What is Breaking?
From the streets of New York to the biggest stage in sports: breaking (also known as breakdancing) is an urban dance style that originated in the Bronx borough of New York in the 1970s. It is a form of dance sport that blends urban dance with remarkable athleticism. It emerges from hip hop culture and is characterised by acrobatic movements,
By whom, where and when was Breaking invented?
The earliest proponents of breaking were Black and Puerto Rican youths who formed crews who would compete in dance battles on the streets. Breaking athletes are referred to as “B-Boys”, “B-Girls'' or “breakers”, the “b” standing for break, since athletes put down dance moves during instrumental breaks in a song.
Since its start on the streets, breaking has developed and gained a global following as an art form, intertwining elements of music, dance and athleticism. Within the Olympic movement, breaking is a discipline of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) that was founded in 1957. The first WDSF World DanceSport Games were held in 2013 in Chinese Taipei.
What are the basic moves in Breaking?
The basis of any breaking battle, Top Rock is when the breaker dances while on foot, preparing to Go Down – that is, to move to a position on the floor.
This isn't a name for a trick, exactly - footwork is exactly that, styling it out with a breaker's feet. The DNA of breaking. When you see this movement, you know it's breaking.
The freeze is when a breaker holds his or her body in place for a few seconds, normally off the floor with only their hands for support. The freeze is a stop in position. The body is completely static, and normally freezes are upside-down positions – doing a handstand, or holding the body on the elbow or the head.
Some of the most dynamic moves and tricks in any breaking battle. Power Moves often see the B-boys and B-girls twist and turn their entire bodies, using everything as support and sometimes in combination with, or ending in, a freeze.
Breaking and the Olympics
Breaking made its Olympic debut at the Summer Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 with three events: two individual events and one mixed team event. Russia’s Bumblebee (Sergei Chernyshev) won the boys’ title, while Japan’s Ram (Ramu Kawai) won the girls’.
After seeing breaking's immense popularity at Buenos Aires 2018, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee proposed its inclusion for a full Olympic debut in the French capital. The IOC approved its addition to the Paris 2024 programme in 2020.
At Paris 2024, the breaking competition featured two events—one for men and one for women—where 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls faced off in thrilling solo battles.
B-Girls and B-Boys to watch
Japan's B-Boy Shigekix is always one of the favourites in every men's tournament along with 2022 World Champ B-Boy Phil Wizard of Canada. France's B-Boy Danny, B-Boy Amir of Kazakhstan are other big names of the breaking scene.
In the women's side: B-Girl Ami from Japan, who won the 2022 World Championships, as well as her teammate and breaking legend, 39-year-old B-Girl Ayumi. 2022 European Champ B-Girl India of the Netherlands, China's B-Girl 671 and B-Girl MadMax (Belgium) are other stars in the breaking scene.
Breaking Competition Rules at Paris 2024
In breaking competitions, two breakers faced off head to head. One breaker performed, and their opponent responded, while five judges scored them based on six criteria: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. During the competition, each judge used sliders on a tablet to assign scores for each element.
