Breaking, the official name for competitive breakdancing, made its debut today as the Olympics’ newest sport. Results seem… mixed.
Breakdancing originated in the Bronx in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when dancers would hit the ground during an instrumental break, or interlude, in a song. Despite its pop-cultural peak in the late 80s, the dance style gained traction worldwide, eventually morphing into a formal, competitive sport. Twenty years ago, Red Bull created a World Finals—VICE checked it out in Japan, in 2017—and breaking maintained enough popularity to earn a spot in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.
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American breaker Victor Montalvo, who competed at the sport’s debut today at the Paris Olympic Games, explained its appeal: “Breaking is awesome because it’s part of hip-hop culture, and [in] hip-hop culture, it doesn’t matter what color you are, who you are, where you’re from, it’s inclusive. It’s all about peace, love, unity, and having fun.”
In the abstract, sure. In reality, breaking is a bit of a headscratcher.
The breakout star on social media was a 36-year-old Australian woman in a baggy tracksuit who goes by the name Raygun. “I feel like the vibe is that she discovered hip hop from Capri Sun commercials,” one person quipped on X.
Actually, though, Raygun has a PhD in breakdancing (!) and dance culture, which she uses to study the sport while teaching at Macquarie University. Unfortunately, she came up empty-handed in her battle against a 17-year-old, durag-wearing Lithuanian going by Nicka, who is considered one of the favorites.
The final is later today.
While spectators might be inclined to refer to breaking as “breakdancing,” competitive breakers point out that’s the incorrect term. “If you call it breakdancing, you’re not a breaker,” said Sunny Choi, who’s competing for the U.S. in the Olympics.
“[Mass media has] all these stereotypes of what breaking was back in the day,” Montalvo added. “Dancing on the cardboard, doing butt spins. But it’s evolved. The dance is stronger. The moves are bigger. It’s more defined and structured.”
And despite the humor many might find in it, the sport is anything but easy—as Raygun knows as much as anyone.
“There’s nothing in breaking that looks easy to do,” she said. “And there’s nothing in breaking that is easy to do.”
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