has opened up the gates big time. So in that way, it has evolved. There's more doors open for everybody. I think the problem is that everyone is goin thru the same doors.

I get kinda tired of the "rulebook" shit....to me its a dance that can be learned any damn way you feel like. Technique comes with repetition. Ppl always say that if u jus try to make sumthin original..itll look like shit. Well if im jus startin and i do a six step...it looks like shit too. What difference does it make? If i practice my sixstep and my original move 10000s of times...holy shit, they look better! Anyway there's a bunch of clones now, but like i said, its hard to say one way or the other which way bboyin is goin.

[Chucky]

The evolution of styles definitely made a more dynamic dance. Like for a long time that was pretty much everything. You could tell where someone was from because of the way they breaked. But everyone started watching to much videos and now too many people look the same. You would think that there would be more and more styles but now there are only a few.

As for driving away from the original essence, totally depends on the style! Like in the mid 90s dudes in Toronto like Bag of Tricks and Boogie Brats started experimenting with things like threads that they had seen on old Battle Squad tapes. At the time not to many people did any kind of threads at all, infact it would more be considered a move, "a thread", instead of a whole category of moves, and at that it was more of a forgotten move as well. Anyways, they took that shit to a whole new level and invented made threads and dead legs and you can see their influence on practically every bboy around the world today. On the flipside a crew like Circle of Fire started incorporating foreign movements into bboying. Stuff like Capoeria and House dancing. I think at the time it took away from the original essence, it was just pure housing, capoeira and a little bit of breaking done in a bboy environment. But they kept at it and now are on of the most respected bboy crews around, they just needed time to really develop that style.

As for adapting to culte and society, hell no, I don't think you can see patterns in breaking that would equate to social changes. Such a strange question could only come from someone trying to do yet another school project on breaking. I would try and find a topic that makes more sense.

[MrSander7x]

^^Haha, no school project. I'm in college Chucky. You should know better than that. Just trying to get people thinking, thats all. But if culture did has not influenced styles, how do you explain different styles in other parts of the world? What influenced the difference in European and Korean styles then?

[Bboy Blessed]

I agree with M.O.C. when u say that it has gonna the opposite direction.... but I see nothing wrong with that..... I think when someone has some basics or foundation to build on..... it shud open up some more doors to see sum pretty unique ass shit....thats why I say that 6 steps and baby freezes are pretty mandatory to learn....... however..... I think most bboys take this "opprotunity to open up ur mind" as a way to jus variate it a little, add sum decent transitions with blow ups and power....... like back in the day..... it wud take sum unique ass shit to win the jam/battle...... but now a days..... u can go on Youtube or sum shit..... search Bboy machine or Hong 10 and find out that he won the jam with these certain combos..... and jus bite that and the judges wont realli say anything..... I think in time we as bboys will notice that we're being too repititive and we'll start being creative again.....


Peace

Originally Posted by Man of Confiden Now tons of ppl look the EXACT same, with the EXACT same aresenal of moves, and the EXACT same transitions.

I see that as kind of weeding out the bboys who can't make it. After all, isn't that the point of evolution? To refine the species for maximum living efficiency?

Bad choice of words, I know, sorry. I just hope you understand.

[muffinturtle]

Kujo's opinion. It's funny because it starts out with a random crew asking Kujo what he thinks of them, and he somehow gets into this long ass monologue about how all the bboys are becoming the same and there's no individual style nowadays while the other people would randomly agree with him throughout while going, "uh-huh.....m-hm." Haha he's a cool guy.

Some may agree with what he says, some may not.

[MrSander7x]

Originally Posted by muffinturtle Kujo's opinion. It's funny because it starts out with a random crew asking Kujo what he thinks of them, and he somehow gets into this long ass monologue about how all the bboys are becoming the same and there's no individual style nowadays while the other people would randomly agree with him throughout while going, "uh-huh.....m-hm." Haha he's a cool guy.

Sorry, but if you noticed... I'm asking for your opinion. Not somebody elses. This question is for you to think about, not a link-posting excersie.

[Bboy Blessed]

Hmmm..... I wonder why there arent any more posts in this one...... o_O......


Peace

[GoNzO]

Originally Posted by MrSander7x Do you think the evolution of bboying styles over the years has created a more dynamic dance or is it slowly driving bboying away from it's original essence?

It's a little of both.

I think real bboys, still want to keep and continue learning and educating on the foundation or the 'original essence' but at the same time- want breaking to adapt to its changing enviroment, and for that it has to evolve and change.
Well not change, but like it... uh... I dunno. Not change, it just has to have stuff added to it so that it can keep growing.
-adapt, I guess is the word im looking for.
It's survival of the fittest, and for bboying to not be labeled a "fad," how it was used to be, it has to evolve and adapt to changes.

[muffinturtle]

Originally Posted by MrSander7x Sorry, but if you noticed... I'm asking for your opinion. Not somebody elses. This question is for you to think about, not a link-posting excersie.

I posted that video because it related to the subject of "the evolution of style" which happens to be the thread title, and it would give people something to think about. Kujo did a really good job in expressing the opinion that Chucky, Man of Confiden might have (or might not have) and I thought it would add to the thread.

I get what you're saying though, I just didn't think you were going to be that literal.

As far as my opinion goes, I think that since bboying is a dance, of course we all need to learn the foundation and DO the foundation for us to be considered bboying. However unlike most dances, bboying is unique because it's always expanding and evolving, while still sticking to its roots. I think that a lot of people are too scared to try anything new/questionable because they want to avoid controversy and the possibility of not being called a bboy. Nothing wrong with mastering the foundation and being incredibly adept with it though, we all just need to remember that there really aren't any limitations and as long as you can make it look dope, you virtually do whatever you want in bboying (without ignoring the foundation obviously). As to how much we can evolve our styles, no one can really say for sure, with some wanting to stick to the foundation moreso than others. Right now, it seems that there have been more and more bboys from around the world going towards the more foundational direction, and I don't see anything wrong with that. But then again, there's definitely been an increase in the dynamism of the dance with a lot of people who some may be hesitant to call "bboys" (abstract styles for example), but as long as they know their foundation, then let them do what they want.

[B-boy Jp]

Hmm, i think that now people are realising now that what they are doing came from somewhere ya know ? And heard a few Hiphop heads say that "in order for b-boying to evolutionise again it needs to do a 360 and people need to get back to the roots again" I really like the question you have here but i need to think about this a little more i'll post something more later. But i believe we are slowly taking HipHop in general back to ourselves and slowly branching of from Rap. But we need more Mainstream artists to spread the word about it. Because then we wouldnt be categorised by the public and the media as "gangstas" and all that crap.

[Dub-U]

Hmmm...I think that within the last few years or so bboying went mainstream (you got served, step up) which led to sort of a boom of kids who wanted to learn how to breakdance and not bboy. (to clarify my meaning of bboy; its an expression of yourself, a progress and to an extent, a way of life). But after awhile those kids find out that its too hard or they lose interest, but those who don't learn what bboying is and what it stands for (for lack of better words)
-I think that part of the reason we see so many bboys doing the same things is because, unlike "back in the day", we have youtube, google video, myspace, and even the org. to show us what certain moves are and how they should be. Back then, you had to go find someone to teach you...and correct me if i'm wrong, none of them wanted to teach some punk kid to do a windmill.
-But about the evolution part...I believe that the more uniform we become, the less creativity and unique style is brought to jams the harder it will become for an upcoming crew to win. The more we look the same will start to make it harder for anyone to win. And when that happens someone will have to do something different, something better in order to win, and that will cause a domino effect that'll cause everyone else to change and get better in order to win. (sorry bout the giant run-on sentence.)

...Just my two cents...

(EDIT::Just to clarify my definition of a bboy and a breakdancer...its a mental and personal thing, what I mean by that is; you know whether or not ur a bboy or a breakdancer...to me a breakdancer is someone who has no foundation, but still learns power moves. Sure bboying is very open and unique...but it still has foundations you have to have in order to be called a bboy, foundational like toprock for example.)

[[Sikk]]

I'm not really going to bother posting anything useful or reading anyone else's posts but I just gotta say that this is a great thread.

[B-boy Jp]

Originally Posted by [Sikk] I'm not really going to bother posting anything useful or reading anyone else's posts but I just gotta say that this is a great thread.

word lol.