Hip-hop is a huge cultural phenomenon and has been adopted by groups of people all over the world, so hip-hop dance tends to be very regional and greatly connected to a specific time period. Some of the major types of hip-hop dance are:
Breakdancing is a very important component to hip-hop dance and is, in fact, one of the four core elements of hip-hop culture. Popularized by the Rock Steady Crew of the Bronx, New York, it is more than 30 years old. Beginning breakers (as breakdancers are commonly called) should be familiar with both types of the dance: uprock, which is performed on your feet, and toprock, the less popular style that employs fighting motions. Consult the eHow.com How to Breakdance Video Series for tutorials [link: http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_2678_breakdance.html].
The laidback nature of California birthed many fitting dance moves, including c-walking, which originated from gang culture in Los Angeles and is now mainstream, mainly as a result of rapper SnoopDogg's popularity. Krumping, a high-energy, frenetic Northern California trend, is similar to breaking in that it is very competitive and is often performed by crews. See the documentary "Rize" for more information on krumping.
Trendy dances are also a major component to hip-hop dance and often become popular because of a hit song. The running man was a popular 1980s dance that mimicked a person running, with the arms and legs going back and forth in a stationary trot. The cabbage patch (no doubt named for the popular dolls) was also well known during that decade and continues to be trendy. Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" single produced a dance craze based on the video that the rapper-actor released in the '90s. The Butterfly (which involves squatting before opening and closing your legs), The Southside (which is also a squat combined with rubbing your hands across your head) and The Jerk (a "jerky" squatting and kicking dance) are just a few more examples of dance moves spawned by songs.
Line dances like the Electric Slide have always been a big part of African-American culture and are now greatly influenced with Southern hip-hop music. The Cupid Shuffle, which is a modified "slide," was created in 2007 by rapper-singer Cupid, who is originally from Louisiana. Florida rapper Khia also created the K Wang song, which produced a popular dance in 2003. The Bunny Hop was re-visioned by Louisiana group Da Entourage and popularized in the first part of the 2000s as well.