Threading .

Thread, move, passage of part of the body through an opening also created with the body.

Threads entered breaking in the early 1980s. The name analogizes the moves to threading a needle. The earliest threads were arm threads, which were influenced by popping . An early example of a thread unique to breaking is the threaded track developed by Mr. Wiggles in 1982 or 1983 . Increasingly elaborate threads were being done in Europe by 1985 , and around this time breakers such as Nico, Freeze, Storm, and Swift Rock developed threads in their footwork. Swift Rock's thread combinations could be seen in the 1991 and 1992 Battle of the Year. In the late 1980s, a "leg hop" thread was also popularized, by hip hop dancers such as Kid 'N Play, Big Daddy Kane's dancers Scoob and Scrap, and Maestro's dancers , although the move predates these dancers .

Threading evolved rapidly in the 1990s, particularly in California, Toronto, and Japan, influenced by a combination of Mr. Wiggles' style, Europeans' footwork, and the leg hop thread . Important contributions during this time period were made by Amigo, Benzo, Chao, Crumbs, Deadly Mike, Dyzee, Gadget, Gizmo, Jayrawk, Laos, Lego, Megas, and Wakatake. Crumbs and Lego see a relation between threads and hooks and wraps . Crumbs first saw threads done by members of Sidewalk Breakers, becoming aware of Gizmo around 1994 through a video filmed that year while GhettOriginals were in Toronto . Chao reflects on Waseda Breakers' influences:

"I think we got biggest influence from Gizmo (Bag of trix from Canada). They teach us what original is. And then we started to try to become different from other BBOYs. And BOTY1992 battle gave us a lot of influence,too. Storm and Swift roc and Next one. I watched threads style first time. people called "Waseda style"? Wow it's cool. I am really happy to hear that. I think our style got one of inspiration from pantomime. Because we were same club before. by the way I think almost all Canadian B-BOYS are influenced of Gizomo and BTX. It's no doubt! even Dizzy and Vengeance. Because I was living in Toronto in 1995. Dizzy and Vengeance's style was not completed yet."

By 2001, at least in Toronto, threading was common enough for Gadget to opine, "If you look at a lot of the people after we started doing threads—and everyone was like, 'Wow! What's that style?'—like, I mean the next jam we go to it's like you'd start seeing people doing it, and now it's everybody does it. But, you know, we just stopped doing that. We just do other stuff now" .