By: Coco Xu

From the bars to the rest of the world, breaking (not “break dancing,” a detested term coined by media) has come a long way since its creation in the 1970s. Now, the first B-boys and B-girls from across the globe will finally set foot on the Olympic stage.

During Red Bull’s Lords of the Floor competition, which aired on TV from April 4 to April 6, 2024, Olympic breakers showcased their routines for the Games. Behind the TV screen, audiences watched as breakers opened with toprock (the movements of the hands, arms, and feet in a standing position) before seamlessly transitioning onto the floor. The battles in Paris will each be one minute long. Unlike traditional battles, which mostly consist of toprock, breakers will need to constantly change moves to maintain the judges’ attention.

Breaking was created by Black and Hispanic breakers in parties and jams in the Bronx and spread to other corners of the world through movies such as “Beat Street” in 1984. It has since evolved in major ways, most notably in downrock, moves performed on the floor. Spectators noted that footwork has grown over the years to be much more complex and difficult.

One notable example is the flare, which originated as a move where a breaker balances upside down on two hands and swings their legs in a circle. Now, countless jaw-dropping variations have sprouted. Take the airflare, for example: Breakers balance on one hand and rotate their legs while keeping all four limbs outstretched.

“Power has been pushed to a place where I think it’s safe to say a lot of dancers from my generation, the generation before me, never thought these things would be happening as far as the difficulty and amount of rotations,” said David Shreibman, breaker and commentator of Red Bull’s BC One competition.

At the Olympics, 16 B-girls and 16 B-boys will compete in head-to-head battles on August 9 and 10, respectively. Their rankings will depend on vocabulary, technique, execution, originality, musicality, and, of course, enthusiasm. The competition will mark the start of a new chapter in breaking’s long and eventful history.