This summer time, dance followers will probably be on the sting of their seats awaiting the debut of the most recent Olympic sport: breaking. However when the model takes the Olympic stage, how will the competitors unfold, and what ought to viewers be in search of? Understanding the intricacies of the judging system—and the way it’s been adjusted to work within the Olympics, whereas nonetheless honoring breaking’s historical past—presents a window into how an artwork type will probably be integrated into one of many most-watched sporting occasions worldwide.
Construction and Scoring
Olympic breaking will probably be break up into two occasions, one for b-boys and one for b-girls. There will probably be 32 opponents, with equal gender illustration, from between eight and 16 nations (qualification occasions have been nonetheless taking place at press time).
Throughout the gendered occasions, dancers begin in a round-robin schedule, wherein they compete in one-on-one battles, explains Zack “Cracker Zacks” Slusser, vice chairman of DanceSport Breaking. The 16 athletes will probably be break up into 4 teams of 4, with every dancer going head-to-head in solo battles with every of the opposite three dancers of their group for 2 rounds, leading to a complete of six rounds.
The highest eight dancers (two from every group of 4) advance to the “knockout” stage. On this stage, dancers are seeded into brackets, and every bracket matchup has three rounds. Bracket winners progress from quarterfinals to semifinals to finals, with the winner being awarded Olympic gold.
Judges rating dancers based mostly on 5 standards: execution, approach, originality, musicality, and vocabulary. Hearkening again to hip hop’s roots, scores will probably be represented comparatively by a DJ fader. In every head-to-head battle, judges will transfer every of the 5 digital sliders (both a little bit or all the way in which) towards the breaker who’s stronger in every class. Viewers will solely see who every choose finally votes for, indicated by a blue or a pink field displayed on a big LED scoreboard.
What to Watch For
With rapid-fire rounds and unbelievable expertise, there will probably be lots to see throughout breaking’s Olympic debut. Ivan “Flipz” Velez, a veteran breaker and a member of the judging panel in Paris, recommends looking forward to the basics of the shape, like “smoothness, inventive transitions, and ranges.” Velez additionally advises looking for energy strikes and noticing what number of strikes dancers can mix and stack. “The longer the combo, the cooler the strikes, the upper you rating,” he says. Dancers will probably be responding to the tracks that the deejay decides to spin.
Along with these showstopping actions, the intricacy of every dancer’s craft can also be essential, notes veteran breaker Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio. The way in which a dancer executes a step or phrase may give hints into their background, origins, coaching, and persona. “The way you experience the rhythm, the way you specific your specific model and individuality via the music and the dance—it additionally exposes your social background,” he says.
Acknowledging Breaking’s Historical past
The brilliant worldwide highlight of the Olympics will illuminate not solely the athleticism of breaking but additionally its artistry, historical past, and legacy. Veteran breaker Ana “Rokafella” Garcia hopes viewers will study in regards to the social roots of the shape, and pay attention to the truth that breakers usually study in nontraditional areas, generally amongst buddies and with out a conventional coach or trainer. She emphasizes that hip hop is a style in flux from era to era. “It positively permits for interpretation and contributions from every dancer and every era,” she explains.
Dionisio additionally hopes that breaking’s geographic and cultural roots will probably be acknowledged, explaining that the style was born in New York Metropolis, amongst communities of colour throughout a time of nice upheaval. “That’s what hip hop is—it’s a diamond that was born below the pressures of financial woes and cultural wars of the time,” Dionisio says. “To come back out shining from these occasions with one thing known as hip hop, and to current that diamond to the world, is strictly what must be accomplished on the Olympics.”
