When music, movement, expression, and performance collide, breaking occurs. Breaking, an urban dance form that involves acrobatic motions and precise footwork was born at 1970s block parties in the Bronx, New York, and will make its Olympic debut next month at the 2024 Paris Games.
According to the Olympics, breaking contests began in the 1990s across the world, with b-boys and b-girls syncing their actions to the DJ's speed and beat.
Breaking athletes are known as b-boys and b-girls, with the "B" standing for breaking. While moving, they are referred to as breaking, b-boying, or b-girling.
In the 2024 Olympics, the b-boys and b-girls will freestyle, improvising and modifying their movements to the DJ's rhythm, which they won't hear until the competition starts. There will be 16 b-boys and b-girls in each category, and each will perform solo. Each country representing breaking in Paris is assigned a maximum of two seats per gender.
Image Source: Twitter
Breaking is an urban dancing form that started in the United States during the 1970s. Breaking, which has its origins in hip-hop culture, initially emerged during boisterous block parties in the Bronx area of New York. It is distinguished by acrobatic movements, stylized footwork, and the DJ and MC (master of ceremonies) playing major roles during clashes. International contests began in the 1990s, popularising the dance style among hip-hop communities and the broader public.
In 2018, Breaking competed at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Following its tremendous performance in the Argentina Games, breaking was added as a new sport to the Paris 2024 Olympic calendar.
The breaking competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will feature two events, one for men and one for women, with 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls competing in dramatic single clashes. Athletes will modify their technique and improvise to the beat of the DJ's music, using a combination of power movements like windmills, the 6-step, and freezes, to obtain the judges' votes and win the first Olympic-breaking medals.
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To a fresh spectator, breaking may appear to be an unplanned combination of quickness and adaptability. However, behind the stages lie names, explanations, and rehearsed ideas.
We'll start at the beginning: within the first few seconds, the breakers warm up and the audience begins to get into it. That is top rock, or the beginning/part of a breaker's performance where he or she dances upright. That generally leads to some type of downrock — actions performed with hands and feet on the floor.
While the beat is thrumming, breakers can get into power moves, or acrobatic motions relying on speed and momentum.
A backspin is a foundational power move, one in which a dancer propels their whole body into a continued spin or rotation while balancing on their hands, elbows, shoulders, back or head. A continuous backspin is known as a windmill.
Throw in a few freezes — when the breaker abruptly halts motion mid-move — and you’ve got four main elements of breaking.
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The 16 b-boys and b-girls will face off in head-to-head matches, beginning with a round-robin format. This is followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal rounds. Each fight consists of a best-of-three series of individual battles known as throwdowns, in which the breaker has around one minute to do his or her routine before the opponent reacts to his or her routine.
A team of judges selects the winners of each throwdown based on several factors, including the breaker's breadth of movements, technique and execution, as well as his or her connection with the music and ability to keep time.
Breaking begins on August 9 with the b-girl round-robin competition and concludes with the gold-medal clash. Following the round-robin tournament, the four quarterfinal rounds and two semifinal rounds will determine the bronze and gold medalists. The b-boy tournament follows the same structure, beginning and finishing on August 10. Both contests will be held in Paris' Held de la Concorde, near the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 9 August | 19:30 | Breaking - B-Girls Round Robin |
| 9 August | 19:30 | Breaking - B-Girls Pre-Qualifier Battle |
| 9 August | 23:30 | Breaking - B-Girls Quarterfinals |
| 10 August | 00:15 | Breaking - B-Girls Semifinals |
| 10 August | 00:45 | Breaking - B-Girls Finals |
| 10 August | 19:30 | Breaking - B-Boys Round Robin |
| 10 August | 23:30 | Breaking - B-Boys Quarterfinals |
| 11 August | 00:15 | Breaking - B-Boys Semifinals |
| 11 August | 00:45 | Breaking - B-Boys Finals |
Every day throughout the Summer Olympics, NBC will broadcast at least nine hours of daytime coverage of the most spectacular events, including live finals coverage of swimming, gymnastics, track and field, and other sports. Given the time difference (Paris is six hours ahead of the Eastern time zone in the United States), fans may watch the day's most popular events live on NBC in the morning and afternoon. NBC will also air an upgraded Olympics primetime programme every night, with three hours of must-see entertainment.
Furthermore, every event from the Summer Olympics will be streamed live on Peacock, which will have a novel Olympics hub with 'curated rails of live and upcoming events, dedicated in-depth hubs for nearly 40 sports, medal standings, and an interactive schedule.'
Also Read: List of 10 Sports Removed From Olympics 2024
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