From Urban Roots to Olympic Glory: Break-dancing Officially an Olympic Sports
Break-dancing, known as ‘’Breaking’’ is making its Olympic debut in Paris and is joining the roster of action sports one cycle after surfing, skateboarding, BMX freestyle, and sport climbing made their debut in Tokyo 2020. Breaking featured at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018. Following its outstanding success at the Games in Argentina, Breaking was added to the Paris 2024 Olympic program as a new sport.
Breaking is an urban dance style that originated in the United States in the 1970s. With roots in hip-hop culture, Breaking first took form in the lively block parties in the Bronx borough of New York, and is characterized by acrobatic movements, stylized footwork, and the key role played by the DJ and the MC (master of ceremonies) during battles has since been a form of international competition since the 1990s
The Breaking Competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be a landmark event featuring two solo battle categories – one for men (B-Boys) and one for women (B-Girls). Competitors will go head to-head in electrifying solo battles where their ability to improvise to the DJ’s beats will be critical to winning the judge’s votes and taking home the first Olympic-breaking medals. Each battle will be scored on six criteria; Creativity, Personality, Technique, Variety, Performativity, and Musicality. With a global stage set for this high-energy sport, only the best dancers from each continent will be eligible to compete with a maximum of four athletes per region
Dancing Expert, Ivan ’’Flipz’’ Velez the North America Judge for the Olympics during an interview on Yahoo Sports expressed his optimism for the milestone. Velez Highlighted Breaking’s 51-year Journey noting how dancers have transitioned from just background performers for artists to ‘’dance athletes’’. He also revealed that 40 B-Boys and B-Girls will be competing, an increase from the initially planned 32 with each battle lasting 60 seconds per round. ”They do not pick their music, world-renowned DJs are producing beats strategically and specifically for each round of the battle. So the Bpms go up as the battle continues,” he added.
The Breaking Competition will be a one-day event. The day will begin with pre-qualifying rounds progressing through the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and, grand finals. The B-Girls will compete on August 9th and the B-Boys on August 10th.
The debut competition promises to deliver unforgettable moments as it makes its mark on Olympic history symbolizing not only the sport’s cultural heritage but also its dynamic future. This new addition to the Olympics will project an increase in viewership and knowledge of other sports
