Born in the Bronx, breakdancing has made its way to the biggest stage in the world: the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! But what exactly is breakdancing? Who are these professional "breakers?" How does a breakdancing competition work?
Breakdancing has officially been added to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Here's everything you need to know!
Anyone who's spent time on the Internet in the past few weeks has probably heard that Breakdancing is now a category at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Some people think it's a joke, some aren't entirely sure what breakdancing is, and others are excited to see people breakdancing on international television.
According to NBC News, breakdancing (also known as "breaking") "techniques include top rock (standing footwork) and down rock (moves on the floor), power moves (twists and spins) and the freeze, when breakers freeze in poses while using their heads or hands for support." The Olympics explains that "the word 'break' refers to the instrumental breaks in music usually accompanied beats."
Red Bull, an official sponsor of Breaking for Gold USA reports that breaking was "' created by African-American and Latino youths in the Bronx borough of New York City in the 1970s when hip-hop culture was coming to life.'" At first, there were no structured competitions. According to Breaking for Gold USA, Breakdancers (known as "breakers") would "break" at parties, clubs, and community centers for fun. In 1983, the movie Flashdance turned breaking into a "global phenomenon with overwhelming media coverage." But by the late 1980s, many Americans considered breaking a fad that had come and gone. It wasn't until the 1990s that the breaking scene was revived by the creation of the International Battle of the Year -the world's first large-scale, formally-judged breaking competition. In this competition, breaking crews from all over the world would represent their countries in a showcase before a panel of international judges. The judges would select the best crews to compete against one another for first place. Since the 1990s, many large-scale formal breaking competitions have been established, including Pro-Am, Bboy Summit, Freestyle Session, The Notorious IBE, Outbreak Europe, and The Undisputed World Finals.
The 2024 Paris Olympics is not the first time breakdancing will be featured in an Olympic event. Breaking made its Olympic debut at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires , along with karate, roller speed, sport climbing, BMX freestyle, kiteboarding, beach handball, futsal, and acrobatic gymnastics. The Olympics reports that, following its rousing success in Buenos Aires, breaking was added to the roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Unlike in Buenos Aires, breaking will be the only new sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In the breaking world , games or matches are called "battles." Breakers are called "B-Boys" and "B-Girls." Team USA's qualifying B-Boys and B-Girls are Sunny Choi, Logan Edra, Jeffrey Louis, and Victor Montalvo.
The inaugural Olympic competition will take place at the Place de la Concorde. This competition will span two days, with the 16 B-Girls competing on August 9th and the 16 B-Boys competing on August 10th. The Olympics explains that " each day starts with a round-robin phase consisting of four groups of four. The top two in each group advances to the quarter-finals followed by the semi-finals and battles for medals."
As with any time a change is made to a long-standing tradition, sports fans have mixed opinions about adding a new sport to the Olympic Games.
Of course, you have the "Is breaking even a sport?" debate, which The Olympics addressed on their official website. An article titled " Breaking at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Frequently Asked Questions " reports that "Breaking is recognised as an urban sport just like skateboarding and sport climbing, inspired by various dance styles demanding athleticism and coordination."
Some breaking enthusiasts are happy to see breakers get the recognition they deserve for all of the hard work and dedication that goes into breaking.
Others think that adding an eye-catching performance sport adds a new level of excitement to the Olympic Games.
There are others who simply don't believe that breaking belongs at the Olympic Games.
Others are offended that breakdancing was added to the Olympics while their favorite sports were removed.
The addition of breaking to the Olympics has made quite a stir, and we haven't even seen the B-Boys and B-Girls compete yet! Though fans haven't come to a consensus on whether or not breaking is "really a sport" or "really belongs at the Olympics", everyone can agree that the 2024 Paris Olympic Games are going to be exciting!
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