It’s time to deepen your knowledge and learn all about breaking, the street dance style created in the 1970s in the Bronx, New York.
More than just an urban dance, breakdance is an essential part of the hip hop movement and brings with it a lot of culture. Shall we get to know this sport?
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All about breaking: how did this dance come about?
Breakdancing emerged at a time when there was a major territorial dispute between the black and Latino communities in the Bronx.
Sport has arrived as an essential element to pacify the tension in the region, allowing young people to distance themselves from violence and street gangs to dedicate themselves to dance battles between crews;
Always remember that: regardless of the dispute, contact with the opponent is forbidden. So breaking was a way of demonstrating power, but always in a respectful way and valuing the varied skills and acrobatics of the dancers.
It didn’t take long for the dance to become part of the day for young people in the area, who practiced their new moves to impress the spectators. It’s worth noting that breaking is considered one of the four major elements of hip hop, which is made up of:
- DJ (disc jockey);
- MC (master of ceremonies/rap singer);
- Graffiti (urban art using spray paint on walls, buildings, etc.).
- Breaking.
Dance, therefore, is more than just a sporting activity, as it represents a fundamental piece of the whole philosophy of life present in hip hop.
All about breaking: curiosities about battles
Breaking battles are usually packed with beats commanded by DJs, who play variations of hip hop, funk, soul and breakbeat, among other musical styles. Today, trends allow for much wider varieties of genres to pack the best performances;
A curious thing about breaking is that the athletes never know which songs will be played during the battles, did you know that? This is because the DJ is in charge of the live rhythm, so the dancers have to be very good at improvising.
So they need to interpret the beats according to what they’re hearing and do it to the best of their ability. Of course, it’s still crucial for athletes to know the moves they’re most skilled at and be able to move to the beat of the music.
And, of course, competitors must not repeat movements or sequences, which is a guideline that applies from the moment of pre-selection until the end of the competition.
Another interesting fact about breaking is that, in the beginning, the dancers were called break-boys and break-girls. However, with the passage of time, the term was shortened and then the nomenclature of B-Boys for men and B-Girls for female athletes began to be used.
Also in this special on breaking, it’s time to find out how the sport expanded and, of course, how it arrived here in Brazil.
All about breaking: the expansion of the sport and its arrival in Brazil
Although it originated in the United States, it didn’t take long for the sport to cross the globe and conquer both new dancers and fans all over the world. Including, of course, in Brazil.
So, right at the beginning of the 1980s, breaking was already growing steadily here in Brazil. In fact, more specifically in São Paulo, it was common for groups of B-Boys and B-Girls to gather in front of the São Bento subway station to rehearse their breaking moves and also to have the long-awaited duels.
It didn’t take long for the first Brazilian crews to emerge. Among them, the most notable is Back Spin, the oldest breaking group in Brazil, which has been active since 1985. There are also other important groups in the scene, such as Panteras Negras and Dragon Breakers.
The sport became bigger and bigger and, in 2004, breakdancing gained more momentum with the emergence of Red Bull BC One. This event is held annually and is considered to be the biggest 1v1 championship in the scene.
The competition features dancers from all over the world, and the most curious thing is that the only Latin American winner was the Brazilian Neguin, in 2009.
All about breaking: sport makes its Olympic debut in 2024!
Breakdancing has grown a lot in Brazil, but not only here. It’s no coincidence, then, that in 2018 the sport was included in the Youth Olympics, which took place in Argentina.
The sport’s participation in such an important competition further highlighted the recognition of breaking as a form of art and cultural expression and, in 2024, this recognition reached its peak.
We say this because the sport will make its debut at the Paris Olympics in 2024, further strengthening its power. During the competition, you’ll be able to follow the breaking duels on August 9 and 10, just keep an eye on the channels broadcasting the event!
A total of 32 athletes will take part in the competition, 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls, who will perform individual duels. Each round will last a maximum of 60 seconds and the dancers will be judged in 3 main categories by the judges:
- Body: evaluation of the athletes’ physical characteristics, range of movement and technique;
- Mind: evaluation of creativity, personality and artistic characteristics;
- Soul: evaluation of musicality, general performance and characteristics.
All about breaking: the main international breakdance names
Now that you know all about breaking, it’s time to meet some of the sport’s biggest names, both in the world and in Brazil. After all, these are the dancers who have done their bit to ensure that breakdancing has reached every corner of the world.
Check it out:
- Richard “Crazy Legs” Colón;
- Ken Swift;
- Kastet;
- Cico;
- Storm;
- Logistix;
- Lilou.
Top national breakdance names
- Neguin;
- Pelezinho;
- B-boy Klesio;
- Ami;
- Ayumi.
So, did you like knowing all about breaking? Are you excited to follow this sport’s debut at the 2024 Olympics? To keep up to date with all the Olympic sports and make sure you don’t miss anything at the world’s biggest athletics competition, keep following our website!
