TITLETOWN (NBC 26) — Breaking, better known as breakdancing, is making its debut as an Olympic sport in Paris.
- The competition will feature four Americans, two men and two women who are sometimes called B-Boys or B-Girls in breaking slang.
- Breaking began in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York, as part of hip hop culture.
- The women's competition will take place on Friday and the men's competition on Saturday.
- The tournament can be viewed on NBC 26 and Peacock.
- Forever Dance Company says that in its first 14 years, the number of dancers has grown from 75 to 230, and hip-hop classes have become increasingly popular.
- NBC 26 visited the company to learn more about the sport and learn some moves.
(The following is a transcript of the full broadcast, with additional details added for the web.)
I'm Carl Winter, a local reporter for Titletown, and this is dance instructor Cathy. We're learning about hip hop dance and how breakdancing, professionally known as breaking, is being incorporated into the Olympics.
The dance company near Lambeau Field has had 18 families join this year, and one of the most popular classes, which might come as a surprise, is hip hop for kids ages 3 to 6.
“We've had about four recreational hip hop classes just for this age group because the kids really enjoy it,” instructor Cathy VanStraten said. “We're definitely continuing to grow, which is great.”
Van Straten, who teaches many different types of dance at FDC, said hip hop dance's energetic rhythms appeal to young dancers.
Breaking, a type of hip-hop dance, will make its medal debut in Paris.
“It's very athletic in that you have to hold on to the ground and stand, rather than standing on your toes,” Van Straten said.
“I'm excited to see dance in the Olympics,” dancer Lucy Hurst said. “I'd love to see other sports in the future, but I think this is pretty amazing.”
Olympic breaking is a one-on-one competition in which breakers “compete” in a series of routines.
“It allows you to express your own style more than just running and moving and having everyone look the same,” Van Straten said.
Judges will score breakers based on five categories:
- Musicality
- vocabulary
- Originality
- Technology
- execution
For dancer Lucy Hurst, who has been attending FDC since she was seven, solo performances are sometimes easier than team competitions.
“When you're alone, you can make a difference,” Hurst says. “You're free to do whatever you want.”
I took an intensive class with Cathy and taught myself hip hop dance, but found that popping and locking was much harder than it looked.
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