There are thousands of dances around the world. Some have incredibly physically difficult moves, and some are fairly simple. There’s a story about former Russian leader Joseph Stalin that alleges he used to force some of his commanders to perform the Gopak for hours on end while they were drinking together. For those who may be unfamiliar with the dance, it involves a person squatting in a very low position while throwing rotating front kicks from foot to foot. Physically demanding dances such as this require a person to be in incredible physical condition. Ballet, which is also very popular in Russia, is considered one of the most physically demanding dances in the world.
In fact, a study suggests that ballet dancers are in better overall physical condition than even Olympic swimmers! There’s even a dance called Capoeira in Brazil that’s a form of martial arts. The dance was developed by African slaves brought to Brazil by the Portuguese. It originated from the Angolan tradition of “Engolo.” which is a form of ritual combat. Slaves would use the dance as training to survive the harsh environment of an unknown land, as well as self-defense against better-armed slave catchers should they escape. Generations later, a popular American dance style called Breakdancing or “Breaking” developed in the streets of New York during the late ’70s. Breakdancing happens to use a lot of moves very similar to Capoeira, and the two styles of dance are sometimes combined to create some outrageous moves. In this video, we see Jimmy Fallon and actor Brad Pitt paying homage to the art of breakdance in a skit called “Breakdance Conversation.”
Image via YouTube
The video begins with Fallon sitting at a desk working. He seems burnt out and bored, so he gets up from his desk to go down to a vacant factory floor, where he has a cardboard box spread out on the ground right next to an old fashioned boom box. After pushing play on the cassette tape player, some generic beat-box music comes on, and Fallon (more likely his highly skilled stunt double) begins his breakdance routine. However, he soon spots another person across the room, Brad Pitt, who’s jamming and dancing to his own music. After Pitt finishes his dance, he assumes the classic b-boy challenge stance and sends Fallon a little wink. Fallon replies by launching into his own dance and capping it off with a gesture as if he’s looking into the distance with his hand knifed over his eyes with a caption translating the move as saying “Brad?” From there, the two begin a friendly conversation through the language of dance.
Image via YouTube
Watch this hilarious skit of Brad Pitt and Jimmy Fallon shooting the breeze with their hands and feet in the video below.
