It’s been around 40 years since terms like “brakdancing”, “breaking” and “b-boy” moved out of the Bronx and started to enter into the mainstream consciousness. A new short documentary goes back to where breakdancing culture all began, taking a look at the origins of breaking, its significance in the communities that helped create it, its gradual acceptance into popular culture, and its relevance in the 21st century.
How the Bronx brought breaking to the world is a 5 minute video essay produced by Vox, with input from writer & lecturer Joseph Schloss and breakders Miguel “Gravity” Rosario and Chief 69. The video charts the origin of ‘the break’ in New York City in the 1970s, the impact of movies such as Flash Dance in the 1980s all the way up to today’s competitive breakdancers, along with fascinating facts and insights revolving around break culture – for example the way gymnastics, martial arts and tap all influenced the b-boy style.
Check out the video below.
