Kazakhstan's Amir performs to take the second place of the Breaking B-Boys event of the Olympic ... [+]
The Paris 2024 Olympics kicks off in just a few weeks, starting July 26 and running through August 11. One of the exciting new additions to the lineup this summer is breaking, which you may know as breakdancing or b-boying/b-girling. Both an art and a sport, its high-energy and competitive nature makes it a perfect fit for the Olympic stage.
Keep reading for the lowdown on what this new Olympic sport is, how it all began, and how breaking will take place in the Olympics.
Key Characteristics
As a dance style born from counterculture and the need for self-expression, breaking can be hard to define. Nonetheless, there are certain unique traits that will let you spot breaking when you see it.
Toprock, Footwork, Powermoves, Freezes
These are the four original elements of breaking that are still present in the style today. To explain it broadly, toprock is primarily performed in an upright stance and is typically used to start a round. Footwork comprises steps, sweeps and slides that are performed with hands and feet on the ground. Powermoves are usually spinning techniques where the breaker supports themselves with their upper body while generating momentum with their hips and legs. Last, freezes are held poses that typically conclude a sequence.
Music
Breaking is performed to a range of musical genres, including funk, rock, jazz, and hip-hop. The common denominator is the breakbeat, meaning the drum loops sampled from “breaks” in the music. Nowadays, DJs often play more of a song than just the drum loop. According to Stephen Fleg, who DJ’d for the Budapest Olympic Qualifier Series, there will be no music licensing restrictions at the Olympics, which means you’ll likely hear 70s classics as well as newer tracks.
Improvisation
It may come as a surprise that breakers do not know what songs will be played in advance—only the DJ does. While breakers do prepare movement sequences ahead of time, they are expected to adapt and dance to the music in the moment. In fact, musicality is one of the criteria in the Olympic judging system.
A dancer breakdancing at The Roxy, a nightclub on West 18th Street in New York City, New York, circa ... [+]
Origins
The roots of breaking are can be traced to the early 1970’s Bronx, New York. Breaking was there at the birth of hip-hop as one of the four elements, along with DJing, MCing (rap) and graffiti. Like those elements, breaking came about as a cultural and creative outlet in the midst of broader socioeconomic struggles. This movement was led by African-American and Latino youth.
No one could have imagined that breaking and hip-hop would become a worldwide phenomenon. Fifty years ago, it was some kids in a basement. Now, 62 nations were represented at the 2023 WDSF Breaking World Championship, and 16 will be represented in breaking at Paris 2024. Evidently, the level of competition is much steeper today than it was in 1973.
PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 16: B-Boy Mounir of France poses in front of the Arc de Triomphe during a ... [+]
Breaking in the Olympics
Even though breaking is the first dance discipline to be in the Olympics, the competition format will be similar to that of other sports. There are two events, B-Boy (Men’s) and B-Girl (Women’s) with the same structure. Throughout the event, breakers compete in one-on-one battles, taking turns to try and win as many rounds as possible. A panel of judges votes each round, and if the number of round wins is tied, the breaker with more total judge votes wins.
Each event will take place over a series of stages:
- Round Robin: The 16 breakers are split into four groups. They battle every other breaker in their group, and the top two breakers in each group are determined based on number of rounds and judge votes won. These eight breakers advance to the next stage.
- Quarterfinals and Semifinals: The eight breakers are seeded and compete in a single-elimination bracket. Battles are best-of-three and still determined by rounds and judge votes.
- Medal Battles: The losing breakers from semifinals battle each other for bronze, and the winning breakers battle for gold and silver.
There are five equally-weighted criteria in the judging system: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality. Since breaking is more open-ended than just about any other Olympic sport, the judging system is based on comparison between the two breakers on stage rather than prescribing scores from a rubric. Basically, a breaker only needs to outdo their immediate opponent to win that battle.
Breaking at the 2024 Paris Olympics will take place on August 9 and 10 at La Concorde, and will be broadcast live via NBC on E! (TV) or Peacock (digital). There will be plenty of exciting battles with the world’s best breakers putting the energy and athleticism of this sport on full display—don’t miss it.
