Hip Hop Dance Classes

Hip hop dance classes have become one of the more popular "extra" dance classes offered from studios and schools all around the country. It has even led to the formation of entire schools of hip hop dance, such as Groove Nation in Vancouver, WA.

In addition, the internet has become a source of instruction for people hoping to learn about hip hop dance. Videos, websites, blogs, and many other forms of social media have sprung up from teachers, performers, and fans alike. This presents a problem for people hoping to learn hip hop dance: what is authentic? What is good?

It's very uncommon to find a general dance studio in a city that does not offer some sort of hip hop dance classes. Unfortunately, this is often simply a jazz dance or other dance instructor who has looked at some hip hop dancers and said to themselves "Oh, I can do that…" They may be right; they may take the time to read a book or watch a dvd on hip hop dance before they begin to offer it as a class.

And in some sense they are right. Like any other dance form, it is possible to simply break it down into its component parts. Perform these movements to a specific beat, a legitimate hip hop song, and it could be said that the dancers had gotten their money's worth from these hip hop dance classes.

However, hip hop has a rich history, intertwined with graffiti artists, scratch DJs, rappers, and the entire African American urban culture. To ignore this is doing a disservice both to the student and to the history of the dance form itself. Before choosing to take a dance class, find out some information about the instructor and the school.

• Where did they learn their hip hop dance moves?
• Where have they performed? Are there video tapes available of the performances?
• How long have they been dancing hip hop?
• Are there other students that can talk to you about their experience learning hip hop, or show you their own level of dance now that they've taken the class?

These are questions that, when answered, can help you make a good decision about the value of the hip hop dance classes offered. Keep in mind that skin color, clothing, and the studio have very little to do with the value of the classes. In fact, often some of the nicest social dance schools offer their dance floors to groups of hip hop dancers to practice and teach.

In reality, the idea of learning hip hop in a classroom setting is foreign to the tradition of hip hop – the art form developed and was passed on in a more oral/demonstrative tradition, with groups of dancers cooperatively helping each other develop their craft. Joining a group such as that is almost certainly the best way to actually learn hip hop.

Thanks to the digital revolution, it is not necessary for a person to live in an urban center to begin their hip hop education. There are many DVDs and websites devoted to the dance form, and a thoroughly networked internet and TV culture of both dancers and afficionadoes.

Most of the same criteria used to evaluate a hip hop dance teacher can be used to evaluate the value of a website or dance DVD. In addition, look up reviews of the sites or DVDs, google the instructor, and look for comments from other people who have used the site or DVD. While it's true that there's a lot of information available for free on the internet, it is often worth what you pay for it.

One of the great things about hip hop is that there is usually not a huge cost to get appropriate clothing or equipment. The music is available on a local radio station, the clothing is almost anything durable and soft (often loose-fitting). Most hip hop dancers wear flat-soled sneakers when they dance, and the most special equipment is usually something like kneepads or a hat if the class is advanced enough to offer something like headspins.

One thing is for certain: hip hop dance is an art form accessible to anyone with the passion and drive to make it part of their dance repertoire.

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