photo #4789518

Before Tik Tok taught us the latest dance crazes, people had to get a bit more creative. Breakdancing, a style of dance at the center of hip-hop culture, was on the rise in the 1980s. This pack of View-Master 3D reels from 1984 in our Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture collection, features 21 pictures to create a how-to-guide to some of most popular moves of the time including the moonwalk, backspins and windmills. Alongside the pictures, the reel for breakdancing lists the following instructions:With ease you’ll slide like skating on ice. Muscles made tightTo make it look twice as niceLike a robot, keep stiff. Arms lift while legs shift. Slow or fast beat, keep your pace. Move around or stay in one place. If you need us, we’ll be practicing these moves. 📷 : Collection of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture