The Paris Olympics marks the debut of breaking – formerly known as break dancing – as an official event. The competition will take place August 9 and 10 at the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Montgomery County is not necessarily known as a bastion of breaking but MCM visited All 10 Breaking studios in Takoma Park where coach and founder Antonio Castillo is preparing to join the competitors.
The breaking competition will comprise two gender-based medal events, one for men and the other for women, called B-boys and B-girls, where sixteen will compete against each other in solo battles. Each B-boy/B-girl will incorporate and adapt a vast combination of dance moves, including power moves such as windmills, footwork such as the six-step, and freezes, improvising to the beat of DJ’s tracks to accumulate the highest score. According to Olympic organizers, the breaker with the highest number of points and rounds scored by the judges over his or her opponent in a solo battle will advance to the next round.
U.S. star Victor Montalvo became the first U.S. athlete to ever qualify for the Olympics in breaking when he won the 2023 WDSF-breaking World Championship. Fellow American Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro) qualified for the Games in June and is also considered a possible gold medal winner.
American Sunny Choi (B-Girl Sunny) became the first U.S. woman to qualify for the Olympic Games last year in the women’s competition. Logan Edra (B-Girl Logistx) booked her spot at the Olympic Qualifier Series this spring and will join Choi, Louis, and Montalvo in Paris.
To learn more about ‘Breaking’ in the Olympics, visit the official webpage here.
