Popping Dance: What It Is and How to Learn

Popping is a unique dance style with a captivating but little-known history. It features rhythmic tensing and relaxing of muscles in different parts of the body, creating a "robotic" effect. On the GoDance platform, you'll find lessons covering everything from basic techniques to complex combinations.

The dance makes audiences wonder: "Is this a real person or a robot?", "How do they do that?", and "Are they okay?" Since viewers remain curious until the end, they watch with rapt attention.

The person who invented this dance style could be considered a true genius—not only did they think to imitate a robot, but they also adapted those movements for humans, replicated them, and taught others. However, the most interesting part is that no single creator exists.

The inventor's name is unknown. It's believed that popping evolved from a mix of other styles and individual dancers' techniques. There was once a dance duo that people thought was doing locking, but upon closer inspection, they noticed differences and found the dance much more intriguing.

Both dancers in that group would say "pop" with each muscle contraction, which is how the style got its name.

Popping has a very interesting and distinctive technique. Movements fully convey the mood of the music. Viewers are most amazed by how dancers transition from sharp, crisp moves to smooth, flowing ones.

This combination is considered one of the hardest because you must know exactly when to switch to a different dance style.

Popping includes many basic moves, one of which is called "waving." Waving involves wave-like movements throughout the body.

There are also wave movements using only the upper limbs—and surprisingly, Michael Jackson was a true master of this technique!

He was inducted into the Guinness Book of Records 25 times and contributed to the development of popping. By the way, his famous "moonwalk" comes from a related popping style.

Popping is often used in battles to show superiority over opponents. Dancers perform various combos and pirouettes to amaze rivals and spectators. Through these battles, participants gain public recognition and fans.

Since popping is a street style, it involves improvisation. Improvisation helps express creativity, develop artistic skills, and simply enjoy the performance.

Most people who have never seen popping but know it's a street style assume the clothing style is also streetwear. But that's not the case. Dancers actually prefer a classic style: horizontally striped shirts or blouses, always topped with a jacket.

A hat has become a mandatory accessory. While fashion and the dance itself have evolved, the hat has always been used.

Interestingly, popping was initially not accepted in Russia, and it took considerable effort to make it known. But later, its popularity grew exponentially, spawning many slightly modified styles.

One such style is called "Slow Motion," where movements appear as if in slow motion. Another style is "Puppet," which mimics the movements of dolls or characters from old forgotten cartoons.