The group named themselves the Electric Boogaloo Lockers. They started practicing together at the Mary Ella Brown Community Center, learning and drawing from each others’ flavor. In 1976, Will and Darnell met Sam Solomon at Roeding Park in Fresno.

Some examples include The Old Man, Twist-o Flex and Neck-o Flex. Will and Darnell came up with different variations of Popping dance, as well as techniques for Ticking, Creeping, and the Backslide. The two would invent their own dance moves, and added their own interpretation to existing dance moves.įrom then, they'd prepare dozens of steps and enter local battles. “We didn’t call it Popping because to us it was just dance moves.” They started making up dance moves and called themselves the Ace Tre Lockers, even though they didn’t Lock. (AKA Tick’n Will) met his best friend Ricky Darnell “Twist-o-Flex” McDowell in the West Fresno projects in the 1970’s. Tick’n Will and Darnell Twist-o-Flex McDowell Wiggles, Cedric Williams (AKA Creep’n Sid), Gary Allen (AKA Scarecrow Scally), Marvin “Puppet” Boozer and Dane “Robot” Parker. Some members of the Electric Boogaloos included of Pop’in Pete, Skeeter Rabbit, Suga Pop, Mr. Interview with Boogaloo Sam of The Electric Boogaloo Lockers It incorporates isolated circular rolls of body parts. The Boogaloo, invented by Boogaloo Sam, is a loose, fluid motion that gives the impression of the body having no bones. The technique involves abrupt tensing of the muscles to create a stop-motion illusion. It is meant to simulate an animated character moving frame-by-frame. Key moves in Popping Dance AnimationĪnimation was inspired by the Dynamation films by Ray Harryhausen. Over time, the word “Popping” (which is also often referred to as “hitting,”) started being used to describe the collection of moves and techniques invented by the OG Poppers. In addition to being a hobby, Popping dance gave dancersan escape, an identity, and a family. The dancers would come up with moves, practice them, then show them off at clubs or in dance battles.

While there are several moving parts of Popping's history that sometimes conflict or overlap, one clear part of the dance style's origin is that it started among groups of teenage friends in deindustrializing parts of the city. Origins of dance styles can get tricky, because OG’s have different accounts and interpretations of that story according to their regions and circles of influence. Learn how to create the hit: How to Learn Popping History of Popping Dance This dance style is characterized by sudden tensing and releasing of the muscles ('hitting') to the rhythm of beats in music. Popping dance is a style of dance that started in the late 1960’s and 70’s.

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