Breaking is making a cameo appearance at the Paris Games, a decision made by Paris 2024 and in line with the International Olympic Committee’s broader ambitions to widen the Olympics’ appeal to a younger audience.
Born at block parties in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s, breaking, known commonly to the uninitiated as breakdancing, blends urban dance with acrobatic moves set to the grooves of hip-hop music.
Here is a guide to what the judges are looking out for.
What are the main elements to breaking?
There are three core elements the make up breaking:
- Top rock – this refers to moves that are performed whilst standing up, typically a combination of stylish hand movements and slick footwork.
- Freeze – this is when a breaker comes to a halt mid-routine, often in an difficult position on their heads or hands.
- Down rock – refers to the action on the floor. It features spins, footwork, transitions and power moves.
- Power moves? They are as their name implies: a combination of complex sequences that require impressive strength. They often involve a breaker spinning their whole body on hands, back, shoulders or head.
How is breaking scored?
The competition consists of battles between two athletes. Each battle consists of a number of rounds. In each round one athlete performs first, then the other responds.
Each round is judged against five criteria: technique, originality, execution, vocabulary – meaning the variety of moves, styles, and transitions – and musicality. Musicality refers to how well the breaker weaves together their moves to the beats.
Victor Bernudez Montalvo of the United States, known as B-Boy Victor, competes during the World Breaking Championships in Leuven, Belgium, Sunday, Sept 24, 2023. (Geert Vanden Wijngaert / The Associated Press)
While the breaker knows the playlist of songs that the DJ select during the battle, they do not know the exact song they will be dancing to until it blares out of the loudspeakers.
Where is the breaking taking place?
The breaking is being held at Place de la Concorde, one of Paris’ main plaza’s and the same site that held the BMX and skateboarding events. Breaking will make its Olympic debut in Paris but Los Angeles has already said it will not be part of its program in 2028 and odds are it will not return when Brisbane hosts in 2032.
Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Alison Williams
