Dance cha cha cha

At first you may think that cha-cha-cha is a very quick dance. It is important to make little steps, moving just a little on the floor. Partners hold hands. It is easier to start dancing making a preparatory step in one side. Man makes right foot step, the Lady - the left one.
Then go to basic cha cha move.

1. Man: make a move forward with his left foot, toe is turned a little outside, right foot remains still.
Lady: makes moves to compliment man's moves: a move back with right foot,left leg remains still.

2. Man: change his body center of gravity backward, leaning now on his right foot, the left one remain still.
Lady: change the body center of gravity forward, leaning now on his left foot, the right foot remain still.

3. Man: move his left foot.
Lady: move her right foot.

4. Man: make right foot move in left foot direction.
Lady: make left foot move in right foot direction.

5. Man: makes left foot move.
Lady: makes right foot move.

6. Man: move back his right foot, left foot remains still.
Lady: makes a left foot move forward, the toe is turned outside a little, the right foot remains still.

7. Man: move his body weight forward on his left foot, right one remains still.
Lady: move her body weight to back on her right leg, left one remains still.

8. Man: move his left foot.
Lady: move her right foot.

9. Man: make left foot move in right foot direction.
Lady: make right foot move in left foot direction.

10. Man: move his right foot.
Lady: move her left foot.

Do the cha cha!

Cha cha - is one of the most popular latino dances. Cha cha moves are very similar to rumba moves, with one single difference - cha-cha-cha! This rhythm, so easy to remember, is obtained by division of the 4-th part of time. That why the dance has such name.

At the beginning the cha cha cha dance was a sort of rumba and mumbo, but in 1948 Enrike Horrin combined two latino dances in montuno. In this way a new, fascinating dance appeared. Horin's composition "Anganadora", what means "Delusion" was writed in 1953 and become very popular soon.

Dancers waited for the continuation of composition. A lot of performers began to play easy cha cha cha melody, and after short time almost every musician could perform cha-cha-cha.

A kind of break...

Acrobatics - "comes" in break with a lot of acrobats and gymnasts. The coolest acrobatics moves look like very difficult break downs - all these somersaults and others.


Capuero - this ancient art is partially breakdance foundator. Capuero moves are widely used by b-boys, for example: BOTY'98 and BOTY'99. One of the most impressionant moves: swip without arm lean.

Ties - each b-boy or b-girl, who learned the basic break moves thinks:"What's next?" If you feel yourself cool, then it's time to learn not only break moves, but also the ties between them. Ties represents the unconfundable style of every breakdancer. The ties assure breakdance beauty and its difficulty.
In fact, a tie is a change between two break moves, without speed and performance beauty loss. The more ties you have the more coole you are. Some of them aren't difficult, another requires time, like a power move.

Track

One of the most difficult breakdance moves. Track types:
track with legs down on the floor
track trough elbows
one arm track track without arm's leaninig (it is possible only few twists on very high speed )
        

Air track (Air twist)

This move is on of the most difficult break moves, like the track. You can hardly do a single air twist. Instead, you can easily fracture your arms, legs, neck, head, in function how you fall down. But if you have ever seen this move, you will forget about falls and fear. It is really a POWER MOVE! Train yourself only on floor-mats, in ordet to avoid traumas.

So, let's begin:
The right arm down, swing your left leg up to the right. Put down another arm. Legs are not normal to the floor, but form an angle of 50'. Continue to swing with your legs. When the left leg is passes under the right one(after a strong swing), the right arm also make a swing and tear off the floor. The body is lightly pushed up. Then, when the right arm passes close to the right leg, the left arm also tear off the floor. At the finest moment the body flies up the ground! Fall on right arm, then on the left one and repeat all from the start. It's easy to explain, but difficult to do this move.

Headspin

This move requires a lot of patience and perseverance. First of all you must be able to stand on head and do not fall in that moment. Find a balancy point on your head(as usual, it is between the forehead and the crown). Then, straighten your legs and move them apart in splits. Hold the body lifted straight and the waist straightened! Then, try to push a little with your arms and pull your body in twisting direction.
Little by little intensify arm's pushes. The arms must be placed no too close to your head, neither too far from it, because it may hinder correct twisting.

Try to increase the speed and the twisting - it will help you to master this move in short time. After you manage to twist well, try take off your arms in the most simple way: bend the legs and turn them to crossed splits, but don't straighten them. Another way is more difficult: bend your legs and turn them down to your head. Be patient and you'll do it!

In order to avoid the injures and to reduce the load, you have to wear a special hat with soft lining inside and slippery material outside, or you can use the helmet.

Breakdance moves: Spins

Stand on arms, twist the body(first turn your right arm and lift the left leg). When the right arm is down on the floor, change the arm with the left one. When the right arm is on the floor, make a leg's swing as in HeadSpin
Twist the body to the left and push off the floor with your right arm, after you make the swing. Lift your legs and straighten them. The body's twisting must be long. Twist only on your palm's lower side.

Spin types:

99 - alternate arm's changing              Elbowspin                       To arms spin
                  

Breakdance moves:

Tips: turn your palm outside when twisting, in order to increase the speed and be more steady.

Hendglide: twisting on one arm.
Stand on your arm, straighten the legs, and push off with another arm. This move is much more easier then crack and other moves. All you need is to keep the balancy and to have a slippery material on your arm.

Varants: Horizont - twisting on one arm, the another arm is put near and the body lifts up.
Twisting on one side - you lean now on your side, the belly is perpendicular to the floor, not parallel.

Alligator
It is a special move, and it will make you sweat.
First step: preparing
You have to improve the stand on arms. If you have a lot of place at home, take a round stool. Make sure that the stool is steady. Lean with one arm in stool's center, so that the angle between body and arm is 45' or less. Bend your body, make a step backwards (warning: the body remains straightened) and push off the stool in order to turn, substituting another hand. Lean steady on your arm. In case you have done all corectly, you will rotate in circle. Change with speed your hands, but don't stop leaning on them. This was the first method.

The second method: if you have a window at your house, you sertainly have a window-sill there. Take away the lumber from it. Lean on two arms, the fingers are moved apart, the hands are straightened. Try to walk on your arms, change the lean from one arm to another.

These simple exercises will help you to become familiar with Alligator and Flares.
Second step (Floor): Imagine that you have a middle square on your floor. Try to get with your arms in square corners: one arm folows step by step the another arm. Push off and make the move like on stool, but faster. At the beginning it will look terrible, but every day's trainings would help you to reach good results.

Injures:
you strongly risk to have armache because of such kind of moves. The man got down from the tree in order to procure the food, not to twist Alligator :) You can also strongly graze your palms.

Moves, correlated in some way with Alligator
UFO (Buddha) - the same twisting as in turtle, but without elbow's leaning: the legs remain in the same position, but the arms are straightened a little.
Wolf - legs stay togather, arms by their side.
Upper - like the wolf, but the arms are between the legs.
Space - like the UFO, but with crossed legs.
Crab - turtle on splits - it is like the upper, but legs are in parallel with the ground and wide moved apart.
Airbody - the most difficult turtle. Arms aren't leaninig in your belly, but are simply under it.

Swipes: It consists of simultanious arm and leg swing ( if you make a right swipe, then the swing must also be in the right side). In swip the leg is permanently in "air". You make the swing and move your arm at each turn. The most important: to keep the body straightened, so that the pelvis is high and straight.
The types of swipe:
- touch down on one leg
- touch down on both legs
- elbow's swipes

Spining ( power ) moves:

Backspin(twisting on the back). The swing is this move plays the most important role. The dancer is sitting on the floor. The left leg is straightened forward. The righ knee is bended. Then the dancer straighten the right leg with speed and turn it to left over his left leg, which remains motionless. The legs are crossed: the right one is on the left side over the left leg. The legs are still straightened. The dancer turn fast the left leg under the right: now legs form an angle. Dancer starts twisting on his back: he lift the legs and croosses them, in order to
increase the speed. Twisting must be made not on your buttocks, but on your shoulder-blade.
While twisting you can jump on your back or lift to upper side of your shoulders  in order to increase the speed.

Spining ( power ) moves:
Fall on your back, tumble back, lifting your body on your arms, then fall again, etc. This move must be done in a circle.

Spring:
Fall on your back(don't lean on the arms), then jump forward on your legs.

Floats:
1. Turtle - running in a circle on arms.
Try to lean your elbows on the belly and to lift your body. If you are not in good form you wouldn't do this. At first, you must learn standing on one arm, let another arm just keep the balance. Train both your right and left arm. When you will be able to stand on your right and left hand without any support you can do the turtle. Don't forget about speed - it is easier to perform a fast turtle and it looks very cool.

Cricket - jumping turtle.
Stand on one arm, another arm helps you to jump. The closer the free arm is to your body - the faster you are moving. The hands touch the ground by turns.

Jackhammers - jumps on one hand in a circle.
Learn jump on your single arm - jump with your whole body and touch down whithout thouching the ground.
First, choose the direction to twist. Then, bit by bit try to stay on a single arm. After you learn staying on one arm, try to float on an arm, pushing off with free arm (you must have a material under your arm, before you do it). This move is named HandGlide. You have to learn at east 4 turns from one push. The most difficult moment in Jackhammers is to catch the body after jump, that why try to complicate the HandGlide. For example, try to do it with straightened body. Such moves help to advance the coordination and belly muscles. Now you can start jumping. You have to push off the ground by triangularis and belly muscles - only in this case your body remains alongside to the elbow. Don't jump too high, otherwise you
risk to damage the wrist. First time you may do 1-3 jumps, but regually trainings will conduct you to professional level!

Spining ( power ) moves:

Spining ( power ) moves:
The first move: a b-boy jumps forward and hits the ground, leaning on his arms. He jumps back from this position, aterizing on his feet.
The second, more difficult: it is the same move, but the dancer's legs are crossed.

A b-boy is standing on the arms, the legs form X with his arms - one leg is in front and the other beside. Then he makes a strong push of the ground and changes legs position (now, the leg,  which was in front is placed behind, and vice versa).

Floating on head
To perform this move you must wear a special breakdance cap.
There are 2 ways of head floating:
1: you run up on your head, lean on your amrs at first, then float mechanically on your head.
2: you are standing on your head, the legs are in parallel to the floor. Push off the floor with your palms and slowly float.

Spider
Common move: run in a circle turning somersaults. The more difficult way: run in circle leaning on your palms and feet.

Break:
It is like swipe, but in the air the legs are twisted, then you fall. The break usually is performed like the end of usual swipe.

Worm (dolphin):
1. Lay on the foor on your belly, the whole body touches the floor.
2. Rise your legs and hips.
3. Rise your arms, the legs are drowing down
4. Repeat all the steps from the beginning. It will look like you are crawling the mountains. It is very easy to learn this move, but very difficult to perform it.

A sort of worm:
The same worm, but backwards. It begins like the usual worm, but instead of rising your arms, you rise your elbows till they achieve your hips, then use your legs to jump. Make a move backwards with your arms, and your breast is must be down before your legs. Or, you can do it
from standing on your arms, slowly drow down your breast, then the belly.

Down break styles:

UPROCK ( Brooklyn Rock ) - it is a fight imitating dance. To feel the rhythm and music - this is the main in the "fight". Nowadays, the uprock is often misplaced with another break element - the toprock.

TOPROCK(Shuffle) - is a dance style, vertical foot work. This dance is very individual, because each dancer has his own toprock style. The transition from toprock to floor elements-downrock, is named godown.

FOOTWORK is one of the first invented breaking moves. You can hardly imagine a good dance without an original chain or fast foot sequence. A good done footwork move looks sometimes better then even powermove.

DOWNROCK ( Floorrock, Footwork ) - the rhythmic steps, circulary around your body. There are a lot of various DOWNROCK elements.
The simplest example: the cutting down. This is the common move, and it can be easy done by everybody, regardless of whether you are in a good shape or not. In fact, the cutting down descends in break from folk russian dances. The dancer sits on the floor on his left leg, and the right leg is straightened to the right side. Then, he moves circulary his right leg in parallel with the floor, leaning on his palms. Then the move is repeated with the left leg.

SPINING ( POWER ) MOVES - these are moves, which requires, as a rule, a good physical strength. But if you don't have a good physical strength you can succeed in performing these moves by accentuating the good mastering of art.

WAVE - a beginner's move. In a serious breakdance it's rarely used. By another side, for the beginner the wave can be a good training. The dancer falls down on his arms. First he touches the ground with his arms, then with his breast, and finally with his legs.

Down Break moves and styles:

The down break has 4 interrelated directions:
Uprock and Toprock - it isn't completely down break, but it is necessary for powermoves.

Spining moves or power moves
Power elements, circular motions.

Freeze
Body fixation

Footwork
A sequence of foot moves

Down Break Styles:

Uprock and Toprock,    Footwork,       Freeze,            Spining(power)moves,  
Wave,                               Foot-arm, Stilts ,         Spider, Worm,       Backspin,                   
           Float                                  Alligator                Mills                   Headspin                Flares    Swipes                 Candle                    Track                 Air Track

Breakdance moves: top break

How do you imagine a real breakdancer? For most of people, a breakdancer is somebody "whirling on his head", elbows, arms, etc. on the sparkling floor in a club or in the street. But what you can see it is just the top of a giant iceberg. One of the components of this iceberg is top break.

Top break is a new dancing style wich has appeared relative recently. It is impossible to find out, who was the first top break dancer, because it happened 20 years ago in USA. Some moves, very popular nowadays, have been used by dancers even 100 years ago, some come from the asiatic dances. The slave dancers became in some way the "founders" of modern top break moves, such as body and arm waves. The fast growing technical inventions and civilization achievements "gave rise" to people-robots, who imitated in their dances automatic and mechanical robots' moves. They are named the fathers of the modern top break.

Today the top break is one of the most progressive breakdance components. For maximal effect you should combine all top break styles, for example: it looks really beautiful when a waving is folowed by different fixations. You are absolutely free and you have no limits in composing yor own, inconfundable dance style.

Breakdance: Before You Start It

So, you decided to become a breakdancer. It doesn't matter where and how did you find out about break. As usual, people "come in break" for one of 3 main reasons: because it is really COOL(ok, the human envy and vanity also play its roles here), the second reason: because you simply like breakdancing(a very strange reason, isn't it?:), and finally: because you have nothing else to do. Only first two reasons lead to real passion to breakdancing and good results. In first case the desire to perfection works in your favour: it makes you continue trainings and not abandone
them, in second case it is more difficult: you must have a very strong will in order to obtain good results. The third variant isn't relevant.

What's next? The 90% of break dancers come from break schools. It means only one thing - find the roads leading to some kind of break-club or break-school. Don't forget, that some of your friends may also like dancing. Together you will form you own "band". Now, it is the moment to choose the leader, who will be able to resolve all problems andYou are the most difficulties. And why not to give this crucial role to you?:)

Now is the time to resolve organizational problems. At first you have to find a suitable place for dances. If it is summer time, it will not be a big problem - the porches, chldren's playgrounds, empty sites may become your dancepool.
It is much more difficult to organize trainings in winter. The room must be warm and dry. You can find something like a cellar, but: it must be not only dry and warm, but also clean and high. Also, you can make an agreement with administration of a school to rent for a reasonable cost a gym or a suitable classroom. The trainings must take place at least 3-4 times per week, if you really want to succeed in breakdance.

The next important component is the music. The most popular and easy to get are: Music Instructor, Bomfunk mc's, Jam Style & Da Boogie, Chemical brothers, even Prodigy. About breakdancer's clothing style you can read in one of the next articles.

Now you are ready to start! Learn breakdance tips from our on-line lessons and soon you will achieve fabulous results in these extremal dance!

The Universal Break Dance Floor - Fibreboard

What does fibreboard means for breakdance? It is the same as land for animals, air for birds, water for fish ... it is something indispensable for a break dancer. The fibreboard is an universal floor, it isn't slipperry, it is smooth, not sticky...it has a lot of values, but the main! you can take it with you! (even though it is certainly not a pack of cigarettes. , but you must agree, it can't easily be taken ... eee ... a training apparatus for athlete ... or swimming pool for swimmer:)

You can get fibreboard in different ways ... in father's garage, for example, or "borrow" one piece from a building site ,and finally you can buy it ... ok, I don't know what does is there in your father's garage ... and I don't know if you even have a father's garage... At a site you can alwaways find something like fibreboard, but the pieces are of 1.5x2.5 or 2x3 meters ... that why the most simple is ..., yes, to buy it :), the most inexpensive way to get a proper fibreboard piece is to buy it at the construction market.

You must have a big dance floor that why you need a lot of fibreboard! Every breakdancer must have the place for his dancefloor at home,... ,at gym,... and a piece to be taken out in streets... remember the fibreboard is not durable! When it is at home ... it will "serve" for you and your trainings longer than if it has been used outdoors... when it becomes obliterated it loses its properties.

Break Dance: at Start

What you must be able to do at start:
standing on your hands(or on your one hand) and on your head (for "candles" and acrobatics);
standing at "tatle" and at your one hand (for cricket and different twistings );
having dezvolted and enduring your abdominale muscles (for "dalasal" and else); strong back muscles (for "swipes");
having a good stretching and even-splits (for "freeze", "dalasal", etc.);
It would be better if you can do all of these :)