Olympic Breakdancing Will Be Light-Years Ahead Of The ‘80s

Boombox. Cardboard. Tracksuits. This kind of 80s imagery is still associated with breakdance today, four decades later. Admittedly, tracksuits are still around, but the art form and culture have evolved significantly, so the world has plenty of catching up to do.

Breaking—not “breakdancing”—will be featured in the Paris Olympics this August with B-boy (Men’s) and B-girl (Women’s) solo events.

Netizens have expressed confusion, amusement and even anger at the inclusion of breaking in the Olympics. For example, one blogger proclaims, “You’re going to have some dude who taught himself how to spin on his head on cardboard on some street corner, being handed the same gold medal as the winner of the freaking DECATHLON?!?! Utter lunacy.”

These reactions are understandable given the limited representation of breaking in mass media. Although awareness of breaking has grown due to the Olympic spotlight, it hasn’t reached the point where general audiences understand its depth yet.

Regardless of its public perception, breaking today is light-years ahead of what it was in the 80s. Breaking has grown into a bona fide worldwide phenomenon, the overall skill level continues to skyrocket, and it’s easier than ever to participate and spectate.

A Worldwide Phenomenon

The first wave of breaking in the 80s left an impact that lasted long after the hype had died down. In part due to films like Beat Street, Breakin’ and Wild Style, and international tours by notable dance crews, breaking took hold in France, Germany, Japan, and other countries around the world.

While it never reached the same level of mainstream popularity, breaking lived on through a small, scattered group of individuals until it experienced a resurgence in the late 90s and early 2000s. Niels “Storm” Robitzky, a pioneer of breaking in Europe and a key figure in the development of the Olympic judging system, says the dance was “culturally manifested” after the fad was gone. “It was not a fashion anymore.”

To give a sense of scale to the worldwide spread of breaking, in the 1970s, New York City was the only place you could find breakers. In September 2023, 177 competitors from 62 different nations competed in the WDSF Breaking World Championship.

Women are also more prominent in the competitive breaking scene now—80 of those 177 competitors in the WDSF World Championship were B-girls.

Pushing The Boundaries Of Skill

Breakers have pushed the physical and mental limits to the point that some of today’s performances would have been unfathomable forty years ago.

These dancers are constantly creating new techniques and building on existing ones. Take for example the airflare, a highly difficult aerial rotation technique. It was created in 1989 by Paulo Nunes of the Netherlands, then in 1998, it was first done continuously by Pablo Flores of the U.S.A. In 2023, Taiwan’s B-boy Monkey King nearly landed a double airflare, which is exactly what it sounds like—two aerial rotations before the breaker’s hand touches the ground again. Defying gravity never looked so possible.

Physical prowess isn’t the only area that breaking has advanced in. Today’s top breakers show a level of storytelling, musicality, and execution that far exceeds the scope of early breaking.

Getting Involved Is Easier Than Ever

Professional b-boys Ronnie, Hong 10 and Menno talk about starting in the 90s and having to learn from VHS tapes obtained in person. Nowadays, up-and-coming breakers can find a wealth of online tutorials and competition footage to study. New audiences also benefit from this easily accessible online footage.

Some breakers run their own studios where they teach the next generation. These include The Beacon Studio in Seattle, Break Free in Houston, and Distrct Arts in Las Vegas, founded by Ronnie and his crew.

Another place to get involved with breaking is at actual schools. Some high schools and universities have student-run breaking clubs. The National Collegiate Breaking Association is a nonprofit that aims to nurture these campus clubs.

Breaking studios and college clubs will often host competitions ranging from local to international in terms of representation. These events are great opportunities to experience breaking as a spectator.

Whether you’re a new fan, an aspiring breaker, or a longtime community member, breaking continues to embody values instilled in the 1970s and 80s, but has also evolved beyond what anyone could have imagined in those days. The Olympics are just one instance of that growth—there are many other ways to experience and engage with the world of breaking.

Further resources to learn about breaking, its roots and evolution include:

• How the Bronx brought breaking to the world. A short video by Vox summarizing the origin of breaking and its core characteristics.
• Foundation, by Joseph G. Schloss. An in-depth, community-based history of breaking culture featuring interviews with influential figures like Ken Swift and Alien Ness.
• Planet B-Boy, directed by Benson Lee. A 2007 documentary film depicting the global resurgence of breaking through the lens of an international event.