What's That Dance

Hip Hop

The commercialization of hip hop in music videos, reality shows and movies has increased the demand for classes in dance studios across Canada. Dance-lovers as young as five want to learn how to isolate their movements, sway their hips and glide across the floor.

“Hip hop dance has many styles of dance to it,” says hip hop teacher and founder of Dance Kraze Productions, Katarina Rajkovic-Corbic. “You can have hip hop street dance which is raw and has a very abrupt and edgy movement style. Or you could have hip hop that is more parallel to something you might see in a Janet Jackson video.”

It all depends on the hip hop dance teacher’s personal style and the music it’s being choreographed to, she says. While hip hop is hard to define as a dance, what’s great about it is that it is freestyle in nature and anyone can get into it.


Unlike ballet, hip hop dancing has no set curriculum. It is highly personal and has no boundaries on where you can take the body. Adding elements of jazz, breakdance and contemporary movement, the versatility of hip hop dance has a very large spectrum of where you can creatively take it as an artist.But, in order to become a true hip hop dancer, you need to learn the foundations through hip hop classes.

Rajkovic-Corbic gives the low down on what to expect in a typical beginner class:

Size –classes can range from as small as five to as large as 30 students.
Warm up –full body stretches, strengthening and cardio exercises that will get your heart pumping and body moving.
Choreography –a routine that’s broken down into smaller combinations so you can easily follow along.

And for those who have cold feet or fear they can’t hit the beats, there’s no need to worry.

“We teach it in a fun and learning environment with tons of repetition so you have plenty of opportunities to get into the groove.”

WATCH
A sample of the many types of hip hop:

1. America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC) showcases hip hop through b-boying, popping and locking along with dance fads like the running man, the c-walk, the shoulder lean and much more.

ABDC's Season 1 winners JabbaWockeeZ
An introduction to hip hop

2. During Season 4 of the American SYTYCD, Adam Shankman dubbed the talented duo Napoleon and Tabitha D’Umo (aka NappyTabs) as the creators of Lyrical Hip Hop where dance movements (like isolations, body waves and a contemporary vibe) tell a story to the lyrics of a song.

SYTYCD (US) Season 4's Katee and Joshua dance to Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s No Air (To see the performance, fast forward to the 2 minute mark)
SYTYCD (US) Season 4's Chelsea and Mark with a routine to Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love
SYTYCD (US) Season 5's Jeanine and Phillip perform to Ne-Yo’s Mad

3. Jazz Funk is the type of hip hop you’re most likely going to see in a Janet Jackson, Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake video, this type of hip hop fuses urban street-style funk with jazz techniques.

An introduction to jazz funk
A piece choreographed by SYTYCD (US) Season 2’s Donyelle Jones


Introduced to hip-hop at the age of 16, Katarina Rajkovic-Corbic started taking drop-in classes at Toronto’s Randolph Academy (formerly Randolph's) falling in love with the intensity and energy hip hop dance offered. Part of the dance scene for over 15 years, she teaches fun and funky combinations to dancers in Toronto and Mississauga through Dance Kraze Productions.

By Jackielou Perez
(published September 02, 2010)