Classical Ballet Vs Hip Hop Dance

Although classical ballet and hip hop bear some remarkable differences, the similarities between the two styles of dance are self-evident when observing the costuming, technicality, and entertainment of each style. Dance has always played an important role in any culture, from the Mayans to today’s modern society; individuals are continuing to express themselves through movement. Different styles of dance have derived from other forms of traditional dances such as ballet. Every style of dance performed in a studio has some element of ballet in its movements; even the most diverse pieces such as tap still use forms of ballet. When audiences are watching a hip hop routine, they don’t immediately see the ballet elements, but when examined closely, …show more content…
Because hip hop started as street dancing, baggy everyday clothes such as sweat pants and t-shirts are the normal attire. However, in ballet, there is a strict following of dress code for dancers: tight ballet bun, leotard, pink tights, and ballet shoes. Ballet, being more strict, requires a more professional look when on stage and in the studio. A ballerina’s hair must be secure and never out of place along with no snags or holes in her tights. Ballets strict dress code rules are very different from the dress code in hip hop because in hip hop a dancer can wear almost anything that he or she is comfortable wearing. Tennis shoes, boots, sweat pants, leggings, jackets, and t-shirts are just a few of the many possibilities a dancer could wear to dance in. Baggy comfortable clothing gives a dancer a feel for a routine, sometimes even becoming a medium in the performance. Whereas, in ballet, a dancer wears tight minimal clothing to see every line and every movement the body makes. Both styles of dance have very different styles of clothing, but both genres use clothing as an aspect to fully understand parts of the …show more content…
To the naked, untrained eye, ballet and hip hop appear completely opposite in each of its movements. However, ballet and hip hop are almost exactly the same, because both styles of dance use all of the same elements of choreography. Hip Hop and ballet both use isolations, plié, and fluid airy continuous movements to express each move precisely in a routine. Isolations, in dance, refer to the movement of certain parts of the body while keeping other parts of the body still. This technique of precise movements shown in hip hop through breaking and popping, demonstrates isolations of the body and is often described as robot-like movements. Isolations are also in every aspect of ballet because a ballerina is constantly working to hold her posture, head positions, and arm positions while also moving the lower body. Another technique used in hip hop comes from the bending of the legs, also known as plié. Dancers bend their legs to stay grounded when performing hip hop routines as well as ballet routines which use plié to help stay grounded as well as creating a smooth transition between movements. Ballet, widely known for its fluid light as a feather movement, transfers the airy techniques into hip hop as well. Both Ballet and hip hop have many similar techniques and moves, while also being drastically different in