Breaking: The perfect blend of Art and Sport

Breaking was born in the streets and is now coming to the Olympic stage.

Ahead of the sport's debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, we spoke to some of the best b-boys and b-girls in the world about the question: Is breaking an art and or a sport - or both?

“We are like painters that paint the floor by the way we move, but there is also the mental, the physical and the workout part that come from a sports mentality. I think the balance between the two things is what this sentence means (train like athlete dance like an artist),” says Portugal's b-girl Vanessa.

As breaking competitions are done in a battle format, b-boys and b-girls face off against each other while performing artistic moves, including headspins, flares and windmills, to the rhythm of the music. For the breakers, it is evident that art and sport intertwine in their discipline.

“I think breaking is a sport and also an art. I think people only see it as dance. But a lot more comes to the table. I think when people will see it at the Olympics, they will be shocked and will think, oh okay, this really is something serious,” says Netherlands' b-boy Lorenzo.

“We often say train like an athlete and dance like an artist. It means that you have to be ready for the competition, and you have to train hard. But in the end, it is about freedom and expression. It is about being you and showcasing all that on stage. You cannot just be an athlete, because then we just look at robots, and we do not want that. We want to be surprised,” concludes b-Girl Jilou of Germany.

If you want to know more about how b-girls and b-boys perceive the sport-art debate, check out our video below.

• How to qualify for breaking at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

Thirty-two dancers will qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics: 16 males and 16 females. Breakers can secure a slot for Paris 2024 through the 2023 World Championship, the Continental Games/Championships, and the Olympic qualifier series.