A dance that was born on the streets of the Bronx in the 1970s thanks to New York’s African-American community will be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Breaking, also known as breakdancing by those outside the breaking community, is the only new sport making its debut at the French Summer Olympics. Here’s everything you need to know about the sport.
What is disruption?
Breaking is an urban, improvisational dance technique, usually danced to hip hop music with drum breaks. It consists of four types of moves: top rock, down rock, power move, and freeze. Breaking has its roots in the emergence of hip hop culture in the United States. In the 1990s, the first international breaking competitions were held. Currently, Red Bull BC One, which first began in 2004, is the most prestigious annual breaking championship in the sport. The World DanceSport Federation has been the official governing body of the sport since 2018. Breaking was introduced at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Hongten of South Korea is in action as B-Boys compete against Isshin of Japan for third place during the Olympic Qualifiers in Budapest, Hungary, on June 23, 2024. [Marton Monus/Reuters]
Terms to know
Breaker: A gender-neutral term for someone who breaks. B-boy and B-girl: Gendered terms for someone who breaks. Short for breakboy and breakgirl. B-boying and B-girling: Gendered terms referring to the act of a breaker breaking.
How will the Olympic breakdancing competition work?
Breaking is split into two categories: B-girls and B-boys. 16 B-girls and 16 B-boys will compete in the solo category, improvising moves to DJ-driven music. They will show off powerful moves such as “windmills, six-steps and freezes,” according to the Olympic website.
What time do the Olympic events start?
The women’s breaking competition will take place on August 9th from 4pm Paris time (14:00 GMT) until the end of the day. The final round gold medal battle will start at 9:23pm Paris time (19:23 GMT). The men’s breaking competition will take place on August 10th from 4pm Paris time (14:00 GMT) until the end of the day. The final round gold medal battle will start at 9:23pm Paris time (19:23 GMT).
Where will the Olympic break events take place?
The Olympic braking events will take place at Paris’ Place de la Concorde, 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
Pedestrians walk in front of the temporary venue that will host the Olympic breaking, BMX freestyle, skateboarding and 3×3 basketball events at Place de la Concorde in Paris. [Sami Karaali/AFP]
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