Whenever you heard {that a} sport known as breaking was making its debut on the Paris Video games, your first thought would possibly’ve been, What’s that? The truth is, you most likely comprehend it by one other title: breakdancing, a.okay.a. busting out flips, handstands, headspins, and different powerful strikes to hip-hop songs. Now, 4 years after the game was first featured on the 2018 Summer season Youth Olympic Video games in Buenos Aires, it can come to the bona fide Olympic stage for the primary time in Paris.
Since breaking is an entire new Olympic sport—and since you won’t be accustomed to it to start with—you most likely have numerous questions. For all of the vital intel like when and the place competitors will happen, the way it’ll be scored, and what performers might be battling it out, carry on studying. And get psyched to catch a number of brand-new motion on the Paris Video games.
First off, what precisely is breaking?
The Olympics group describes breaking as an city type of dance rooted in hip hop tradition. (The truth is, breaking isn’t simply a dance type, both: It’s one of many 4 pillars of hip-hop, together with DJ’ing, MC’ing, and graffiti.) It originated within the Nineteen Seventies within the Bronx and later expanded internationally, with the primary world breaking competitions held within the Nineties.
It’s basically a dance-off-style competitors the place athletes showcase a combo of acrobatic strikes, fancy footwork, and stylized improv. A giant element of breaking competitions is the DJ, who’s answerable for the music. Athletes should adapt their dance strikes on the fly to no matter beat the DJ drops, which brings a component of novelty and shock to every showdown.
What are B-boys and B-girls?
The phrases B-boys and B-girls discuss with the breaking performers themselves—female and male performers, respectively. The suitable title can be utilized earlier than a performer’s stage title—as in “B-girl Logistx hopes to medal on the Paris Video games.” However it’s also possible to use the gender-neutral “breaker” as an alternative.
How is breaking scored?
Breaking competitions contain athletes going up towards one another in a one-on-one battle format. Mainly, they take turns performing their strikes in what’s often called a throw down. These are temporary—roughly 60 seconds—and every athlete normally executes about two to 5 of them in a contest.
Dancers carry out three sorts of actions: prime rock (standing strikes), down rock (flooring strikes), and freeze (held poses).
A panel of judges, who’re normally breakdancers themselves, evaluates the throw downs and charges them on six standards: creativity, persona, approach, selection, performativity, and musicality. After each spherical, the judges share their scores. Ultimately, the dancer with probably the most factors wins.
On the 2024 Video games, 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls from all over the world will compete for medals, with separate competitions held for the women and men.
Who’s competing in breaking at its very first Olympics?
Out of the 32 complete athletes competing, 4 dancers (two males and two ladies) are from the US. They embrace Victor Montalvo, Jeffrey Louis, Sunny Choi, and Logan Edra.
