Hip Hop Roots Awareness: Poppin/Boogaloo

What is "Funk Styles"?

In the 80's when streetdancing blew up, the media often incorrectly used the term "breakdancing" as an umbrella term for most the streetdancing styles that they saw. What many people didn't know was this within these styles, other sub-cultures existed, each with their own identities.

Breakdancing, or b-boying as it is more appropriately known as, is known to have its roots in the east coast and was heavily influenced by break beats and hip hop. The term "funk styles" was coined to give what we do it's own identity and separate it from hip-hop. Popping, locking and boogaloo were styles that were created in the WEST COAST during the FUNK ERA, and while these styles were adopted into the hip-hop movement, its roots should still be recognized as pure funk. Hence the term, FUNK STYLES.

The Birth of Popping and Boogaloo Style

In a town called Fresno, California, there lived a shy boy named Sam. Inspired to create his own style of dance after seeing the original Lockers perform on TV, in 1975 Sam started putting together movements which later became known as boogaloo or boog style.

The name came from the old James Brown song "Do the Boogaloo". One day when Sam was dancing around the house, his uncle said "Boy, do that boogaloo!" A puzzled Sam asked his uncle, "What's boogaloo?". "That means you're gettin down" his uncle replied. From that day on he was known as Boogaloo Sam.

Not many people know what boogaloo style is or how to do it. Boogaloo is a fluid style that uses every part of the body. It involves using angles and incorporating fluid movements to make everything flow together, often using rolls of the hips, knees, head. Making your legs do wierd things, and covering a lot of space on stage using "walkouts" or other transitions to get from one spot to the next spot. Although it is described as fluid, please note that boogaloo is different from the style known as waving.

Popping was another style created by Sam. People get confused about what this style is. They think it is the name for all the styles that came out of the funk movement (1970's California). It is not. Popping is a style in itself, that involves snapping the legs back, and flexing your muscles continuously to the beat to give a jerky/snapping effect. Popping is a unique style. It's not the universal name for all the funk styles. If you pop, then you're a popper. If you wave, then you're a waver. If you Boogaloo, you're a boogalooer, and so on.

Sam would say the word "pop" (under his breath) every time he flexed while he danced, similar to the way someone might make machine noises when they do the robot, Sam would say the word "pop, pop, pop". People would always say to him, "Hey do that popping stuff!"

A lot of people ask what Electric Boogaloo style is. Electric Boogaloo style is combining popping and boogaloo style together. The two styles compliment each other well and is known worldwide as the signature style of the EB's.

OTHER STYLES

While Sam was creating popping and boogaloo, others were creating and practicing unique styles of their own. Back in the day many different areas in the west coast were known for their own distinct styles, each with their own rich history behind them. Some of these areas included Oakland, Sacramento and San Fransisco.

Although the EB's primarily pop and boogaloo, we still like to mix it up and encourage all dancers out there to learn and mix other styles as well.

Some of these styles include:

Air posing Animation Boogaloo Bopping Centipede Crazy Legs Cobra Dime Stopping

Filmore Floating/Gliding Hitting Popping Puppet Robot Saccin Scarecrow

Snaking Spiderman Sticking Strobing Strutting Ticking Tutting Waving

The Electric Boogaloos would like to give respect to the other OGs and innovators of all styles who contributed to make the street dance scene what it is today. Keep the funk alive!

These are two videos By a new Dude on the Block, that reminds me of the Electric Boogaloos. His name is Poppin John, but he actually in these two videos does everything discussed in the text above. But he mostly Pops and Boogaloos and Tuts. You'll Notice Tuttin because it looks like Egyptian stuff, it's also known as the "boxes" Chris Brown makes in his videos.

Video one:

Video two: