DOCU: The Freshest Kids: The History of Breakdancing

Breakdance: The Freshest Kids: The History of Breakdancing
1 hr 36 min 36 sec

Breakdance (media coined phrase), also known as breaking, breakdancing, b-girling or b-boying, is a street dance style that evolved as part of the hip hop movement that originated among Puerto Rican and African American youths in the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. It is arguably the best known of all hip hop dance styles.

Breaking was born when street corner DJ's (in legend it is DJ Kool Herc who was first) would take the breakdown sections (or "breaks") of dance records and string them together without any elements of the song per se. This provided a raw rhythmic base for improvising and further mixing, and it allowed dancers to display their skills during the break. Popular speculations of the early 1980s suggest that breakdancing, in its organized fashion seen today, began as a method for rival gangs of the ghetto to mediate and settle territorial disputes.[1] In a turn-based showcase of dance routines, the winning side was determined by the dancer(s) who could outperform the other by displaying a set of more complicated and innovative moves.

It later was through the highly energetic performances of the late funk legend James Brown and the rapid growth of dance teams, like the Rock Steady Crew of New York City, that the competitive ritual of gang warfare evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon receiving massive media attention. Parties, disco clubs, talent shows, and other public events became typical locations for breakdancers, including gang members for whom dancing served as a positive diversion from the threats of city life.

The Freshest Kids is the first ever documentary to explore the mostly unknown history of hip hop's first dance and its pioneers. The film tells the story of a group of kids in the BOOGIE DOWN BRONX who created an art form and then, in the face of a society who wanted them swept back under the rug and against all odds, kept their art form alive and spread it, along with the universal message of true hip hop, throughout the world. This is a story about never giving up and the incredible power that the human spirit has to achieve and create, and a culture that has always created something out of nothing and always will.

Produced by BrotherHood Films and QD3 Entertainment, the film was released in 2002.

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