Breaking Down Breakdancing: Its Journey to Becoming an Official Sport at the Paris Olympics

Breakdancing has finally found its way to the Olympics, and given its colorful history, this move is long overdue.

Talks of the dance technique being regularly showcased at the Olympics began in 2018 when break dancing was included in the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. The first-of-its-kind competition reportedly attracted over one million viewers. This only increased interest, and now, the sport will take place at the Paris Olympics on July 26th. 

This year, four breakers will be taking the stage for Team USA. Victor Montalvo of Kissimmee, Florida, known as B-boy Victor; Sunny Choi of Queens, New York, who goes by B-girl Sunny; Jeffrey Louis, aka Bboy Jeffro of Houston, Texas; and Logan “Logistx” Edra of San Diego, will be heading to Paris to compete against other breakers like Philip Kim, B-boy Phil Wizard, representing Canada and Dominika Banevič aka B-girl Nicka, repping Lithuania. Each of them qualified after competing in international breaking competitions.

New York City is widely regarded as the birthplace of breaking. Renowned DJ Kool Herc is the man who has long been credited as the innovator of this dance style. Popularized in the late 1960s and early 1970s, breaking requires athleticism, with performers spinning on their backs and heads. Martial arts and even gymnastics are often incorporated in breaking, meaning that injury is possible if b-boys and b-girls need to be properly skilled in the execution of these moves. The 1980s were a turning point for breaking, as it began to spread outside of New York, thanks to mainstream media. Decades after its creation, breaking was widely showcased on dance competition shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance” and “America’s Best Dance Crew.”

Now with breaking landing at the Paris Olympics for the 2024 games, it’s likely that this highly skilled dance style will once again become a household name.