Get Streetwise：Start Dancing

If you are used to strutting your stuff[一展身手] on the dance floor， chances are you would know what to do if someone asked you to join them in a twist[扭扭舞]， a jive[牛仔舞]， a hustle[哈娑舞]， a pogo[跳跳舞] or even a bit of moshing[狂舞]！ But if they asked you to join them for a street dance， which moves would you use？ Understandably， you might be a liitle confused because， the truth is， street dance is a blend of several forms of dance， hailing from different eras and even different countries.

While the name “street dance” is linked to those forms of dance which are popular in the streets， parks， clubs and on the pavements and alleyways[小巷] of cities like London and New York， it covers everthing from break dancing[霹靂舞] to body popping[機械舞]， body locking[鎖舞] and house dancing[浩室舞].

There are very few rules to street dance， as its often improvised[即興表演] and done among friends while listening to a mobile music player. It is open to anyone， any age， anywhere and anytime， and because it is a social activity， it has provided many young people， especially those in poorer urban areas with a strong gang culture， with a positive alternative to getting into trouble. Street dance groups like Diversity， for example， which formed when a group of brothers and friends from East London and Essex got together， have gone on to achieve fame and fortune and have become role models for generations to come.

For Diversity， the catalyst[催化劑] was entering for a television talent show， Britains Got Talent. For others， the inspiration maybe a local street dance club， led by a professional instructor， or a local group of friends who get together informally just for fun.

New kids on the block Krumping

★ [小丑舞]—Sometimes called clowning， this relatively new form of street dance involves high energy moves and often physical contact with another dancer， mimicking[模仿] combat. It is often performed competitively on the streets with other dance groups.

★Street Jazz—Proving that dance is always evolving， this new dancing style blends modern hip-hop with more traditional jazz moves.

Word of the day

Complete the web with the names of dance styles from the article. If you know any others， add them too.