Overview: Hip Hop Dance Classes
The timetable says hip hop, and under that one word sit several different dances with different histories. Studio hip hop is choreography: an instructor sets a routine to a track, the room learns it over the hour, and somebody films it at the end. Breaking, popping and locking are foundation styles with their own vocabulary, their own teachers and their own scenes.
Who is teaching matters more here than almost anywhere else. Some classes come straight out of the culture, run by people who came up in a crew and still turn up to battles. Others are a studio product assembled from music videos. Neither is dishonest, but they lead to different places, and a teenager who wants to hold their own in a cypher will not get there from the second one.
Look at the floor and ask about the music. These styles load knees, wrists and shoulders hard, and concrete under thin vinyl is where the injuries come from. Explicit lyrics in children's classes are handled very differently from studio to studio, so ask rather than assume.
Open-level drop-in classes are the easiest way in for an adult, and nobody expects a first-timer to catch the whole routine. Use the state and city lists to find studios near you, with hours and student quotes on each city page.
Frequently asked questions
Is hip hop the same as street dance?
Street dance is the umbrella term most schools use, and hip hop is one thing under it alongside house, krump, waacking and the rest. In practice a class called either one is usually choreography set to current music. If you want a specific style, look for it by name on the timetable, because the umbrella label tells you almost nothing about what happens in the room.
Where should a complete beginner start?
A choreography class marked beginner or open level. You learn how to pick up steps, count music and move in a group, which everything else is built on. Breaking asks a lot of your wrists and shoulders from day one, and popping takes weeks before it looks like anything, so those are better once you have some ground under you.
What should I wear on my feet?
Clean indoor sneakers with a flat sole and some grip, kept in a bag and changed at the door. Running shoes with a thick heel work against you, because the sole catches when you turn. Loose clothes you can move in, and knee pads if you are doing anything on the floor. Most studios refuse outdoor shoes outright to protect the floor.
Do I have to freestyle in front of people?
Not in a choreography class, where everyone faces the mirror and does the same thing. Foundation classes build up to it, and a good teacher makes that gradual rather than dropping you in a circle in week one. Say at the start that you would rather not, and any teacher worth having will respect it while quietly working on you.
What is a cypher?
A circle where dancers take turns going in, one at a time, responding to the music and to each other. It is the social heart of these styles and it predates any of the classes. Jams and open cyphers are usually free and open to watch, and going to one teaches you more about a local scene than any studio website will.
What should parents check before a kids' class?
The music policy, the filming policy and who is in the room. Clean edits are standard at good schools and an afterthought at bad ones. Ask whether class videos go on social media and whether you can opt your child out. Ask what background screening teachers go through too, since the requirements for adults working with minors are set state by state.
