Encyclopedia
Breaking
Origins & History Block party birth Breaking emerged in the Bronx alongside hip-hop’s other elements in the early 1970s. DJ Kool Herc’s ‘merry-go-round’ break sections gave dancers their window — the ‘break’. Hollywood and global spread Films like Wild Style, Style Wars and Breakin’ (1984) exported breaking worldwide. South Korea, Japan, France and Russia built dominant scenes by the 2000s. Olympic recognition Breaking debuted as an Olympic sport at Paris 2024, with battles judged on technique, creativity and musicality — cementing its status as the most institutionalized street dance.
Gabber Dance
Origins & History Transatlantic split While Dutch hakken stayed in the clubs, US hardcore punk kids developed ‘hardcore dancing’ at shows — windmills, two-steps and pile-ons. Both lineages now inform the global gabber dance umbrella. Festival mosh crossover At metal and hardcore festivals, gabber dance and moshpit etiquette merged, producing hybrid floor styles at events like Dominator and Defqon.1. Move Breakdown Windmill: Arms swing in full circular arcs, clearing space around the dancer.
Gesture Dance
Origins & History Made for vertical video Gesture dance emerged when Douyin/Kuaishou creators realized dances framed from the chest up could go viral without any footwork — perfect for filming alone in a dorm or bedroom. Fandom signaling Each trending gesture routine acts as a recognition code within fandoms; learning the current ‘hand dance’ became a basic fan skill alongside emoji and slogans. Move Breakdown Finger Flows: Sequential finger waves and snaps tracking the melody.
Hakken
Origins & History Born in Rotterdam Hakken (from Dutch ‘hakken’, to chop) was the original gabber dance, developed in early-90s Rotterdam clubs like Parkzicht. It replaced moshing with a faster, more technical alternative. Gabber heyday At 180–220 BPM, hakken demanded extreme speed and stamina. Gabber crews battled at raves across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany through the 90s. Modern scene Today’s hakken lives in the early-hardcore revival and millennial-speedcore niches, with dedicated events like Thunderdome heritage nights keeping the tradition alive.
Jumpstyle
Origins & History Gabber roots Jumpstyle grew out of Belgian and Dutch gabber scenes in the mid-1990s. As gabber slowed down into the jumpstyle sound (roughly 140–150 BPM with a bouncy bassline), dancers developed a matching style built on repeated leg kicks. Commercial peak Around 2005–2009, jumpstyle broke into mainstream European charts through acts like Scooter and Cascada-side projects, and TV talent shows featured jump crews. The style spread to France, Spain, Russia and Latin America.
K-pop Dance Cover
Origins & History From fan cam to cover culture As K-pop’s choreography became a core product, fans began uploading full dance covers from the late 2000s. YouTube ‘dance cover’ channels turned fan choreography into its own content economy. The “in public” era From the mid-2010s, crews like 1MILLION and random-play-dance events in public spaces made covers a participatory street culture — cover dancers now tour, teach and judge competitions. Move Breakdown Point Choreography: The song’s signature ‘killing part’ move — the chorus gesture everyone recognizes.
Kemu San (Subject Three)
Origins & History Guangxi origins The meme traces to Guangxi wedding banquet performances, where guests would spontaneously break into a flamboyant routine to liven up the celebration. Two origin stories circulate: one credits a Guangxi wedding guest (identified by Chinese media as Zhu Kaihong) whose improvised dance at a friend’s reception was widely imitated; the other links the name to driving-test folklore — a test-taker danced for joy after passing the road test (Subject Three of the Chinese driving exam).
Krump
Origins & History Tight Eyez and the streets Krump was created around 2000–2001 by Ceasare ‘Tight Eyez’ Willis and Jo’Artis ‘Big Mijo’ Ratti in South Central LA. It channeled street aggression into a non-violent, spiritual form of expression — ‘Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise’. Rize and mainstream David LaChapelle’s 2005 documentary RIZE brought krump to global attention, contrasting it with clowning (its direct parent style) and showing its raw emotional power.
Melbourne Shuffle
Origins & History Underground origins The shuffle emerged in Melbourne’s late-1980s rave and club scene, mixing Celtic folk dance steps, jazz footwork and Chicago house influence. The name comes from the gliding ‘shuffling’ motion of the feet. Global viral wave YouTube tutorials and ‘shuffle battles’ carried it worldwide in the late 2000s. By the mid-2010s, shufflers were a fixture at EDM festivals from Tomorrowland to EDC. Short-video era TikTok and Reels pushed shuffle into mainstream fitness and fashion content.
Memphis Jookin
Origins & History Buck and the gangsta walk Jookin descends from the ‘gangsta walking’ era of late-80s Memphis club culture, danced to the local ‘buck’ sound — a raw, aggressive Memphis rap style (Three 6 Mafia’s predecessors). Gangsta Walking era Through the 90s the dance matured in Memphis neighborhoods and talent shows, defined by smooth glides, footwork on the toes, and dramatic pantomime. Modern renaissance Dancers like Lil Buck carried jookin to global stages — from street cyphers to performing with Madonna and ballet companies.
Otaku Dance (Odottemita)
Origins & History Nico Nico era ‘Odottemita’ (‘I tried dancing it’) began on Nico Nico Douga in the late 2000s, where creators uploaded choreography covers of Vocaloid and anime songs. It developed hand-in-hand with the otaku subculture. Choreographer culture Iconic choreographers (K’suke, 217, Miume, ATY) authored official or de-facto standard dances for hit songs — fans learned and covered them, building a choreographic canon. Global mirror of the canon Through Bilibili and TikTok, otaku dance spread through East and Southeast Asia.
Qinghai Shake
Origins & History Grassroots start Born from Qinghai local short-video creators mixing folk-flavored electronic music with a relaxed, swaying group routine. Its low difficulty made it a ‘auntie-and-uncle friendly’ dance. National routine status By 2024, Qinghai Shake was being performed at weddings, company team buildings and gym classes nationwide — an intergenerational phenomenon on the scale of square dancing (广场舞). Move Breakdown Base Sway: Relaxed knee-bend sway, hands swinging naturally — the all-ages core.
TikTok Hybrid Dances
Origins & History Fifteen seconds of fame TikTok’s format created a new choreographic unit: the 15–30 second hook routine. Choreographers like Jalaiah Harmon (Renegade) saw moves explode globally overnight — often without credit. Style blender Trends routinely splice shuffle footwork, hip-hop isolations, Afro moves and meme gestures into single routines. The ‘hybrid’ is the default state of viral dance. Credit and compensation battles Creator advocacy (originating-dancer credit, ‘creator fund’ payouts) became part of the culture, pushing platforms to label original creators on trending sounds.