One of the ways to get a clear idea of the many different movements and steps of breakdancing is to look at the movements within each segment of a dance. The first part of the dance is called the toprock and in this segment the dancer performs the routine while he/she is standing in the same spot. In the downrock, the dancer is on the floor and all movements are performed in this position. This serves as a warm up for the next segment, the power moves, which are still preformed on the floor. This is the most intricate part of the dancing routine involving many athletic movements, such as that of gymnasts and martial artists. The freeze is the closing routine of the dance and could come earlier than intended if the dancer happens to fall or lose his/her balance when performing any of the dance movements.
In toprock, the dancer gives a sort of introduction as to what kind of performance the spectators will see. The goal is to make a connection with the music or the words of the song by gestures imitating playing an instrument and the feet set the rhythm. Some of the moves a dancer can perform in this segment include:
- A basic routine
- Indian rock
- Uprock
- Power step
Then the dancer uses different kinds of drops to drop to the floor for the second segment of the dance routine. These drops can include:
- Coin Drop in which he/she drops down on one arm and performs a windmill movement.
- Knee Drop in which he/she places one foot behind the knee of the other leg and drops to the floor creating the illusion of falling on the knee, but instead the dancer lands on the foot.
- Sweep Drop in which the dancer sweeps one leg so that it seems as if he/she has tripped and fallen
- Thread Drop in which the dancer has the leg bent when it hits the floor
The downrock is the segment in which the dancer displays intricate foot movements. There are many different variations a dancer can use, but the most common movement is the 6-step. It is a sort of moving handstand in which the dancer uses the strength of the upper body to move around while standing on the hands and moving the legs in the air. The dancer stays low to the ground which helps set up the transition to the power moves.
Some of the common movements in breakdancing that dancers perform while on the floor include:
- Body Rock. The back is on the floor and the dancer moves the legs and the hips to be able to move around.
- Belly Swim. The dancer starts out lying on his/her back but sweeps out the arms as if in swimming and rolls about the floor in a continuous movement.
- Body Glide. This movement is similar to the belly swim, but the legs and arms remain straight.
- Homer Simpson. In this movement, the dancer lays on one side and runs with the hips and shoulders being the only part of the body that touch the floor in a continuous movement.
Dancers can bring their routine to a close with a freeze. This includes putting the body into a tripod position or arching like a bridge to perform a handstand.
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