Breakers take to the dance floor Friday, vying for gold for the first time in Olympic history. Here’s a breakdown of the four elements to look for in the breaking competition.
The b-girls and b-boys are ready for their spotlight.
On Friday, the breakers, or breakdancers, begin syncing their moves to the DJ’s breakbeat in front of the biggest audience breaking has ever known.
Earlier this week, the dancers-turned-athletes at the Summer Olympics tested out the dance floor of the breaking venue at the Place de la Concorde in Paris ahead of the first competition on Friday. The stage resembles a giant record and the backdrop is a massive replica of a boombox. It’s a nod to the musical root of breaking — the breakbeat itself — the moment when a song’s vocals drop and the DJ loops the beat over and over, to allow b-boys and b-girls to make their mark on the dance floor.
“Even though people weren’t there yet, I could just see the crowd already,” American Logan Edra, or “b-girl Logistx,” said after seeing the stadium for the first time. “And the floor felt amazing.”
The 33 breakers representing 15 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team will take to the dance floor on Friday and Saturday, vying for gold for the first time in Olympic history.
For first-time watchers, there’s a lot to understand about the elements of breaking. Beyond the dance form’s unique culture and history stemming from Black and brown communities in the Bronx in the 1970s, there is no other event like it at the Olympics. Some have likened it to a mix of gymnastics and martial arts, but with music and improvisation. Breaking has its own judging structure — the Trivium judging system, which will allow judges to evaluate breakers on their technique, vocabulary or variety, execution, musicality and originality.
