Zulu spin by Frosty Freeze .

Zulu spin, footwork pattern, spin in a squatting position using the hands and feet.

The Zulu spin was developed in the 1970s . The move may have been influenced by the Legendary Twins' "spin move" that they did on the floor —considered the first instance of footwork, or "floor move," in breaking . It may also be related to Lil Boy Keith's spinning top .¹ In Fever One's assessment, "Zulu Spins are a part of the Bboy foundations, a move that was mostly popularized by the late great Frosty Freeze in the movies Flashdance, Wild Style and Style Wars" .²

Kingspin

Kingspin by Cloud .

Zulu spin done standing, without the hands touching the ground. Single kingspins were done by Maurizio in the mid-1990s , as well as Ken Swift in 1999 . Cloud did multiple, stationary kingspins with a hop in 2000 , developing his signature form later. Various traveling kingspins were done by Machine in the early 2000s , Mijo in 2004 , and Xak in 2006 .

No-Hand Zulu Spin

Zulu spin without the hands touching the ground.

One-Hand Zulu Spin

Zulu spin with only one hand touching the ground.

Straight-Leg Zulu Spin

Zulu spin with legs straight.

1. The spinning top as described by Lil Boy Keith sounds like the modern Zulu spin, while the description of Pow Wow's Zulu spin is ambiguous . The Zulu spin has also been attributed to Keith by others . Beat This: A Hip-Hop History, filmed around 1984, shows Keith performing both a Zulu spin (with arms extended sideways, like an airplane) as well as a fast Zulu spin-like two step .
2. Zulu spins do not appear in Flashdance, but are present in extra footage of the "It's Just Begun" sequence.