10 Most Influential Hip Hop Dancers
These are the 10 most influential hip hop dancers of all time. They have inspired and influenced many dancers over the years and they continue to do so. I hope this list will help you learn more about these great individuals. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave them below.
1. Christopher “Bboy Lilou” Cauet – Lilou is a French dancer who is considered by many to be one of the best breakers in the world. His style is very acrobatic and he has been dancing from a young age. He is also known for his freestyle battles where he takes on other breakers in a dance off. Lilou is known for his unique style and his ability to adapt to different situations.
2. Michael “Bboy Issei” Ikeda – Issei is a Japanese dancer who has won numerous awards including the Red Bull BC One in 2004 and 2006 as well as being named Best B-Boy at R16 Korea in 2009. His smooth footwork, powerful moves, and unique top rock set him apart from other dancers.
3. Brian “Bboy Kid Glyde” Freeman – Kid Glyde is an American dancer who started dancing at age
Hip Hop and dance have a long relationship. In the early days of Hip Hop, Break Dancing was the most popular style to see in the street. Nowadays, there are so many different styles of Hip Hop dance that it is hard to keep up. This list will show you the 10 Most Influential Hip Hop Dancers along with some of their best work.
Erik “Boogie Frantick” Francoeur
Erik “Boogie Frantick” Francoeur is an urban choreographer and former B-Boy who has been teaching and performing for over a decade. He is known as one of the most influential dancers in Montreal and has helped trained many award winning dancers.
Hip Hop dance is one of the most popular forms of dance in America today. It’s hard to find a music video that doesn’t contain some form of hip hop dance. From Kanye West’s iconic ‘Robot’ to Usher’s ‘Yeah’, hip hop has become a staple in pop culture and society.
The term ‘hip hop’ was first used by Keith Cowboy at a party in New York City. At this party, he would rap about his friends, make fun of them and introduce them to the audience. He would then start dancing to the beat of the music that was playing at the party. This was the beginning of what we now know as hip hop.
Over time, hip hop has evolved into more than just rapping about your friends and making fun of them. Hip hop is a way for people to express themselves through music, fashion, art and, most importantly, dance.
In this article I will list some of the most influential hip hop dancers and what they are famous for. I will also include some video content so you can see these legends in action!
The dancers on this list have all been a part of Hip Hop Dance history and were either a pioneer or influenced today’s popular street dance culture. This list was created to help people who didn’t know where to start learning about Hip Hop dancers/choreographers and how to dance hip hop.
This list is in no particular order or ranking, these are just 10 of the best dancers from various crews that you should follow and be inspired by.
Jun Quemado
Jun is one of the most influential breakdancers and choreographers to come out of the Philippines. He has won multiple awards and performed in many big competitions such as UK B-boy Championships, Notorious IBE and Red Bull BC One.
Jun creates great content on his YouTube channel, JQWorldwideTV where he teaches tutorials, talks about life and shares his most recent performances.
He is a member of The Ruggeds; an all-star B-boy crew that was formed in 2005 with members from around the world: Netherlands, France, Brazil, England and Germany.
Benny Ninja
Benny Ninja is one of the pioneers for voguing dance style along with Willi Ninja who passed away in 2006. Benny has been featured on America’s Best Dance Crew
In the world of Hip Hop dance, there are many people that have made impacts to the dance in their own ways. It is very difficult to try and narrow down a list of the most influential dancers in Hip Hop history. To make it easier, we will begin with the top 3 categories: Breaking, Popping, and Locking.
Breaking:
1. Skeeter Rabbit (Soul Control)
2. Ken Swift (Rock Steady Crew)
3. Crazy Legs (Rock Steady Crew)
4. Mr.Wiggles (Electric Boogaloos)
5. Bam Bam (Floormasters)
6. Frosty Freeze (Rock Steady Crew)
7. Doze Green (Electric Boogaloos)
8. Ghetto Styles Crew
9. B-boy Bebe (Floor Rippers)
10. Fleg (Strikers Allstars)
The dance styles that hip hop dancers have created are popping, locking, and breaking.
Popping is when you quickly bend and straighten your limbs creating a jerky effect. This was originally done with the arms and legs but now includes the entire body.
Locking is when you freeze from a fast movement in a certain position, hold it for a few seconds and then continue in the same speed. This was also originally done with the arms and legs but again has progressed to include the entire body.
Breaking or b-boying is when you breakdance or power move. You can do footwork or toprock which are basically footwork on the floor and upper body moves standing up.
Kid David is the most popular street dancer in the world! He has won almost every major competition around the world including the World Bboy Championships, UK Bboy Championships, Battle of the Year, and many others. He is also the creator of “The Art of Dance” DVD series.
Bboy Neguin is one of the most creative bboys in the world today. He is a member of the renown dance crew Vagabonds from Brazil. Neguin has been featured on Justin Bieber’s music video, “Beauty and a Beat” as well as many other music videos and commercials.
Ken Swift has been credited with popularizing the windmill move and continues to be one of the best hip hop dancers in the world today. He is also a member of Vagabond Crew and co-founder of Rock Steady Crew.
Bboy Lilou was born Alaeddine Berhilati in France and is considered one of the best bboys/poppers in history. Lilou has won many battles worldwide and was formerly ranked