Street dance spirit
Like many other youth subcultures, like graffiti, tattooing, and cosplay, street dance is an imported phenomenon, originating in American hip-hop culture.
Hip-hop culture began in 1970s America, growing from the cultures of African-American, Hispanic, and Caribbean youth, and is made up of four major elements--rap, DJing, graffiti, and street dance. Hip hop emphasizes the expression of self and spirit, as well as the courage to try new things. Its perspective on life is one of being true to yourself and doing everything with dedication and spirit.
To many people, hip hop and street dance are essentially interchangeable. In reality, hip hop is a much broader concept, while street dance is only a part of the culture. Street dance originated as a way for African-Americans to express themselves and their frustrations through dance and music, and is marked by the battle-like style of the dance moves. When dancing, dancers seem like their blood is boiling, and even the final poses--known as "freezes"--are aimed at "attacking" your opponents and declaring your position. As American popular culture has swept the globe in the past three decades, hip-hop culture has come with it, and street dance has become one of the most recognizable dance forms in the world today.
As time has gone on, street dance has evolved, developing two main streams--old school and new school. Old school is the earlier form, characterized by fancy and floor-based moves, with dancers using the floor as a prop to assist all parts of their bodies, striking onlookers dumb with their flourishes, exaggerated style, and aesthetic.
One example is the headspin, where the dancer pivots on his head and spins around and around; another is the windmill, where the pivot is the upper body and the dancer's legs spin around in a windmill style. These are two of the most iconic moves of the old-school style known as "breaking."
Michael Jackson could be considered an icon of early street dance. For the 1974 Jackson 5 track "Dancing Machine," 16-year-old Michael performed a dance known as "The Robot," where the dancer gives the appearance of being controlled by a supernatural force like a robot, with their hands and feet moving stiffly and in a clanking manner following the rhythm of the music. When a special pause in the music occurs, the robot springs back to life.
To old-school breakers, street dance is a way of life. As the culture evolved, it moved from being a form of entertainment to a kind of "battle." When Taiwan Panorama visited TBC Dance Studio, near Shihlin Night Market, a group of 20 people were practicing this more battle-oriented style.
Two people start a battle, with one opening with moves seeing their arms and legs spinning, to which the other responds with a body spin supported by a single hand, known as a "handglide," a high-difficulty move. They then follow one another, with the first person unable to pull off a better move the loser. In the battle environment, each B-boy ("breaker boy") stands in anticipation of their "attack," with dance moves standing in for fists, and out-dancing the opponent the ultimate goal.
Over the 20 years between 1970 and 1990, hip hop evolved, with some styles developing that were less ferocious, their rhythms slower and the tracks less driving. Out of this grew new-school dance, with its emphasis on harmonious, rhythmical motions, while the dance moves themselves became more varied and fluid. New-school dance can be difficult to categorize due to this complexity; for example, the dance moves used by popstar Jolin Tsai for her album Dancing Diva, combining gymnastic moves with hip-hop dance, and the writhing, hip-shaking, footwork-heavy "house" dance style of fellow songstress Landy Wen are both expressions of new-school dance.
Hip-hop culture has four main components: rap, DJing, graffiti, and street dance. Of these, street dance has caught on the most vigorously in Taiwan.