100% Dance Community: What Is BBoying?

English :

B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and, later, among Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes/suicides. It is danced to both hip-hop and other genres of music that are often remixed to prolong the musical breaks. The musical selection for b-boying is not restricted to hip-hop music as long as the tempo and beat pattern conditions are met. A practitioner of this dance is called a b-boy, b-girl, or breaker. These dancers often participate in battles, formal or informal dance competitions between two individuals or two crews. Although the term "breakdance" is frequently used, "b-boying" and "breaking" are the original terms used to refer to the dance. These terms are preferred by the majority of the art form’s pioneers and most notable practitioners. Though widespread, the term "breakdancing" is looked down upon by those immersed in hip-hop culture. "Breakdancer" may even be used disparagingly to refer to those who learned the dance for personal gain rather than commitment to hip-hop culture. The terms 'b-boys', 'b-girls', and 'breakers' are the preferred terms to use to describe the dancers. The "b-boys" and "b-girls" were the dancers to Herc's breaks, who were described as "breaking". The obvious connection is to the breakbeat, but Herc has noted that "breaking" was also street slang of the time meaning "getting excited", "acting energetically" or "causing a disturbance". B-boy London of New York City Breakers and filmmaker Michael Holman refer to these dancers as “breakers”. Frosty Freeze of Rock Steady Crew says, “we were known as b-boys”, and hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa says, “b-boys, [are] what you call break boys… or b-girls, what you call break girls.” In addition, Santiago "Jo Jo" Torres (co-founder of Rock Steady Crew), Mr. Freeze of Rock Steady Crew and hip-hop historian Fab 5 Freddy use the term “b-boy”, as do rappers Big Daddy Kane[5] and Tech N9ne.
The dance itself is properly called "breaking" according to rappers such as KRS-One, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC in the breaking documentary The Freshest Kids. Afrika Bambaataa, Fab 5 Freddy, Michael Holman, Frosty Freeze, and Jo Jo use the original term "b-boying". Purists consider "breakdancing" an ignorant term invented by the media that connotes exploitation of the art.

Chinese :

B-boy是像Breaking一样众所皆知的hip hop舞蹈它是由 top or up rock、footwork、spinning moves(power moves)、and freeze几个动作所组成。B-boying来自纽约的布隆克斯。而B-boy或B-boying的说法是由一个叫Kool Herc每天在布隆克斯"磨"唱盘的DJ延展出来的。B-boys就是叫那些专在音乐中停格的部分中跳舞的人。(或许我们可以说，那些专攻Old school系列尤其是BREAKIN的舞者，就叫B-BOY。)接着，再加上DJ一直重复着这种音乐节奏，于是使得breakbeats就此诞生。虽然人们倾向于探知power moves这方面上，而真正的b-boys应精通所有b-boying的原理。现在有二种型式的b-boys。一种是注重在强调power moves和他们的合并上。而另一种则是注重在强调footwork和freeze上面。Rock Steady Crew是强调footwork来显示舞者的个人风格。纵使power moves有一种强大的冲击并且相当充满活力，但要将个人风格融入这些动作是很难的。而在spinning的时候，power moves实在无法和节拍一起融入。这反而有点近似体操的动作，而不像在跳舞。因为这些因素，Rock Steady Crew便提出强调footwork型式的是倾向于九○年的breaking。Breaking是hip hop dancing中最广受欢迎的型式，而正当new school dancing如hip hop和house有限的传至USA和Japan一些大城市的同时，它已经蔓延至全世界。　　
由来：他们的舞蹈被称为Good Foot。是从James Brown的唱片(纪录)而取同名。Good Foot是第一个自由式舞蹈，其包含着drops和spins的动作，还有着和breaking初期相似的舞步。叙述Good Foot最好的方法便是根据Michael Holman，他想象在阅兵大典里女鼓队队长高高踢起的正步，这个动作让他觉得像在鼓队节奏中的静止动作。当DJ们发明新方法去延长唱片中停格的拍子时，舞者们便有更多的时间去发明和尝试新舞步。很快地，dropping down to the ground and poppin up again on beat变成这种舞标准的舞步，并且昵称第一代的b-boys为boie-oie-oings。当boie-oie-oings开始手臂撑着身体以使脚和腿能做近似体操舞步的同时，footwork开始流行。同时，在布鲁克林一个新舞步开始产生，叫做Brooklyn Rock Uprocking。他们一样被知晓。　
第一代有名的b-boy是"Nigger Twins"，"Clark Kent"，"Zulu Kings"三人，在大约1977年代时，breaking在黑人小孩间慢慢失去流行，且几乎消声逆迹。无论如何，breaking又再度被新一代的b- boy带起。由一个叫作Puerto Rican的人重新注入新生命和带入另一种境界。他们开始在breaking里头加入许多更高难度的特技体操，且发明出许多新的动作。如Jimmy Lee和Joe Joe指导的Crazy Leg、和原Rock Steady Crew的成员研发出的backspins、windmills。我想说明的是，也有其它来自纽约的breakers，他们应也有b-boying的支持者。另外，李小龙和其它功夫明星、尚武者，对b-boying的文化也有深远的影响。在七○年中末期，功夫影片流行于全世界之际，对纽约的b- boying尤其有影响。许多的武打动作已经并入b-boying里面。举例而言，功夫中用来从地板翻起的动作，若一直重复就是现在的 windmills。在八○年代时，b-boying变得更受欢迎。　　
这要推究于1983年Flashdance（闪舞）这部电影。( 其实在{闪舞}之前也有两部片子，但{闪舞}算是第一个以b-boying为特色的电影。虽然，它不是个专以b-boying为主的电影。)但影片中有一小段在街上以b-boying和popping为特色的部分，就足够让全世界的人印象深刻而开始玩b-boying了。继{闪舞}之后许多 breaking的电影也相继拍成。如"Breakin"、"breaking2" 和" Beat Street"。"Beat Street" 其中一段Rock Steady Crew和New york city breakers街舞的那一幕，也是使这部片让人印象深刻的原因。而b-boying变得如此流行要拜广大的媒体所赐，而就是因为有太多媒体的宣传，反而使得电视的媒体开始停止播放有关b-boying方面的东西，这样反而让有些人误认为b-boying也只是一种一时间的狂热而已。随即，有许多人开始认为b-boying已消失了。所以，一些b-boys开始停止让大众媒体影响b-boying，也避免让大众媒体扭曲b-boying。1985年或 1986年后，b-boying在冬天时曾昙花一现。　
然而，约在1990年时，b-boying又再度复活起来。大家都不太明白到底是因为什么原因，但可以确定的是，是那些从没有放弃过b-boying的支持者带起来的。就我所知，加州是最早再度使 b-boying流行的地方。
而现今，B-BOY SUMMIT和 ROCK STEADY ANNIVERSARY这些b-boys所举办的比赛，每年都会举行，且吸引着全世界许许多多的b-boys聚集在一起，以保留其文化，甚至试着去达到另一个境界。
B-BOY其实就是Breaking Boy的简写，意思是街舞里玩技巧的。其实也可理解为体操舞蹈加入HIP-HOP元素等，跳起来看上去洒脱，有难度，给人震撼人心的感觉！

Photo :

New York City Breaker