Get ready for DJ decks, shaky maneuvering and breaking records Yes, breaking records. The dance form will make its Paris Olympic debut on Friday, July 9 at 4 p.m.
Break dancing – professionally known as breaking, will begin its Olympic Games for the first time tomorrow at 4pm. It will see the B-Girls pre-qualifier battle first at Parc Urbine.
Despite its heritage roots in 1970s New York, the two-day breaking competition with competitors from China, India, Ukraine, Japan, the Netherlands and more defies stereotypes that it’s an all-American sport.
What is breaking and is it different from break dancing?
While break dancing is a more commonly known term, original B-boys and B-girls adopted the term “breaking” for the nature of the dance, which actually took place between DJ track breaks. The Olympics adopted the same name throughout the events to honor its culture and history and preserve its authenticity.
Breaking originated as a dance form at block parties in New York in the 1970s. By the 1980s, it had entered the mainstream with groups like the Rock Steady Crew and the New York City Breakers, who were credited with pioneering some of the moves you’d expect to see on the biggest sports stage in the next couple of days.
Techniques of the sport include standing footwork called top rock and floor movements called down rock. In braking, tricks are also allowed. These are called power moves (twists and spins) and freezes. You are probably familiar with the popular ‘baby freeze’. Similarly, all freeze movements in braking are when breakers freeze in postures while using their heads or arms for support. Another reason to pop down to La Concorde tomorrow!
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The world’s longest-running breaking competition is the Battle of the Year, which has been held annually since its inception in Germany in 1990 (then known as the International Breakdance Cup). It is known that the World DanceSport Federation was officially recognized by the IOC in 1997.
Why were the Olympic Games segregated?
So, why break up an Olympic sport? The International Olympic Committee is always committed to include popular sports for all age groups. In recent years, that effort has added skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing to the games. Braking fits this trend perfectly.
Officials introduced breaking at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, where viewership of the events exceeded 1 million. This ensures the attractiveness of the sport in its presentation to the younger generation and the interest from the older generation who want to watch it.
The sport was officially added to the Olympic program on December 7, 2021, but will not be included in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic program.
