Popping (a.k.a. hitting) is a funk dance and street dance style based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer’s body, referred to as a pop or a hit. This is done continuously to the rhythm of a song in combination with other mime-style movements.

Popping is also used as an umbrella term for a group of illusionary dance styles and techniques that are often combined with popping to create a more varied performance. The effect of popping as entertainment hinges on an almost-surrealistic contrast between the human dancer and the unnatural moves performed. Like other street dances popping is often performed in battles and thus involves competitive tricks such as mocking the opponent.

It’s generally believed that the dance evolved in California in the 1970s and was originally inspired by locking. It was later incorporated into both the hip hop- and electronica dance scenes.

Techniques and styles

There are a number of techniques and styles that are often combined with popping to enhance the dancer’s performance and create a more varied show. When using popping as an umbrella term, these can also be considered a part of popping.

Animation
A style and a technique that attempt to imitate film characters being animated by stop motion. The technique consists of moving rigidly and jerky, using the strobing technique of halting at very small intervals or tensing of muscles, to make it appear as the dancer has been animated frame by frame. The resulting motion is also reminiscent of strobing, but with the intention of impersonating stop-motion characters and not, as in strobing, the movement itself. This style was heavily inspired by the dynamation films created by Ray Harryhausen.
See also Strobing (dance)

Boogaloo/electric boogaloo
A fluid leg-oriented style utilizing rolls of the hips, knees and head. This style was made famous by the Electric Boogaloos.

Dime stopping
A technique of moving at a steady pace and then abruptly coming to a halt, as if attempting to stop on a dime. This is often combined with a pop at the beginning and/or end of the movement.

Floating, gliding and sliding
A set of footwork-oriented techniques that attempt to create the illusion that the dancer’s body is floating smoothly across the floor, or that the legs are walking while the dancer travels in unexpected directions.

Liquid dancing
An illusionary dance style that focuses on flowing and continuous liquid-like motions, with concentration on the fingers, hands and arms. It is stylistically connected to – and often mixed with – waving. Liquid dancing is common in rave culture, and some dancers consider it a complete style of its own.

Popping/hitting
The technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to create a jerking effect (a pop or hit) in the dancer’s body. Popping can be concentrated to specific body parts, creating variants such as arm pops, leg pops, chest pops and neck pops.

Puppeting
A style imitating a puppet tied to strings. Normally performed alone or with a partner acting as the puppet master pulling the strings.

Robot/botting
The robot is a style imitating a dancing robot or mannequin.

Slow motion
Moving very slowly with exagerrated movements to make it appear as if the dancer is viewed in slow motion.

Strobing
Using the same principle as dime stopping, but movements between halts should be shorter, and as quick and regular as possible to give the impression that the dancer is moving within a strobe light.

Ticking
A way of popping where the dancer pops at very small intervals.

Tutting/King Tut
Inspired by the art of Ancient Egypt, tutting exploits the body’s ability to create geometric positions and movements, predominately with the use of right angles.

Vibrating
Tensing muscles very hard, causing them to shake or vibrate.

Waving
Waving is composed of a series of fluid movements that give the appearance that a wave is travelling through the dancer’s body. It is often mixed with liquid dancing.

1. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (PG-13)
$23.0 Million

2. Step Up (PG-13)
$21.1 Million

3. World Trade Center (PG-13)
$19.0 Million

4. Barnyard: The Original Party Animals (PG)
$10.1 Million

5. Pulse (2006) (PG-13)
$8.4 Million

I am sure you have heard the stories about the remake, but in the last few weeks they really seem to be gathering momentum.

the remake, from what I have been hearing, will go into production late this year.

The cast at this stage looks like:

Ferris: Justin Long
Cameron: Jon Heder
Sloan: Misha Barton
Rooney: Ben Stiller
Mr Bueller: Charlie Sheen
Mrs Bueller: Mia Sara

Cameo by Matthew Broderick.

John Hughes may direct. This is a remake and not a sequel.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not at all too happy about having a remake for this movie. This movie is already a classic. The question is, will they be able to pull it off? We’ll have to see!

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me and
we all could use more calm in our lives. By following the simple
advice I heard on a Dr. Phil show, I have finally found inner peace.

Dr. Phil proclaimed the way to achieve inner peace is to finish all
the things you have started. So I looked around my house to see
things I started and hadn’t finished; and, before leaving the house
this morning I finished off a bottle of Merlot, a bottle of Pinot
Grigio, a bottle of Baileys, a bottle of Kailua, a package of Oreos,
the remainder of both Prozac and Valium prescriptions, the rest of
the cheesecake, some pretzels and a box of chocolates.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel.