Break Dancing 101
Vol 1: Baby Freeze
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One of the most important elements in breaking (bboyin/bgirlin) is the freeze. Other aspects of breaking are up-rocking, footwork, style, and power. The freeze is important because it produces a dynamic feature in the dance movement. In breaking, a dancer will explore combinations and various transitions before executing their freeze. A freeze can be both electrifying and unpredictable. In this issue of Breaking 101, we will teach the most fundamental freeze called the ‘Baby Freeze.’ It is the stepping stone to almost every other freeze in breaking.
Step 1- Before we start with the hard stuff, make sure you stretch! This will decrease the risk of injury or strain. Stretch your wrists, arms, back and legs. Once you feel warm, stand with your left foot in front of your right and lower yourself into a kneeling position. Make sure your left knee is in line with your right foot and your hips are not resting on your right calf. Next, turn your upper body (torso, chest, arms, head) to the right. Place your left elbow on the inside of your left knee and your right elbow on the right side of your abdomen, slightly above your hip bone. Your forearm and wrist placement is crucial. Your forearms must be perpendicular to your upper arms and your wrists perpendicular to your forearms. Your fingers should be spread apart and pointing directly away from each other. Check your angles (perpendicular=right angle) with the picture and then move on to the next step.
Step 2- Now it gets tricky. Lower your hands to the floor but keep both feet on the ground. Raise your hips so they are in line with your upper body. Don’t lift your feet off yet, but explore what it feels like to have your weight transferred between your feet and arms. Make sure your abdomen muscles are flexed before transferring weight to your arms. This is a test to see how much upper body strength you have. IMPORTANT-make sure your angles are correct. It is crucial to have your forearms completely perpendicular to the floor and to your upper body. If they are not, your weight will be much harder to hold, and you may fall. You may want to master the arm placement before moving on to the next step. If your upper body strength is limited, you may only want to practice step 2 until you are comfortable with body weight on your arms and wrists.
Step 3- This next component is the most difficult. With your angles perfect, your abs flexed, and mind focused, slowly lift your left leg off of the floor. (You may place your head on the floor throughout this step for extra balance if you want.) Straighten the left leg so it’s almost parallel to the floor and verify that the leg muscles are flexed. With your right foot maintaining balance, stay here for a minute to explore your comfort level. If you feel confident enough, slowly raise the right leg in the air. This leg should be bent. You should be looking to the left, your hips facing the ground, your left leg straight, and your right leg bent. Your weight is evenly distributed between your right arm and left arm. If your head is on the ground, take a deep breath and carefully raise it to be in line with your hips.
Congratulations! You did it! Before you go around calling yourself a bboy or bgirl, make sure you don’t miss the next lesson in Breaking 101- the Six Step. Check out our website for a step by step video.