Dance industry

The dance industry responded to hip-hop dance by creating a more commercial version of it. This "studio hip-hop", sometimes called new style is seen in most rap and R&B music videos and concerts. From the point of view of someone deeply immersed in hip-hop culture, anything that looks like hip-hop dance that did not come from the streets is not a true hip-hop dance form. In an interview with Dance magazine, hip-hop dance teacher Emilio "Buddha Stretch" Austin, Jr explains how he sees it:


    “     There are a lot of jazz dancers out there doing pseudo hip hop. A lot of teachers don't know the history, they're just teaching the steps. They're learning from videos, but they don't know the culture. If all you see is Britney Spears, you think that's hip hop, but that's never been hip hop. It's completely watered down. And studios could [sic] care less, because hip hop is one of their biggest moneymakers.


Many people echo this sentiment, as stage performance can restrict the free flowing process of improvization which defined hip-hop dance early in its development.Also meshing different dance styles together dissolves their structures and identities.


From a technical aspect, hip-hop dance (new style) is characterized as hard-hitting involving flexibility and isolations—moving a certain body part independently from others.The feet are grounded, the chest is down, and the body is kept loose so that a dancer can easily alternate between hitting the beat or riding through the beat. This is in contrast to ballet or ballroom dancing where the chest is upright and the body is stiff. In addition, new style hip-hop is very rhythmic and emphasis is placed on musicality—how sensitive your movements are to the music—and being able to freestyle (improvise). As long as dancers maintain the foundational movements, they can add their own (free)style and have a performance that is still hip-hop.


Another style the dance industry created was jazz funk. Jazz funk (also called street jazz) is a hybrid of hip-hop and jazz dance.This style is used by artists like Beyoncé.Although it borrows from hip-hop dance, it is not considered a style of hip-hop because the foundational movements are jazz. In hip-hop – even in lyrical hip-hop – there are no pirouettes or arabesques and you do not dance on relevé (on the balls of the feet). However, these methods are used in jazz funk and in jazz dance in general.Dance studios responded to these new styles by hiring technically trained dancers and offering hip-hop (new style) and jazz funk dance classes. Large scale studios around the world that teach hip-hop and jazz funk dance classes include Millennium (L.A.), Broadway Dance Center (New York), Edge Performing Arts Center (L.A.), Pineapple Studios (London), The Vibe – The International Hip Hop Dance Center (Oslo), Boogiezone (L.A.), Debbie Reynolds (L.A.), Sunshine Studios (Manchester), DREAM Dance Studio (Vancouver), Ones to Watch (Japan & Hong Kong), and KJD Dance Studio (Sydney).


Other developments in the industry came about in response to the growing popularity of hip-hop dance. On the traveling convention circuit there were tap, ballet, and jazz dance conventions but there were none specifically for hip-hop. The same void also translated to dancewear. There was dancewear for tap, ballet, and jazz dancers but none for hip-hop dancers. Monsters of Hip Hop and Nappytabs dancewear were formed to cater to both needs. Monsters of Hip Hop is the first all hip-hop dance convention. It was founded in 2003 in Baltimore by Andy Funk, his wife Becky, and her sister Angie Servant.The convention now travels to multiple US cities and to Mexico.Its faculty roster includes Dave Scott, Teresa Espinosa, Popin Pete, and Marty Kudelka among others.Nappytabs is the first line of dancewear made specifically for hip-hop dancers.Their line is only sold at dance clothing stores, online through their official website, and at their only retail location and studio in Los Angeles. Because Nappytabs is made for the urban dance community they do not sell leotards/unitards, tights, or leg warmers. Their line consist of tanks, shorts, t-shirts, sweats, and hoodies.


Threader is an online distribution outlet for hip-hop dance inspired streetwear created by hip-hop choreographers and dance crews.It was founded in 2009 by Traci Copeland, Marc David, and choreographer Luam Keflezgy. Threader has distributed clothing for brands/dancers such as Shoeture, Poreotics, Wildchild, Beat Freaks, Dance2XS, and Laurie Ann Gibson