Locking is characterized by sudden pauses or freezes, often within the beat. Originating way back into 1969 as popularized by a crew called The Lockers, locking has endured transitions from its funky origins into a common hip hop dance.

Often confused with locking, the popping style is a much different style from the others. It is often done standing up, in which the body is twitched or jerked in a way that goes with the beat. These twitches are called “pops” or “hits.” Many moves are related to popping, one popular example is the moonwalk as popularized in the 80s by Michael Jackson.

Wave dancing is oriented more towards dance hip hop and more laidback settings such as in glitch hop and drum n’ bass. It often involves smooth, ‘liquid-ish’ hand movements called hand flows, and digital manipulation, creating illusions and movements with the fingers and arms. The performer’s body is used as a contour to express a feeling or a series of interpretative gestures.

A dance lift is a sequence of acrobatic movements in which one dancer or group lifts and, in many cases, holds their dance partner above the floor. When performing a lift, the lifting dancer typically strives to gracefully and confidently lift, catch and carry their partner.