Definition

1. Verb:
   • To perform a style of street dance that originated in the 1970s, characterized by acrobatic and athletic moves, often involving spins, freezes, and intricate footwork performed close to the ground. The term specifically refers to the act of dancing in this particular style.

Usage

• The verb "break-dance" describes the action of performing this specific dance form. It is typically used in active sentences.
• It is often used in informal contexts related to street culture, dance competitions, or urban music scenes.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The talented crew will break-dance in the finals of the competition.
  • He learned to break-dance by watching videos and practicing in his garage.
  • We saw a group of performers break-dancing on a large mat in the park.

Advanced Usage

• "to break-dance one's heart out": to break-dance with extreme energy, passion, and skill.
  • At the old-school jam, he break-danced his heart out to win the respect of the pioneers.

Variants and Related Words

• Break dancing (n): The noun form referring to the dance style itself.
  • Break dancing requires immense strength and agility.
• Break-dancer (n): A person who performs break dancing.
  • She is an award-winning break-dancer.
• B-boy (n): A male break-dancer (originates from "break boy").
• B-girl (n): A female break-dancer.

Synonyms

• B-boy/B-girl (when used as a verb in certain contexts, e.g., "He's b-boying."): This is a more specific, insider term within the hip-hop community.
• Street dance (general term): While "street dance" is a broader category, it can be used as a synonym in some contexts, though it is less specific.

Related Phrases

• Battle (v/n): In break-dancing culture, to compete against another dancer or crew; the competition itself.
  • They came to the cypher to battle.
• Cypher (n): A circle formed by people watching, within which break-dancers take turns performing.
• Toprock (n): The upright, standing dance moves performed before going down to the floor.
• Downrock/Footwork (n): Moves performed on the floor using hands and feet.
• Freeze (n/v): A dramatic pose held motionless, often used to punctuate a series of moves.

Verb

1. do a break dance
   • Kids were break-dancing at the street corner