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break dancing
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A young man performs a breakdancing move balanced on one hand on a mat in Washington Square Park, New York, as a group of spectators watches in the early 1980s. Male break dancer balances upside down on his head with legs spread and arms extended, performing a freeze move against a dark background. DJ Kool Herc, wearing a red crocheted cap, large sunglasses, and a gray and pink patterned shirt with a star necklace, smiles in front of a window with buildings outside. break dancing
The origins and evolution of break dancing

break dancing: References & Edit History

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  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

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Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: CNN - Breaking is making its Olympics debut in Paris. Just don’t call it breakdancing. Jun 15, 2025
Add new Web site: International Olympic Committee - Explained: Breaking rules, moves and format. May 03, 2025
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Injury, Training, Biomechanical, and Physiological Profiles of Professional Breakdancers. Mar 03, 2025
Add new Web site: Frontiers - Frontiers in Education - The Importance of Creativity in the Sportification of Breakdance. Dec 27, 2024
Add new Web site: BBC - The gravity-defying physics of breakdancing. Sep 19, 2024
Add new Web site: Red Bull - Local moves to worldwide grooves � here�s a brief history of breaking. Jun 03, 2024
Revised discussion of break dancing's steps to note that there are “standard” moves, including freezes, powermoves, downrock, and toprock. Nov 12, 2021
Noted that the International Olympic Committee approved break dancing as a category for the 2024 Olympics. Dec 15, 2020
Article revised and updated. Aug 05, 2020
Add new Web site: LiveAbout - A Brief History of Breakdancing. Apr 03, 2020
Media added. Oct 06, 2016
Add new Web site: The University of Illinois at Chicago - Breakdancing. Jan 12, 2016
New article added. May 07, 2015
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