The Way You Move
How hip-hop, house, popping, locking and breaking build community, cohesion and collective wellness.
A hip-hop dancer hits an upright stance and expressive groove during a cypher at The Way You Move.
Social dance does not live on the margins of culture. It is where culture is made. Long before battle formats, judges, or international finals, hip hop, house, popping, locking, and breaking emerged as social practices rooted in gathering, expression, and survival. These styles were created in clubs, on sidewalks, at block parties, in recreation centers, and inside community spaces where people needed joy, release, and connection. The Way You Move Festival centers these forms not only as performance disciplines, but as social technologies that build community, strengthen cohesion, and support physical and emotional wellness.
In the DMV, where displacement, political pressure, and economic inequality shape daily life, these dance forms have long functioned as tools for belonging. The Way You Move recognizes that the power of these styles lies not just in virtuosity, but in their ability to bring people together through shared rhythm, groove, and presence.
Two dancers exchange footwork during a house round at the Juste Debout U.S. Prelims at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., December 2025. (Photo by Robert Braggs III)
Hip-hop and House: The Social Floor as a Meeting Place
Hip-hop and house were born in social environments designed for collective participation. Hip hop’s cyphers emphasize mutual respect, listening, and response. Dancers enter and exit based on energy, not hierarchy. The circle teaches accountability. It demands that participants read the room, honor space, and contribute rather than dominate.
House culture, rooted in club spaces, centers endurance, joy, and collective flow. It is a dance of listening deeply to music and to one another. On a house floor, dancers move independently yet remain in conversation, connected by rhythm and shared pulse. This form of movement fosters emotional regulation, stamina, and openness. It is fitness without isolation and community without competition.
At The Way You Move, these styles are activated not just in classes and battles, but in shared social spaces where dancers and non dancers alike can participate. These moments remind us that dance floors are among the most democratic spaces we have.
A dancer steps through rhythmic footwork during a house battle at the Juste Debout U.S. Prelims at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., December 2025. (Photo by Robert Braggs III)
Popping and Locking: Communication, Groove and Embodied Story
Popping and locking developed as expressive languages within community settings. Popping translates internal sensation into visible rhythm. It sharpens body awareness and neurological control, strengthening coordination and muscular precision while offering a powerful outlet for emotional expression.
Locking is inseparable from social exchange. Its call and response structure, its humor, and its emphasis on performance toward the audience reinforce connection. Locking invites interaction. It acknowledges the viewer. It builds confidence and presence while encouraging play and generosity.
In social contexts, these styles teach dancers how to communicate without words. They strengthen posture, timing, and breath control while reinforcing joy as a shared experience. At The Way You Move, popping and locking are positioned as tools for wellness, confidence, and self awareness, not only as competitive forms.
A breaker holds a freeze during a breaking competition at the Juste Debout U.S. Prelims at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., December 2025. (Photo by Robert Braggs III)
Breaking: Circle, Community and Physical Resilience
Breaking is one of the most physically demanding dance forms, yet its origins are deeply social. B-boys and b-girls train strength, agility, and endurance inside circles where encouragement and challenge coexist. The breaking cypher builds resilience. It teaches risk taking, recovery, and adaptability.
Physically, breaking supports full body strength, cardiovascular health, balance, and coordination. Socially, it reinforces mentorship and intergenerational exchange. Elders pass down knowledge. Youth bring innovation. The circle becomes a classroom and a support system.
By featuring breaking through Freshest of All Time and other programming, The Way You Move affirms that physical excellence and community care are not separate goals. They are intertwined.
Dance as Fitness Rooted in Culture
Unlike conventional fitness models that isolate individuals, these dance styles create health through relationship. Hip hop, house, popping, locking, and breaking all demand stamina, strength, and coordination. They improve cardiovascular health and muscular control while supporting mental wellness through music, expression, and social connection.
Because these styles are culturally rooted, participation feels meaningful rather than transactional. People return not because they are chasing metrics, but because they feel seen, challenged, and connected. This is sustainable wellness grounded in culture.
From Social Practice to Cultural Infrastructure
The Way You Move treats these dance forms as infrastructure. When social dance spaces are cultivated intentionally, they reduce isolation, strengthen neighborhood ties, and support creative economies. They create pathways for youth development, artistic leadership, and international exchange.
By investing in social dance alongside master classes, competitions, and global representation, the festival ensures that excellence remains connected to community. Innovation remains connected to culture. Wellness remains connected to joy.
Moving Together into the Future
The Way You Move invites the DMV to recognize what has always been true. Hip hop, house, popping, locking, and breaking are not only styles. They are systems of care, communication, and resilience. They teach us how to move with one another, how to listen through rhythm, and how to build belonging through shared experience.
As dancers gather in cyphers, on club floors, and in community spaces throughout the festival, they participate in something larger than an event. They reinforce a living ecosystem where movement strengthens bodies, connects communities, and shapes the future of culture.
The way we move together determines the kind of world we build. The Way You Move is committed to building one rooted in rhythm, respect, and collective wellness.
