The dance spread across the world and international competitions began in the 1990s.
In the basement of a sports complex in Paris, dozens of breakers, gathered almost every weeknight in July to freestyle. They warmed up with footwork – “toprocking” – and catching the beat before diving into floor moves. Samy Vongphrachanh, 19, was cheered on by a peer when he took risks and encouraged when he couldn’t quite land a power move.
They are part of Paris’ local breaking and hip-hop community.
“We come, we chill, we cypher – it’s like the main essence of breaking,” said Vongphrachanh, referring to the informal circle formed by breakers in which they enter one by one to dance and battle. “It’s sharing peace, unity, love and having fun.”
Breaking is making its Olympic debut Friday with women's breaking, which gets underway at 10 a.m. ET with qualifying rounds. Men's breaking will take place Saturday.
One of the B-Girls who will be participating is New York's own Sunny Choi.
The Queens, New York, native who spent time in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania participating in breaking as the sport makes its Olympic debut isn't lost on her.
The sport (and dance form) has made big strides to spin its way to this point.
"I have so much gratitude and pride to be able to represent for our community," Choi told reporters in Paris.
"We came from the streets in Black and brown communities," the 35-year-old American told reporters. "Breaking has really kind of globalized and now we have this extremely beautifully-diverse world."
Choi explained that part of the popularity of breaking, comes from the fact that it is more accessible compared to other sports that could be costlier to practice.
