New Style emerged from modern hip-hop as old school took a backseat. Though hip-hop has always been street dance, old school retains its own regulations.
New Style emerged from modern hip-hop when old school began to recede into the background. Although hip-hop has always been a street dance, old school hip-hop still has its own rules.
In the past, only athletes, professional parkour practitioners, or those with the physical health to perform funk and breakdance elements, twist joints, and strike complex poses could dance hip-hop.
So soon a simplified new school of hip-hop emerged, being a free dance, and New Style also became known as freestyle (free style), gaining social dance status.
New Style is a simplified version of old school breakdance, funk, house, modern, salsa, and Latin. These elements remain, along with controlled movements, but outwardly they appear more free and loose.
But in reality, all movements are well thought out by the dancer, who maintains overall balance. In New Style, improvisation is key. Each dancer adds their own moves, making their dance completely unique.
New Style is usually danced to the same music as old hip-hop. Typically jazz, both old and modern, less often rock or pop. So all movements, though free, are built on beats, usually in sets of four counts.
Beginners are taught basic combinations for both the upper body and limbs. Once the initial moves are muscle memory, you can move on to improvisation.
In improvisation, it's important to maintain the overall style. In New Style, you shouldn't do many tricks or complex elements, but you can add simple moves from hip-hop and house. Remember that New Style originated from various directions, and you need to use the full range of combinations to make the dance as lively and vibrant as possible.
Beginners usually start trying their hand after learning ten to twenty different combinations. These combinations should include not only old school hip-hop but also all modern American dance styles.
But don't get too caught up in memorizing combinations. Well-put-together moves look interesting, but the audience expects something unique and original from New Style.
The partner element also plays an important role in New Style. Usually it's a solo dance, because everyone is unique, but since New Style partially originated from salsa, certain moments can be performed as a duo.
Choosing a partner is not easy in any dance, but in New Style it's doubly hard. You need to like the same music, have similar movement amplitude, and similar moves. Some people's combinations are more rounded, others' are sharper and more precise.
Unlike salsa, in New Style your partner does not have to be the opposite sex; same-sex partnerships are fine because move sets differ by gender. But if you want to create a dance based not on symmetrical moves but on each partner's different composition, then mixed-gender works better.
New Style is often danced in groups, adding complexity. Each move must be learned over time, and every studio member contributes to the overall improvisation.
In New Style, the only thing that matters is the desire to express yourself. If you often dance to music in a subway passage, make up various move combinations in your free time, love hip-hop but lack the skills for old school, then you definitely need to try New Style.
The GoDance team crafts articles about dance, technique and inspiring stories from dancers.
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