Flare (breakdance move)

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A Thai teenager performs a counter-clockwise flare on the Bangkok Skytrain as his friend looks on.

The Flare is a difficult breakdance power move borrowed from gymnastics. The breaker supports his body with his arms, swings his legs around his stationary torso in continuous circles, and never allows the legs to touch the ground. The move is also performed on a pommel horse or during the floor exercise in gymnastics, and there it is sometimes called a "Thomas flair" after Kurt Thomas.

1 Step-by-step
2 Variants
- 2.1 Air Flares
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Step-by-step

The description assumes counter-clockwise rotation

The left leg begins about 9 inches behind the right (not lined up). If the breaker already has momentum, he quickly puts down his left hand close to the left leg facing the fingers away from the body, towards the left. Next, the left is swung around as hard as possible while doing a jump (in order for the left leg to go through, the breaker practically attempts to kick his face with the right leg). Now the breaker is prepared to put down the right hand. Making sure all his weight shifts to the right arm, he kicks the left leg up as high as possible. The right leg swings under the left and then the left hand comes down in front, such that both hands are now in front. Arching his back and without touching the ground, the breaker kicks the right leg up again and swings the left leg around low for another rotation.

[edit] Variants

There are several flare variants:

Brooklyn Flares - starts with the opposite hand than a standard flare normally would be started with. For example, if the legs are going to the right then the flares will start with the right hand placed on the ground first.
Circles/Virgin Flares - the legs stay together and straight.
Hopping Flares/King Flares - hopping on the available (loadbearing) hand as the legs swing through from the front to the back. Czechin is required for this move. The breaker must Czech along with the hop in order to position himself properly to continue doing the flare.
Spindles - the body moves in the same direction as the legs.
Atomic Flares - begins with opposite hand normally used to beging flare and starts from the back part of a flare.

[edit] Air Flares

The Air Flare is an advanced move that is similar in theory to a flare or a windmill. While performing an Air Flare, the breaker is inverted with his torso at a 45 degree angle to the floor, his legs in a V-shape, and his arms straight. The hands are the only body part that touch the floor as the move is being performed. The boy whips his legs, then arms around so that he travels in a circular path. There is dispute about whether this move is different from the Air Track. Some say that Air Flares have the body traveling on an x- and y-axis, while with an Air Track the body only travels on an x-axis. Others contend that the moves are one and the same, and that the name difference is merely based on the evolutionary history of the moves. It is suggested to not try this move based on this article, for the airflare can be dangerous.

There are many variations of the air flare. Some notable examples include B-boy Cico for his elbow-tip airflares, Eagle One for his blind air flares to 1990 combo (this can be achieved by lifting one's shirt and covering the face with it), Rudolphe for his lotus air flares, KYS "The End" for his one handed and one elbowed variations, BY for his clapping air flares, and Omar for his munching air flares (the "munch" effect can be achieved by positioning the legs in munch mills position in mid-flight)