By: Jason Yang

In the Olympics, nobody expected that breakdancing would eventually be one of the sports. The first Olympic breaking competition will take place in Paris, France. At a coffee shop in Queens, New York, Sunny Choi said that the people who didn’t think breakdancing should be in the Olympics should see it.

Choi says, “There’s no doubt in my mind this is a sport.” Just like gymnastics and figure skating, breaking is a judged event. Since the dancers battle directly, there are no points, and whoever dances better advances to the next round.

Choi did not begin breakdancing that early. On one night, during her first year of college, she ran into a breaking club that was dancing, and they persuaded her to go to the breaking class. Choi got an advantage because she used to do gymnastics. After she graduated, she kept dancing, participating in many competitions.

This year in Paris, 32 American breakers will participate in the Games, and Choi is seen as a top competitor. Mary Fogarty, an associate professor of dance at the York University, says “She’s got the high-scale aerial power moves. Sunny is someone who has enough material to go all the way through.”