New idea I'm working on surrounds a band that does a lot of breakdance and hip hop moves, but I have no idea how to describe the dances without getting too wordy. Any ideas?
keep it light, describe the movement and action rather than the actual dance. Have a look at martial art fight scenes in books they will give you an idea.
I would describe the movement and how the characters feel whilst dancing. Avoid being too technical about the dance as it may be confusing and clunky. I'd suggest reading some fiction with dance, or a similar art/sport, scenes in to give you an idea.
my best advice is 'don't!'... at least not in much detail... stick to telling the story... include details of the dancing only if it relates to the plot/characters and is necessary...
Consider this too. If you go into too much detail with a current dance, the passage will feel very dated in just a few years. That's fine if you want to pin it to a specific time and place, but even then can get to feel like an info-dump. On the other hand, if you avoid describing specific moves (unless important to the character/plot), the reader will imagine whatever dance steps feel most appropriate to them - even if the dance hadn't been popularized or even invented when you wrote the passage! -Frank
Describe the emotions of the dancer(s), the reactions of the crowd, etc. Don't describe the physical moves they're doing unless it's absolutely important somehow.
Yes, keep the details light and relevant to what is happening in the story. If the reader wanted an instruction on dance, that's the book he/she would have purchased. In Marrion Zimmer Bradley's The Catch Trap, the story revolves around a family of aerial trapeze artists. Much of the story-line takes place "under the big top," but even with that the author did not drown the reader with details and "insider information" on the world of trapeze. She gives just enough to set the scene and let the reader know how it feels to do the act and how it affects the protagonists, but she does not make the mistake of turning it into a lesson for the reader.