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As Eliot Freidson (1986) reminds us, artistic professions pose a challenge to sociological analysis. This is especially true for professions with low levels of institutionalization and working-class backgrounds, such as hip-hop dance. Observing the transformations of dancers’ professional identities therefore offers an interesting perspective for understanding the contemporary mutations in this art world: the multiplication of activity, the proximity between the public and private spheres, the evolution of transmission modes and artistic collaborations, the metamorphosis of the places of ordinary practice and the erasing of links with working-class neighborhoods, etc. (Jésu, 2016). This article aims to analyze the factors that influence the way in which people claim to be hip-hop dancers over the generations, and to shed light on the different dimensions that contribute to the construction of this artistic identity. The aim is to use this example to illustrate the process of institutionalization of the popular arts and the issues at stake for the survival of artists who emerge from it, as well as the emergence of a new relationship to work.