Popping

What is Popping?

Popping is a street dance where the dancer contracts and relaxes muscles to create a sudden jerk or 'pop' in the body, often timed to the beat of funk or electronic music. The dance can focus pops on different body parts—arms, legs, chest, or neck—and is usually performed solo or in groups. Poppers often combine popping with other styles like the robot, waving, and tutting, creating a performance that looks mechanical, animated, or geometric. The dance is seen in freestyle circles, battles, and stage shows.

Where does Popping come from?

Popping developed in California in the late 1970s, growing out of the earlier boogaloo movement in Oakland. As boogaloo spread, local styles emerged: 'robottin'' in Richmond, strutting in San Francisco and San Jose, and strikin' in Sacramento. The dance gained wider attention after groups like Granny & the Robotroids and the Black Messengers appeared on national television in the late 1970s. The Electric Boogaloos later mixed popping with boogaloo, helping to define and popularize the style. Popping influenced the rise of hip hop dance but remains distinct from breaking and locking.

How is Popping danced?

A popper creates sharp, rhythmic movements by quickly tensing and relaxing muscles, producing a visible 'pop' or 'hit.' Pops can be isolated to one part of the body or travel through several parts in sequence. Dancers often pose or freeze between movements, and may use angles, rolls, and geometric shapes with their arms and hands. The dance is mostly upright, with improvisation and interaction with other dancers or the audience, especially during battles.

The music of Popping

Popping is most often danced to funk and disco tracks from the late 1970s and 1980s, with a steady 4/4 beat and a tempo between 90 and 120 beats per minute. Artists like Zapp, Dazz Band, and Cameo are favorites. Electro and early hip hop tracks, as well as modern electronic dance music like dubstep, are also used. The dancer usually times pops to the beat or backbeat, but may also follow melodies or other rhythmic elements.

Costume and what is carried

There is no fixed costume for popping. Dancers usually wear comfortable street clothes that allow freedom of movement. Outfits may reflect personal style or the fashion of the funk and hip hop scenes, but there are no specific props or accessories required.

When and where Popping is danced

Popping is performed in street dance battles, stage shows, and social gatherings. It is often improvised, with dancers competing or exchanging moves in front of a crowd. The style is passed on through informal teaching, community events, and dance crews, rather than formal schools.

Styles of Popping

Several related styles are often combined with popping. Animation mimics stop-motion film effects, using rigid, jerky movements. Boogaloo is a looser, rolling style with circular motions of the hips, chest, and limbs. Tutting, inspired by Egyptian art, uses right angles and box shapes, mainly with the arms and hands. Each of these adds its own flavor to popping performances.

What Popping means

Popping helped shape the early hip hop dance scene and remains a core part of street dance culture. It is valued for its creativity, improvisation, and the way it brings dancers together in friendly competition. The style is recognized for its influence on later dance forms and its ongoing presence in music videos, stage shows, and dance battles.

Questions people ask about Popping

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Popping on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos and video on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data
• Videos of Popping on YouTubeSearch results, not chosen by Ghungroo