With the terms “popping,” “locking” and “breaking” constantly circulating on the set of America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC), it is easy to think that someone has been injured.

In reality, the terms refer to a broad spectrum of hip-hop dance styles, each of which encompasses unique elements and movement vocabularies. Season 4 of ABDC showcases dance crews that specialize in popping, locking, breaking, B-boying and voguing, among others.

“Popping” originated in the 1970s in Fresno, CA, and is considered to be one of the original funk styles of dance. To create a jerking motion, called a “pop” or a “hit," dancers quickly contract and relax the muscles in an isolated area of the body. The dance appears very rhythmic in nature, rarely involves floor work and focuses on sharp contrasts in movement. Often poppers transition between robotic and rigid movement to movement that is loose and flowing.

Many poppers integrate illusionary dance styles and techniques into their performances to add variety. The term “popping” can also be used as an umbrella term to refer to these illusionary techniques.

Locking is a style of funk dance that preceded popping by about 10 years. The term “locking” refers to the concept of locking movements, freezing in a position after a faster movement and then continuing on at the same speed. Locking is often very theatrical and allows dancers to play to the audience for support. Acrobatics are utilized frequently in performance, in addition to waving the arms, pointing, walking in place and grabbing and rotating one’s cap or hat. Like popping, locking is also highly rhythmic and tightly synched with the music.

Break-dance, breaking or b-boying is a style of dance that was born in Manhattan and the South Bronx of New York City during the early 1970s. Breakers dance to music that has often been remixed to extend the instrumental breaks between lyrics. Breaking involves four main stylistic elements: toprock, downrock, freezes and power moves.

Toprock refers to any string of steps performed in an upright position. It typically comprises the beginning of a breaker’s set and allows the dancer to warm-up and to transition into more difficult moves.

Downrock, in direct contrast, refers to all footwork performed on the floor. The most commonly recognized form of downrock is the 6-Step. It typically transitions into power moves, such as the windmill, that require momentum and physical power to execute.

Freezes are often seen at the end of a set and require the breaker to stop his or her motion in a stylistic pose. Poses such as the headstand or pike are the most difficult, as they require the dancer to suspend his or her body of off the ground.

It is important not to refer to breakers (also B-boys, B-girls) as breakdancers. Many breakers feel that the term was an attempt by the mass media to recast their dance as a nonthreatening form of musical acrobatics, scholar Joseph Schloss writes in his book “Foundation: B-boys, B-girls, and Hip-Hop Culture in New York.” The term “breakdancing” has also been used as an umbrella term that includes popping, locking, B-boying and an array of other funk styles, making it inaccurate as a description of breaking alone.

Voguing is the newest style on the ABDC scene, bringing light to a dance movement that has been underground since as early as the 1930s. Vogue or "voguing" is highly stylized and integrates photo model-like poses with angular, linear and rigid arm, leg, and body movements. Madonna’s “Vogue” music video popularized the dance form that has now established itself in gay dance clubs in New York, and other big cities throughout the United States: Atlanta, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami and Chicago are among these cities.

Voguing is made up of three distinct styles, or “schools”: Old Way (pre-1980), New Way (post 1990) and Vogue Fem, which began around 1985. Old Way is characterized by the formation of lines and symmetry in the body, as well as by precision and graceful fluidity of movement. New Way features more rigid, geometrically patterned movement that is interspersed with "clicks” (limb contortions at the joints) and "arm control" (sleight of hand and wrist illusions). Vogue Fem features exaggerated feminine movements and is influenced by ballet and modern dance.

Here’s to a more enlightened way of viewing ABDC, despite its often kitschy way of presenting hip-hop culture.