Whats wrong with the word “breakdancing”?
In the mid-eighties, b-boying briefly became a media sensation, popularized by appearances in commercials, at the closing ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympics, and in low-budget movies such as Flashdance (1983), Beat Street (1984) and Breakin’ (1984). At that time, the term “breakdancing” was introduced as an umbrella term for a several forms of urban dance (including b-boying, popping and locking) that developed in different communities at different times. Many b-boys and b-girls feel that this term obscured the specifics of these individual dance styles in order to create an oversimplified and often stereotypical view of urban dance and the cultures from which it emerged. In fact, some b-boys and b-girls actually consider the word “breakdancer” to be the equivalent of a racial slur.
