For longtime breakdancers, the sport is about much more than flips and tricks, and it’s that culture that aspiring U.S. Olympians are eager to bring to Paris this summer.
Although the sport of battle dancing is best known for the twists that breakers give to the rhythm of a DJ’s music, those close to the sport know that it goes far beyond that.
“It’s all about peace, love, unity and fun,” said Victor Montalvo (B-Boy Victor), who was introduced to the sport by his father and uncle and has been practicing breakbreaking since he was 6 years old.
“Plus, it’s one of the four elements of hip-hop,” he said, “so we’re trying to bring that essence to the Olympics.”
Montalvo is one of four breakers – two men and two women – who will make the U.S. Olympic team. So far, just him and Sunny Choi (B-Girl Sunny) qualified. The final spots will be filled after the Olympic Qualifying Series.
Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro), an Olympic hopeful, discovered the breakthrough from his brother, who learned it in school in place of physical education.
He said he thinks the audience will feel what Montalvo described, because while there is obviously dancing involved, the DJ, MC and audience are also important components of dance battles.
The DJs for the Paris Games have not yet been announced — and probably won’t be until July — but they, along with the MC, play an important role in the break, changing tracks and interacting with the audience in real time to keep the party going. going.
Breakbreaking is “something everyone can get involved in in sport,” said Whitney Carter, director of internally managed sports at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. “The dancers feed off you in the crowd. People can be part of this. It’s good to scream and scream and do all those things.”
What to know about breaking’s Olympic debut
- In total, 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will face off in solo dance battles, showing off their best moves to compete for gold.
- The dancers will compete on August 9th and 10th in The Concordiaand the first Olympic breakbreaking medals will be awarded after the competition on those days.
- The sport first entered the Olympic system at the Youth Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2018. Its success there helped start it on the path to Paris.
- Breaking is, in part, an attempt to reach a younger audience, as is the inclusion of surfing, skateboarding and sport climbing, which were added to the Olympic program for the first time at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
For Choi, bringing breaking to the Olympics is “bringing all of our communities, all of our backgrounds, all of that history with us to the stage.”
It’s also about “celebrating individuality,” she said, adding that she just wants to “go out and show the world who I am.”
“There’s something about breaking that you just connect with,” Choi said, explaining the feel of the sport. “You see someone and you think, ‘Oh, like, I feel this person.’ I can tell who you are just by looking.”
Choi, who grew up as a gymnast, only got into breakbreaking when she was in college, when she came across a group of dancers on campus who invited her to join.
But it wasn’t until January 2023 that the issue became serious Olympic for Choi. At that time, it was already announced that breakbreaking would be included in the Paris Games, but she was working at a company and wasn’t sure if she wanted to take the plunge.
Eventually, she abandoned her career to train for the Olympics full-time.
“I was like, ‘Well, when will someone get a second chance to fulfill their childhood dreams?’” she said.
Breaking down after the Olympics
It’s an exciting time for those involved in the world and culture of breaking, because of the opportunities that can arise from a successful performance on the world’s biggest stage.
The sport, which has roots in hip-hop culture, originated at block parties in New York’s Bronx neighborhood in the 1970s and reached the mainstream in the 1980s.
Richard “Crazy Legs” Colón, longtime member and current president of the Rock Steady Crew, one of the original breaking crews, started breaking in the Bronx in 1977 and claims ownership of what are now known as “power moves.”
“The whole concept of what they call power movements started with me,” he said.
Colón believes that including breakbreaking in the Olympics is “a great thing” and doesn’t want it to be a failure, he said, “because there are a lot of young people who are on that path, and if it gives them some inspiration to do something amazing with themselves and gain the possibility of greater opportunities, more power for you.”
Colón hopes the Olympics will bring “the biggest opportunities, the biggest endorsements” the community needs and “eventually support the culture in the long term.”
But Colón expressed concern that this may not be the case, especially since breaking will not be included in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. At the moment it’s only in Paris; what about Brisbane in 2032? It’s “TBD,” but “probably not,” Carter said.
“This will be pretty much the only chance we know of so far as far as the Olympics goes,” Carter said.
That’s because LA denied the World DanceSport Federation’s bid to return to the 2028 Games, which Carter thinks happened because other non-core sports like flag football and cricket have stronger bids.
“But there is still that opportunity and opening” for breaking to appear in future Olympics, even potentially in Brisbane, Carter said, because no final decision has been made.
Breaking was first proposed to participate in the Olympics in the early 2000s, but Paris helped it cross the finish line for its first appearance. As the local organizing committee for 2024, Paris applied to break away specifically because of the city’s huge arts and cultural scene and the prominence of sport in the French capital, Carter said. The process began in 2019 with the initial bid, but it was only named an Olympic sport in December 2020.
As for the breakers who could be appearing in search of a once-in-a-lifetime shot at Olympic gold, Colón wondered what awaits them after the Games.
“How can we level them up afterwards and how can we level up people who are on the journey and maybe didn’t make it to the Games?” he said. “How do we continue to create situations that maintain their relevance and performance?”
His concern about the outcome of the Olympics comes from personal experience. At 58, Colón no longer breaks dances, but he has had to work hard to find a way to turn his physical skills into a lasting career.
For Colón, it’s about sustainability – not just preserving the culture and roots of the sport, but ensuring that the next generation can emerge through the community and still succeed when their bodies can no longer withstand the physicality of break dancing.
Carter said both sides of the conversation are valid.
But “it’s all about how to leverage the platform” of the Olympics, she said, adding that she believes a new audience for breaking will emerge from its exposure at the Games, so that new fans can watch breaking on platforms that already exist. .
“I think it all comes down to what you do with the platform and how you move it forward,” Carter said.
It’s also up to people to “focus on these athletes’ stories” and “promote the way out of this, like, ‘Hey, they’ve been doing this since before the Olympics started. Here’s how to keep following and watching,’” she said.
Ultimately, “I think there are a lot of lessons that breaking can learn from the Olympic space, and I think there are a lot of spaces that the Olympic platform can learn from breaking,” Carter said.
A great opportunity
For Louis, the Olympic debut of breaking is an “opportunity” mainly to raise awareness of the sport. He said he hopes his Paris exhibition opens doors for disruptors and that they “can create our own paths.”
Choi echoed Louis, calling this moment “a beautiful opportunity to share this community, this culture with the world,” because “I feel like a lot of people know [breaking] but I don’t really understand it and I haven’t really seen it.
“And then to be able to take it to such a big stage and elevate that message” is great, she added.
Choi acknowledged that many breakers come from communities “that haven’t had many,” so she also hopes this Olympic showcase brings opportunities back to those communities, whether that means parents putting their kids in breaking classes or investors and corporate sponsorships coming through. to support the sport in some way.
Carter is most excited for people to see breakbreaking not just for its “entertainment value” but also “the sporting aspect” because it is “one of the most physically and psychologically challenging sports” she has ever seen.
“It’s very demanding, but also… it’s super engaging and fun, and I think if it’s presented in the right way, everyone will really fall in love with it.”
And spectators are just as eager to get into the Olympics as the athletes. Tickets for the event sold out within 24 hours, Carter said, and on the resale market it is “the most sought after ticket.” The same happened with the Olympic Qualifier Series, which features breaks, according to Carter.
No matter what happens in breaking’s Olympic debut, the athletes are eager to showcase what the sport is about, beyond dancing, in their first attempt on the biggest international stage.
As Louis said: “It’s a whole party and I feel like that’s what breaking will bring to the Olympics.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
