Breakdancing has come a long way from its beginnings on the street corners of the South Bronx more than half a century ago. Now enshrined as one of the four foundational elements of hip-hop, breakdancing is not only an established art form but is poised to debut on the world’s biggest athletic stage: the Olympics.
This summer in Paris, 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will “face off in spectacular solo battles” in the games’ first-ever breakdancing competition, in which athletes will “use a combination of power moves — including windmills, the 6-step, and freezes — as they adapt their style and improvise to the beat of the DJ’s tracks,” the Olympics said. The addition of breakdancing comes after the sport’s “outstanding success” during a trial run at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Officially designated as “breaking,” this will be the first dance-sport included in the Olympic Games, said Team USA, and is set to debut with both fanfare and controversy. With less than three months to go before the torch is lit in Paris and the games commence, here’s why everyone is buzzing about Olympic breaking.
A sport ‘light-years ahead of what it was’
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