(NewsNation) — It’s been a long journey from laying a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk and performing for passersby to intense training, big sponsorship money and now a shot at a gold medal. That’s now the story of break dancing.
Breaking, as it’s also known, is officially an Olympic sport, starting this summer in Paris.
“You need the athleticism of a professional athlete, but you also need to be an artist, and you need to dance,” is how longtime breaker David “Kid David” Schreibman described it to Rolling Stone.
As the official Olympics site tells it, “Breaking is an urban dance style that originated in the United States in the 1970s. With roots in hip-hop culture, breaking first took form in the lively block parties in the Bronx borough of New York, and is characterized by acrobatic movements, stylized footwork, and the key role played by the DJ and the MC (master of ceremonies) during battles.”
Breaking got its audition at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. NBC Olympics said the event attracted more than one million viewers.
There will be two competitions: one for men, one for women.
“6 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls will face off in spectacular solo battles. Athletes will use a combination of power moves—including windmills, the 6-step, and freezes—as they adapt their style and improvise to the beat of the DJ’s tracks in a bid to secure the judges’ votes and take home the first Olympic breaking medals,” the official Olympics site reads.
The U.S. team will consist of two men and two women. Two have qualified so far: Sunny Choi, aka “B-Girl Sunny,” and Victor Montalvo (“B-Boy Victor”).
Breaking drifted in and out of fashion for years, but the grassroots competitions took what one dancer called a “seismic leap” when Red Bull organized the first formal competition in 2001.
“Lords of the Floor,” as Rolling Stone put it, “treated breakers like professional athletes, covering travel costs for crews from all over the world, providing masseuses for dancers between rounds, and handing out $4,000 in prize money, then more than any other event.”
One dancer says it was the first time breakers were treated like rock stars.
Now, they’ll be treated like Olympians. And Olympic champions.