That\u2019s probably what turned the dance form, which emerged in New York\u2019s Bronx borough in the 1970s, into a global sensation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The once-niche form of art is now among the most popular hip-hop exports, with competitions and pop-culture glory (think Step Up<\/em> or Flashdance<\/em>) to its name. Its power and cultural significance have spread to every corner of the world, with fans from France to China.<\/p>\n This year, everyone\u2019s eyes will be on breaking as it makes its historic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, lending it an international stage unlike ever before.\u00a0<\/p>\n Being part of the Olympics is considered the pinnacle of sporting success. The stakes are high, given the Games are trying to appeal to a dwindling audience<\/a> by onboarding new sports.<\/p>\n But debuting this year in Paris doesn\u2019t guarantee the future of breaking at the Olympics. The sport hasn\u2019t been picked for the Los Angeles 2028 games, marking a setback in a journey that, in some ways, just commenced.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s a big moment for breaking as well as its \u201cB-boys\u201d and \u201cB-girls.\u201d Being in the Olympics this year has helped countries adopt a more formal structure to spot, train and nurture breaking talent. Its exclusion from the next Olympics doesn\u2019t preclude its addition to future Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt offers a level of cultural recognition and validation [for breaking]. It acknowledges its global impact and influence,\u201d Joycelyn Wilson, a faculty member in Black media studies at Georgia Tech University, told Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Olympics, in its modern form, is a 128-year-old institution with events like track and field forming a quintessential part of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Breaking is quite unlike the other sports in this historic championship. It broke ground on New York\u2019s streets over 50 years ago as one of hip-hop culture\u2019s four elements, along with rapping, graffiti, and DJ-ing.\u00a0<\/p>\n African-American, Latino, and Caribbean youth who were living in economically deprived, crime-ridden conditions<\/a> were deeply involved in the sport from its earliest days.<\/p>\n To them, breaking was a form of artistic expression in response to the \u201cbreak\u201d of a song where the percussion is amplified. Soon enough, it became an integral part of their culture and was enthusiastically adopted by immigrants<\/a> in countries across the pond.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Leon Morris\u2014Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n New sports can attract new audiences at the Olympics by stoking niche interests. For instance, in the Tokyo iteration, skateboarding made its debut<\/a> with 80 athletes aged between 12 and 46 in Tokyo. Squash and flag football will be part of the Olympic sports list in four years\u2019 time.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHaving that Olympic stamp for any sport changes the game of play,\u201d said Born Barikor, the chair of U.K.-based governing body Breaking GB, formed in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n Skateboarding, like breaking, was seen as an activity for hobbyists rather than a serious sport until international events gave it a credibility boost. But ever since, interest in skateboarding has increased worldwide<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Could breaking experience a similar lift? Possibly.\u00a0<\/p>\n It already featured in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson told Fortune <\/em>that breaking is a great fit given its focus on youth involvement and urban sports.<\/p>\n More importantly, the validation at the Olympics could help open doors for those looking to pursue breaking professionally. Communities with deep cultural connections to the dance-sport could have more agency than before, as their skills amount to something more tangible on an international stage with the glory of the Olympics attached to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cParis will highlight the sport \u2026 and we are getting ready for that growth. So we\u2019re getting ready to say, \u2018actually, if little Margaret wants to get into breaking in Dorset, there\u2019s a pathway,\u2019\u201d Barikor told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cWe can reach and inspire communities that have not necessarily been able to be reached with traditional sports. It\u2019s one as a sport that by nature encourages those that are from tough reality backgrounds to take part in physical activity.\u201d<\/p>\n EITAN ABRAMOVICH\u2014AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Subway, the fast-food chain, was one of the backers of breaking in Team Great Britain (which didn\u2019t make the final cut to the Olympics). Its reason for supporting the sport was because it was \u201cup-and-coming\u201d and championed \u201cmovement amongst diverse communities.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBreaking brings together people of different ages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds and continues to grow in popularity across the U.K.,\u201d a Subway spokesperson told Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The partnership with Breaking GB \u201cwill help increase accessibility to the sport through headline event partnerships (national championships), support for community events (workshops, masterclasses, battles) and funding for coaching and training,\u201d the spokesperson added.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Breaking is clearly still in its early stages as it still faces barriers in the form of limited resources and funding to conduct training camps that prepare participants for an Olympics-scale event, Barikor told Fortune<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe would love to have the funding, but as you can imagine, as a new sport, it\u2019s all dependent on where you\u2019re going to get medals,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n B-boys and B-girls will be judged on five criteria<\/a> set by the IOC: musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique and execution. The music used during the competition must also be free of profanity and breakers\u2019 scores will depend on how they respond to their opponents in a face-off format.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Some breakers have criticized the systematic format of breaking goes against the art form\u2019s free-flowing, spontaneous nature<\/a>.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where striking a delicate balance between global recognition and authenticity becomes important.\u00a0<\/p>\n Events surrounding the sport have become more commonplace, with Red Bull hosting one of the most high-profile<\/a> annual competitions since 2004. As Red Bull pointed out<\/a>, breakers from different parts of the world approach the sport differently\u2014some do it to win, while others do it to enjoy a central piece of their culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n David Balogh\u2014Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Since breaking takes many meanings depending on who you ask, the Olympics event, which will kick off on Aug. 9, could either spark excitement or become a bad example of cultural appropriation that fails to honor the sport\u2019s roots, said Wilson.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be really important that as the IOC takes this very significant step, that they take a significant step also in recognizing and including the context through which this art form comes,\u201d she said. One way of doing this is by including seasoned breakers as judges.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n For its part, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the IOC-recognized governing body overseeing breaking, says it\u2019s taking several steps to ensure the dance-sport form\u2019s roots are recognized. Some steps it\u2019s taking include involving prominent figures from the breaking community, educating the audience on the sport\u2019s history and ensuring diversity in competitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n The way WDSF sees it, breaking\u2019s exclusion from the 2028 Olympics isn\u2019t a \u201cpermanent setback,\u201d a spokesperson told Fortune<\/em>. As the sports roster is reviewed before every edition of the Games, factors like youth engagement, success at the Paris Olympics and global interest could increase breaking\u2019s profile in the years to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n How the tournament turns out remains to be seen. A successful debut could pave the way for opportunities in future Olympics while opening up funding to support careers in breaking. Wilson likened breaking\u2019s promise to sports like basketball and football, which have served as anchors for young athletes to lift themselves from impoverished or disadvantaged situations.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a platform that can help preserve and celebrate the culture from which breakdancing emerged,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nThe path to the Olympics<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nTreading lightly\u2014but making an impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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