Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States. The television show Soul Train and the 1980s films Breakin', Beat Street, and Wild Style showcased these crews and dance styles in their early stages; therefore, giving hip-hop dance mainstream exposure.
Breaking, also called b-boying, b-girling or breakdancing, is a style of street dance developed by African American and Puerto Rican communities in The Bronx, New York City, United States.
Kenneth James Gabbert, better known by his stage name Ken Swift, is a second generation b-boy, or breakdancer. He was a longtime member and key figure in the Rock Steady Crew, and its former Vice President. He is now President of the Breaklife and VII Gems Hip Hop movement in New York City. Ken Swift began b-boying in 1978, at the age of twelve, when he was inspired by dancers on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Widely known in the breakdancing world as "the Epitome of a B-Boy," he is widely considered by b-boys to be the individual who has had the greatest influence on breakdancing. Ken Swift is credited with the creation of many dance moves and terminology. His original footwork and "freeze style" became a foundational part of breaking, which were considered new concepts at the time.
Rock the Spot, sometimes referred as RTS, is an annual b-boying event held in London, Ontario, Canada. The event attracts spectators and dancers from around Ontario as well as nearby areas such as Quebec, Michigan and New York. The main feature of the event is a breakdance competition between crews however, there are often performances by specially invited dance groups which showcase funk or choreographed hip hop dance acts before or between rounds of the competition. Winners of the competition are chosen by a panel of special guest judges and prizes are awarded.
Kim Hong-Yul, better known by his stage name Hong 10, is a Korean b-boy. He is part of the Korean crew Flow XL, 7Commandoz worldwide and represents the Red Bull BC One All Stars.
Last For One is a b-boy crew that formed in 1997. With their win in the 2005 Battle of the Year (BOTY), they have been recognized worldwide and as a contributor to the Korean Wave. Their fans call them the "Dancing Taeguk Warriors". They were heavily featured in the film Planet B-Boy, which documents the 2005 BOTY. While most of the members were poor and some lived in extreme poverty in the southern part of South Korea, they had traveled to the capital of Seoul to compete in the BOTY. B-boy Joe currently heads the main wing while B-boy Lee (Jusung) and B-girl Zinny are regional members and compete in U.S. or international based events.
Red Bull BC One is an annual international B-Boy competition organized by the beverage company Red Bull. It is an individual B-Boy competition, notable for being the only one of the major international breaking championships to not include a crew event. The main event is a knockout tournament featuring sixteen B-Boys and B-Girls, chosen for exceptional skills in the dance and good character, competing in one-on-one battles decided by a panel of five judges. Regional finals are held for North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The winners of each region go on and participate in the World Finals. The inaugural BC One was held in Biel, Switzerland in 2004.
T.I.P. Crew is a bboy crew from South Korea. T.I.P. stands for Teamwork is Perfect. Founded in 1996 by Virus, T.I.P is the first b-boy crew in Korea. The crew has won numerous awards around the world and are still ongoing to this day. They have also appeared in music videos, movies, TV shows and commercial films.
Gamblerz, formerly known as Gambler, is a South Korean b-boy crew formed in 2002. They are best known for winning first place at Battle of the Year 2004 and 2009, the R-16 Korea Sparkling in 2008 and 2014, CYON Bboy Championships 2010, and Bucheon Bboy International Championship in 2016 along with many other major competitions across the world. Many of their b-boys have competed in individual tournaments as well, such as Red Bull BC One.
Super CR3W is a male assemblage of hip-hop dancers originating from Las Vegas, Nevada. The group won the second season Americas Best Dance Crew in the finals. Contrary to popular belief, Super CR3W was formed long before their appearance on Americas's Best Dance Crew, specifically in 2000. They wanted to bring the dance style, "Breakdancing/B-Boying" to the world.
Salah Benlemqawanssa, also known as Salah the Entertainer and Spider Salah, is a competitive hip-hop dancer from France who won the inaugural season of La France a un incroyable talent, the fourth season of Arabs Got Talent and the fourth season of Tú Sí Que Vales (Italy). He was born in the Paris suburb Saint-Denis and is of Moroccan (Father) and Algerian (Mother) ancestry. He calls his personal dance style P.A.B.E. which stands for Popping, Animation, Boogaloo, and Effects. Although Salah is best known for popping, he is also skilled in b-boying.
R16 Korea is an annual international b-boy tournament and urban arts cultural festival sponsored primarily by the Korea Tourism Organization and the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The main event features sixteen B-Boy crews representing fifteen countries competing in a two-day tournament for world championship titles in two categories: best crew performance and best crew battle.
The UK B-Boy Championships is a hip-hop dance competition held annually in the United Kingdom. UK B-Boy Championships, alongside Battle of the Year and R-16 Korea, is regarded to be one of the main International B-Boy Championships held every year. There are national qualifiers worldwide where dancers compete for the opportunity to represent their country at the international final held in London. The event features solo breakers, poppers, hip-hop dancers and b-boy crews from across the globe. It also host DJs and graffiti artists from other countries.
B-boying or Breaking, also called Breakdancing, is a style of street dance that originated among African-American and Puerto Rican youths in New York City during the early 1970s. The dance spread worldwide due to popularity in the media, especially in regions such as South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and Japan. Now, b-boying has gained much popularity around the world with countless competitions crowning the best bboy crews and solo bboys. Many consider Battle of the Year, The Notorious IBE, UK B-Boy Championships and R-16 Korea to be the 4 major international bboy competitions which determine the best bboy crew in the world. Along with crew battles, solo, or 1 on 1 battles, have also gained much popularity around the world. UK B-Boy Championships, Battle of the Year and R-16 Korea are also well known for their 1 on 1 b-boy championships. However, Red Bull BC One is argued to be the most coveted competition to crown the best solo b-boy due to their audience and popularity worldwide.
Morning of Owl was a b-boy crew founded in 2002 from Suwon, South Korea. They have won multiple b-boy competitions in Korea and abroad. They've been involved in the b-boying community with their creative shows, as well as in the battle scene. They are known for expressing originality and creativity in their dance. Morning of Owl has performed multiple shows throughout Korea as well as in the UK.
This page provides the summary of BOTY Japan held in Japan. Winner advances to BOTY International also known as Battle of the Year.
Freestyle Session is a b-boy competition held every year which crowns the best crew in the world. It is sanctioned by the Urban Dance & Educational Foundation and part of the Pro Breaking Tour and Undisputed's World BBoy Series. Originally held only in the United States, Freestyle Session is now being recognized worldwide. Most years have featured a 3 on 3 battle, but formats have varied over the years, from a 2 on 2 to a 10 on 10 full crew battle. Freestyle Session is most well known as a b-boy event, but has also featured b-girl, youth breaking, popping, and open styles competitions, among others
The Silverback Open Championships has been an international prize money breaking competition, with five editions held to date in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2014 through 2018. Funded by Silverback Bboy Events, which supports the competitive breaking community philanthropically and through sponsorships, the Silverback Open Championships has been regarded as one of the premier International B-Boy Championships held every year it has been featured, with the most recent edition including 850 competitors from 50 countries. Silverback Open prize money pools have exceeded $100,000, and the event has attracted an international social media following accumulating millions of views. The Silverback Open event has been part of the Urban Dance & Educational Foundation's Pro Breaking Tour and Undisputed's World B-boy Series. The event has featured of many of the best and most well-known b-boys and b-girls around the world and has received praise throughout the breaking community for the high level of competition and for providing a warm welcome to guests and competitors alike.
Break'n Reality (2012-2014) is a documentary series, produced & directed by Maximilian Haidbauer. The show dives deep into the culture of Break Dance, also called B-Boying and follows some of the most respected dancers around the world as they compete for the world championship title. Season one titled" 3 B-Boys, 1 year, One Passion" featuring B-Boy Roxrite, B-Boy Lilou and B-Boy Neguin released August 2012. Season two titled "Making a living and keep'n it real " released in summer of 2014. The original theme song was recorded and performed by hip hop legend Rakaa / Dilated Peoples who also narrated the show.
YounessEl Mouaffaq (1994), better known by his stage name Cri6, is a London-based Moroccan competitive b-boy. As of July 2017, he has won a silver medal in the Hip-hop dance category at the VIII Jeux de la Francophonie in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, competing together with the Moroccan national team 04 Lkarwa.
Predatorz
Flow XL
The Ruggeds / 
Foundnation
Rock Force Crew / 
Last Squad
Team Vinotinto
Top Coalition / 
Kienjuice / 
Doble K.O.
S.I.N.E. Crew
B-Town All Stars / 
Break the Funk
Deep Trip
South African Allstars
Suicidal Lifestyle
Bag of Trix
Passo Sul Tempo
Out of Control
Always Rockin Tuff
Robot Force
