The phrase “battling for Olympic gold” will take on new meaning at the Paris Games in 2024.
The world’s top B-boys and B-girls will descend on the French capital to engage in a series of unprecedented breaking battles, using their skills, technique and style to defeat opponents in head-to-head matchups.
While breaking, commonly known as breakdancing, has been around for decades, these battles will mark a historic new chapter for the sport — its debut on the Olympic stage.
Vancouver’s Phil Kim, known as Phil Wizard, is one of the world’s top breakers. The 27-year-old reigning world champion is one of the name’s expected to make noise in Paris, with a versatile style built for the Olympic format.
But the B-boy is just as excited about what the Olympics can do for breaking as he is about the chance to win an Olympic medal. The art form will be on full display for more people than ever before, with the potential to inspire a new generation.
“I think that’s one of the biggest pulls of this. I think the idea is that we can reach a wider audience that we typically do not have access to because the Olympics has millions of viewers,” Wizard told CBC Sports. “There’s so much buzz around [breaking], and I think it’s going to draw a lot of attention. That’s the hope and dream.”
Wizard looks forward to breaking becoming a more accepted athletic path as a result of the Olympic exposure and added validity. While breaking has been around since the 1970s, the competitive sport version only began to take shape in the 1990s.
The further popularization of breaking from the Olympics will help make it a household sport, marking a major step forward from the kinds of concerns Wizard’s parents expressed when he told them he wanted to be a professional breaker.
“I want kids to be able to see breaking at the Olympics and be excited, and for their parents to be excited to support them as well,” Wizard said.
Olympic breaking explained
So how does it all work?
An inseparable part of hip hop culture, breaking revolves around the music. A competitive dance sport blending dynamic athleticism, performance and improvisation, breaking allows each competitor to shine with a unique style.
The breaking competition in Paris will feature a men’s and women’s tournament, with 16 competitors in each. Breakers will improvise to the DJ’s music and use a variety of moves to outperform their opponent each round, with judges comparing the competitors to determine the winner.
“There’s criteria in the judging system that speaks to the artistic, interpretive and physical values of dance, where each component is equally weighted,” said Geoff Reyes, president of Breaking Canada.
“It’s not necessarily someone who is entirely powerful and physical [that will win], it’s someone that can present several facets of the dance in an overall fashion. That’s why Phil is considered a well-rounded dancer, because he can do everything.”
There are four main elements — top rock, down rock, power moves and freezes.
Top rock, referring to moves performed while standing, employs a mix of style and rhythm to the music while also acting as a launching-off point to transition to the floor.
The down rock is performed while using the hands to support the body as much as the feet, while power moves involve spinning the entire body while balancing on the upper body. Some classic power moves include the head spin, windmill and flare.
Freezes are when a competitor holds a form for a few seconds, often used to emphasize parts of the music or end a portion of the performance.
Breaking will take place at the iconic Place de la Concorde from Aug. 9-10, 2024 — an exciting climax for the Games.
Superman vs. Batman
One of Wizard’s favourite things about breaking is how different each style can be, something that makes for exciting battles at every stage of a tournament.
While some athletes are primarily focused on the performance element, some embrace the adversarial nature and use specific strategies based on the matchup.
Along with possessing elite athleticism and skill, breakers hoping to capture Olympic gold will also need to be quick thinkers, ready to counter their opponent’s moves like a master chess player.
“I usually just focus on my own thing, but oftentimes if an opponent does something and I have something similar and I know I can one-off that, then I’ll often try to answer with that,” Wizard said. “I’m having a conversation but also showing people that I can do what he does, and I can do it better and a bit differently and also add on to it.”
Reyes has known Wizard since he was a teenager and has seen his style develop over the years — one he describes as “unconventional and unique.”
“His movement is very artistic. He’s a very creative sculptor, able to sculpt his body in different ways that haven’t been seen before,” Reyes said.
‘Positive approach’
But Wizard’s modus operandi is all about being himself, letting his unique style set him apart. While Wizard is getting used to the idea of becoming an Olympic athlete, his approach is about more than competition.
“I never want to cater towards the judges, I want to cater towards how I feel and how I want to dance, and to me that’s always been about bringing a more positive approach, not just competing against the opponent, but also performing for the crowd a bit too,” Wizard said. “My focus is really just to have fun with it.”
Tickets for breaking at the Paris Games sold out within a few days. The appetite for the new Olympic sport is definitely there, and Wizard expects breaking to resonate with audiences and create new fans.
“I think people will really fall in love with what we do,” Wizard said. “I think when people come to watch breaking at the Paris Games, they’ll see the energy, they’ll see how live it is, they’ll fall in love with the people, the styles and characters. I think it will definitely be a success.”
WATCH | Group of breakers highlight talent of women’s breakers across Canada:
Girls from across the country are participating in breakdancing workshops and competitions in Calgary.
Selling out?
While breaking’s Olympic inclusion could lead to significant growth, support and funding, there are still purists in the culture who are resistant to the idea of it being practiced as a sport.
“There were a lot of people saying this is selling out, this is not for the culture, this is not the route that we should be going. And to some degree, I think there is definitely truth in that. Because we had never traditionally been seen as a sport. Within the culture it was more of an art form,” Wizard said.
“But that comes with any change, there’s always growing pains.”
Breaking has certainly come a long way from its origins in New York City, but Wizard and others chasing the same dream know that it can fit into multiple categories and coexist.
“I think that’s what makes breaking so beautiful is that you’re able to include it in so many different categories, and at the end of the day it’s just a label. We know within the community and within the scene what breaking is, we know where it comes from.
“Whether it’s labelled a sport or an art — it is breaking.”
The breaking movement has been steadily growing since the beginning, but the new Olympic era is poised to be one of the most important chapters yet.
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