This is literally breaking news. If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, breaking was as a Bronx-born art form developed by African American and Puerto Rican communities that went mainstream. Hip hop street dancing, breaking debuts at this year's Olympics, promising to liven up the Paris games. But with such a long history, can the Olympics make it cool again?
Doing battle on the dance floor isn't just for disco. From Breakin' and Beat Street to the iconic Flashdance and Footloose, breakdancing reached movie screens, which meant the art form had finally reached the masses. And for a time, everyone and anyone was trying to do moves with funky names like propeller kick, kickspin, octopus and the always disaster-waiting-to-happen, headspin.
Get ready to throw down, but get the aspirin ready. To appeal to younger audiences, breaking joins skateboarding, sport climbing and BMX freestyle. And given the acrobatic movements, speedy footwork and a hip-hop soundtrack, breaking won't have much of a problem appealing to the young as well as to older audiences seeking to relive dance moves they worked on perfecting in the garage. Like it back in the 70s and 80s, chances are breaking will bring on a new generation of b-boys and b-girls.
The Netherlands isn't the only place for windmills. While breaking is being positioned as a sport at the Olympics, let's not forget it's also art and culture. For one, there's plenty of choreography and personality, and unlike the breaking that many of us did, this won't be done on cardboard. And unlike street performers, the breakers who are competing this summer will perform in front of judges without knowing the songs beforehand, which adds another element of unpredictability that other Olympians don’t face.
While breaking will undoubtedly be talked about today's younger generation as something new, it's actually not. What's old is new again, and the hope is that the Olympics will be able to convey some important history through this art-turned-sport https://lnkd.in/g2Y3yyNt #olympics #paris #sports #dance #culture #athletes #breaking #hiphop #music #history
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3moWill be there August 7th for a @jackalopefest Game Of skate at FLUCTUART if you want to come! Will check out you exhibition for sure 🙏