- Jenny Bater-Sinclair - Company Director
10 Famous Street Dancers: Videos And Where To Follow Them
Updated: Aug 8, 2022
With thousands of talented street dancers all over the world, how do you filter just 10 famous ones to watch and learn from or follow? This is the perfect post for any aspiring street dancer as a source of inspiration.
Good news, I've compiled a list of my top 10 famous street dancers for you, many of which I hope will wow and inspire you.
As a street dance tutor and company director for nearly 20 years, I have been, and still am, fully invested in learning about the history of the genre and more about its pioneers and influencers, some of them are here on this list.
With 50 years of famous dancers to choose from since the beginning of the birth of street dance, it was hard to compile a list and not leave out some big names, so do note, this is just a small handful, but not a definitive list.
In no particular order, here is my list of 10 famous street dancers, a little about them, where to follow them and even watch some clips right here of their skills!
PLUS bonus 'number 11' we simply could not leave this one out, read on to find out
First things first...
What is Street Dance?
Street dance is an umbrella term for a large number of social dance styles, hip hop dance is one of them, however, 'hip hop' is not solely a dance style - it's a culture, more on this on my page about dance styles.
What are 'social dance styles' I hear you ask? These are styles, with many accompanying steps, created organically from a culture, a moment in time, a way of life, by the natural social interaction between people.
Street dance evolved in the 1970s, now around 50 years on, the genre is still evolving with new generations of talented dancers, all whilst paying homage to the originators and the foundations.
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10 Famous Street Dancers List
1. Buddha Stretch
Buddha Stretch is known for being a big player in bringing hip hop dance to a mainstream audience and as the first choreographer of the style. Buddha has performed with legendary artists such as Salt-N-Pepper, Big Daddy Kane and even Michael Jackson. Buddha stretch was an original member of Elite Force crew, along with Brooklyn Terry, Henry Link, Loose Joint, Bobby Milage and Ejoe 12. Fact: It was on the set of the Remember The Time video that the name for the Elite Force crew was coined.
Where to find out more about Buddha Stretch: Instagram or Elite Force Crew Website
2. The Late Don "Campbellock" Campbell
The world lost a legend in 2020, when Don Campbell, a.k.a. Don Campbellock, the inventor of Locking, passed away. Don Campbellock is one of my personal idols, his passion for sharing his dance style is inspirational, in his words "I want you to take my dance and make it yours". Fact: Don Campbellock actually messaged me back in 2007 when Hip Hop Pop (HHP) hosted the South East Hip Hop Dance Championships to "keep up the good work", a memory I will always cherish.
Don was a founding member of dance group The Lockers, along with Toni Basil who also features in this list. The Lockers were an incredibly influential group who featured on shows such as Soul Train, Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show to name but a few.
Don continued to teach, judge competitions and speak at engagements on the subject of Locking for many years after Locking's creation.
Where to find out more about Don Campbellock: Cambellock.com
3. Norah, Yarah and Rosa (Let It Happen)
Bringing things right up to the present day, I've followed this viral young dutch sister trio on Instagram and YouTube for the past year and they just get better and better. To me, they are a visual representation of past and present street dance styles, delivered with pure joy.
The sisters have appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show a couple of times, have millions of followers and James Brown's daughter even invited them to dance as a tribute to the godfather of soul on his birthday.
Where to find out more about Nora, Yarah and Rosa: Instagram
4. Kenrick "H20" Sandy MBE
Kenrick "H20" Sandy MBE is of the UK's most respected choreographers and artistic directors. Kenrick is the co-founder of Boy Blue Ent., Associate Artist at the Barbian, a collaborator on the London 2021 opening ceremony and his work has even won an Olivier award.
Time Out London named Kenrick as one of 100 most influential and innovative minds in the creative industry.
Where to find out more about Kenrick "H20" Sandy: Boy Blue Ent. or Instagram
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