The Influence of Hip Hop on Dance and Choreography
Learn the history on how Hip Hop helped shape & impact dance & choreography.

When people think about hip hop and its influences not too many people bring up its strong hold on dance or the choreography that goes along with it. Introduced to one another during the 70s this ongoing partnership has made an everlasting contribution to just not only the entertainment business but other avenues that may branch off. From the music industry, Black history, culture, and many dance forms that show how hip-hop still has its feet in a count step.

Dance is an action that has been done since prehistoric times as explained by the Lyndon Institute.  Influencing people and cultures for over hundreds of thousands of years. It’s evolution from circle dancing into the many forms derived from the any who learned and loved it enough to pass the moves down to the next generation.

Early days of hip hop dance

Hip hop’s entrance came through the Bronx in New York during 1973 when DJ Kool Herc would spin music records while party goers would show off their dance moves that were practiced before the parties.  With the popularity of these get togethers moving past the boroughs of the Bronx, its own dance followed.

Soon after a style that mixed from the legendary James brown while adlibbing moves from the 1920’s  craze called the Lindy Hop  created what we now know today as break dancing. In 1975 George Faison became the first African American to win a Tony Award for choreographing The Wiz on Broadway.

Even he understood how to incorporate the past tradition with the then present dance moves by including the new dance style in his adaptation. By 1976 kids were going to school yard bashes partaking into the music and fun and by 1978 The Wiz made it to the silver screen providing giving a taste of how hip hop and dance go hand in hand. But that would not be the last time the choreography would help make a lasting impression in movies.

The rise of hip hop dance in the 1980s

As the 1980s rolled around more of an audience saw an increase of hip hop dance presence in the movies. More b-boys and b-girls where not only dancing more in real life at parties and parks but in break dancing movies like Wild Style, Breakin, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo, The Last Dragon, Fast Forward, Delivery Boys , Rappin’ and Beat Street.

The 1990s: Hip hop dance goes mainstream

The 90s picked up more momentum and we saw less break dancing but more choreographed dance moves to go along with the music in the movie. House Party I and House Party II included choreographed dance moves from dance battles that adults and kids learned alike for years.

It became so popular that college students who were apart of Black sororities and fraternities started to add a bit of the hip hop culture to their stroll lines. Giving us the first nationally syndicated stepping contest called S.T.O.M.P.  created by Frank Mercardo Valdes that lasted for seven years

Opening the door of acceptance of the rich history of HBCUs, their culture, and who they stand for as individuals. How these young adults have embraced the culture of hip hop and dance transforming the traditional way of how music is played in educational settings, dance, and for athletic sports. Just through watching the dance squad and marching band on the field or campus grounds.

That didn’t stop for the formulated success of hip hop being mixed with dance to give the world a part of a culture that usually was not accepted in mainstream media, at the time. The more exposure hip hop received from dance the better it became and the effects.

Eventually the role of hip hop with dance would reach the music industry in more ways than one. As soon as MTV started to play music video in 1981 the audience grew, and artists alike were investing in hip hop dance choreographers. Laying the foundation for the visual of these songs to better market and help promote. Hip hop artists like MC Hammer thrived in the music scene when he not only rapped but danced his way into the hearts of many rap fans of the 90s.

Around the same time, Homer Hans Bryant an artistic director created dance evolved from Rap ballet called Hiplet. This infuses classical pointe technique, and hip-hop. The company also founded by Bryant is still practicing and performing till this day. Providing inspiration to and for other dancing movies. Like the ballet companies like Save the Last Dance, Step it Up, and the Honey series.

The 2000s: Hip hop dance becomes a global phenomenon

2000 had a brief stint of dance battles with movies like You Got Serve and other supporting the post-secondary education experience with series like Stomp the Yard. Giving glimpses of weekend party nights and the type of dance battles people were attending and participating in.

Another movie that chronicles one of hip hops evolution in dance is called Rize where it provides an in depth look to the rise of the dance form called krumping that started in South Central Los Angeles by dance groups. Used by artists and dancers for music videos.

There are even hip-hop moguls who started out dancing and choreographing for major hip hop acts in the 80s and 90s that once they were able to transition to the level they became they knew exactly the direction that they wanted to take it for the future of hip hop entertainment, exercise and dance.  Finding plaforms to incorporate dance as form to stay healthy and active even if you are not in the business.

Most aren’t aware, but Diddy used to be a back up dancer for Big Daddy Kane and Heavy D before he became a mogul. While 2pac danced for Digital Underground before striking it out in his solo rapping career that took off. He was once a ballet dancer too in his younger years.

The future of hip hop dance

Of course, there are other variations and forms of hip hop dance that are influenced that are used for music videos by amazing choreographers over the years like Debbie Allen, Laurieann Gibson, WilldaBeast, Janelle Ginestra-Adams, Sean Bankhead, the Les Twins, and Tricia Miranda just to name a few.

No matter how you may want to swing around it hip hop has a heavy presence in dance and choreography that has been so saturated in the culture that in 2023 many of the dances you would find on tick tock are a short variation of the original dance version to fit the time challenge to share and go viral.

Proving how these two dance partners stand the test of time while inspiring all the future Misty Copelands, Calvin Royals, Dianne Walkers, Savion Glovers or any dancer of the world a place to take hip hop in dance evolve to the next level.