B-Boying

You ever thought about where your favorite dance move came from? Or, maybe even catch yourself moving to the beat of your favorite song and can't explain the feeling. That expression is called B-Boying, which is one of the four major elements of the hip-hop culture.

This popular style of street dance was created and developed as a part of hip-hop among Afican Americans and Latino youth. The "B" in B-boy stands simply for break, as in when dancers saved their best dance moves for the break section of a song. B-boying borrows heavily from 1930's street dancing, Afro-Brazilian and Asian martial arts, but ultimately serves as the founder of today's latest dance trends as well.

In similar fashion, "Jookin" has often been labeled as the Memphis version of break dancing or B-Boying. On one of the first adventures, Connoisseur of Fresh shared this Memphis originating art form of dance which was created in the 1980's as a form of self expression and relief from the hardships of living within the inner city. There are also several other names to define this dance such as "Buckin", "Gangsta Walking",  and "Choppin." I had the chance to speak with Memphis native, J-Trill, who was recently crowned  "King of Memphis" in a recent dance battle. J-Trill explains his involvement with this great art form and how he got started in the FRESH lifestyle. In honor of the B-boy history, I have saved the best moves for the break of the post, where you can check out my interview with the "Jookin" King of Memphis, J-Trill himself.

You can't really know where you are going unless you know where you  have been. Young dance pros like J-Trill keep the life and legacy of B-boying alive through their fly moves, but continue to develop a fresh art form with every pop, lock and jook. Keep dancing and keep it FRESH!!!!!