Break Dancing 101
Vol. 3: Top Rock
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Now that you have mastered two important elements of breaking-the Baby Freeze & the Six Step-we will move on to the very diverse and stylistic Top Rock. In the heat of the battle or the middle of a freestyle circle, one must never forget to Top Rock. More often than not, this standing footwork is the beginning or starting move for a B-boy/B-girl. Many respected breakers consider Top Rocking an imperative component of breakdancing. In this lesson, we will cover two basic Top Rock combinations. Remember to stay light on your feet and always bend your knees. There are infinite variations to the steps I will teach in this lesson. Remember, these are the basic steps. Feel free to add your own style or movement to these Top Rocks in any way you see fit.
Top Rock 1:
- Stand with your feet together and your knees slightly bent. Take your right foot, and cross it forward and over your left foot at a 45 degree angle. Your left knee should be bent and your right leg almost straight. Make sure that your upper body is slightly leaning backward as you step. Then you step to put both feet together in your starting position. Repeat these steps in the same way on the other side.
- Now add the arms. When you are standing with your feet together, hold your hands up to your chest and cup one hand inside the other. As you step and cross your foot, your arms shoot out completely straight and in line with your shoulders. Open your hands wide as your arms go out to add excitement to the step. When you step together, your hands come back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side.
Top Rock 2:
- Once again, stand with your feet together. Kick your right foot straight forward and then back. When you place the kicking leg back, shift your weight so it is on that foot (the right foot). With your knees bent, place your left leg out directly to the left about twice the length of your shoulders. Keeping the weight on your right leg, step your left leg back so your feet are together. Now kick your left leg straight forward and then back. When you place the kicking leg back, shift your weight so it is on that foot (the back foot). With your knees bent, place your right leg out directly to the right about twice the length of your shoulders. Keeping the weight on your left leg, step your right leg back so your feet are together. Notice how the sides mirror each other!
- The hands are fairly simple for this Top Rock. When you kick, both hands shoot forward and straight with one hand on top of the other. Keep the fingers together and straight like a blade. When you step together, your arms come into your chest. As you step a foot out, to the left or right, both hands go straight out to both sides and stay in line with your shoulders. As you step together once again, your hands come back into your chest.
Congratulations! You are one move closer to becoming a well rounded B-boy or B-girl. Don’t forget to make combinations with these Top Rocks and even the Six Step and Baby Freeze. The point of breaking is to explore and discover your favorite way to execute the moves. Have fun, experiment, and create your own individual style! Don’t miss Volume 4: The Get Down!