OLYMPIC GAMES | BREAKING
Why are breakdancers called b-boys and b-girls?
Breaking has taken plenty of headlines in Paris on its maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
Unless you’ve been living at Bikini Bottom, you’ve probably seen one of the many viral videos going around of breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The sport, which started back in the 1970s in New York’s Bronx borough, has certainly grabbed the headlines as various stars have shown their skills on the floor, wowing the judges and fans, both new and old. Since so many people are getting into the sport after its wild success in Paris, at AS USA we thought it would be a good idea to run through some of the terms that are used, so you don’t get your b-boying mixed up in the Bronx.
Breaking, b-boying, or b-girling: what do they mean?
Vulture writes that “hip-hop founding father DJ Kool Herc noticed that people were going off on the dance floor during the breaks [and] he figured out how to extend those parts. He’s also credited with coming up with the terms B-boy and B-girl.”
The sole letter in b-boy/girl simply means ‘break’, and they’re breaking, b-boying, or b-girling when they’re dancing. You may hear Bronx-boy/girl also used, although it’s less common, while Breaker would be the gender-neutral synonym.
How breaking is judged at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games:
- Originality: How creative the moves are. A routine should showcase style and personality — and definitely not “bite” someone else’s moves.
- Technicality: The skill level of the moves, which can be assessed by factors like athleticism and body control.
- Vocabulary: The variety and amount of moves. A routine shouldn’t feel too repetitive or empty.
- Execution: How cleanly the moves are performed (hopefully, there’s no slipping or tripping).
- Musicality: How well the moves match up to the music.
(Source: vulture.com)
As for the term breaking, it cannot be used interchangeably with breakdancing, which is a more generalised term used by the media and can therefore drift away from the ‘real’ sport of breaking and encompass other street dancing styles.
At the Paris 2024 games, Canada’s Phil Wizard took home the gold, beating France’s Dany Dann in a fantastic final. Third place and the bronze medal went to Victor Montalvo of the USA, who beat Shigeyuki Nakari of Japan.