Stance and myself planned our Paris 2024 trip more than 2 years ago. No matter if we were working or not, we were going. Initial tickets were sold out within 30 minutes of sales. It was easily one of the most popular events at the Olympics. I have spent considerable time in France prior to the Olympics, and for me, it was the perfect place to debut Breaking. The general audience has been knowledgeable and interactive spectators of Breaking for many years prior, dating back to the early 2000s. France is the only place where I see kids sitting next to their parents, sitting next to their grandparents, watching dance.
THE EVENT
I had a WONDERFUL time at the Olympics. It felt like a normal, big stage event for me. The vibes were similar to a Red Bull BC One. You can tell there was Red Bull DNA in the event setup everywhere: from the circular elevated stage, to the dancer introductions, to the circular cameras. Red Bull BC One doesn’t get enough credit for paving the way to what we just witnessed in Paris. The crowd was hype, the music was a mixture of hip hop and funk (the way we like it), and the competition was intense. I would have never thought I’d hear the likes of Nina Simone or Redman being played on the Olympics stage.
MEDIA & INTERNET REACTIONS AFTER DAY 1
I was so hype after Day 1 of the Bgirls, but then I looked on my phone after the event and all the news articles were the exact opposite. Since when did any sport’s success at the Olympics fall upon the last ranking competitor? There were Raygun posts and memes everywhere, not only on the Internet, but from credible media. In relation to the winning articles celebrating Ami, the ratio of critique to applause was not the same. I immediately became frustrated because I was asking myself, “Were we even watching the same thing?”
I honestly believe the general media had pre-existing notions towards Breaking prior to the event and were looking for any excuse to write negatively towards it. The vibes inside the arena vs the words I was reading online were not the same. Inside the event, the crowds were cheering loud. But on paper, journalists were writing about people exiting the stands. This contrast in uneven journalism to reality made me so mad. And to make matters worse, the internet was eating it up. I wasn’t annoyed at the Raygun memes as I was that all other competitors were not getting the proper recognition they deserve. Ami embodied everything we want in a breaker: fresh footwork, clean power, an understanding of foundation. And yet, outside of Japan, there was hardly any mention of her historic accomplishment.
Prior to Breaking, I was attending other events at the Olympics for 2 weeks. I watched Mountain Biking: the last place Chinese cyclist got lapped by multiple people and had to withdraw. I watched Climbing: the last place South African climber didn’t even make it to the first boulder. No articles, but sympathy, on both of these competitors. But yet, the success of Breaking is judged and critiqued by our last place finisher. Media coverages were not the same.
TELEVISION NETWORK DEALS
Olympics are funded mostly by exclusive TV network deals. The IOC wants to be inclusive to all markets in sports because one of its main revenue generators is the sale of broadcasting rights and associated assets. Because of this, it gave the dance community a few headaches:1) Exclusivity in all video content. Nobody except the IOC and affiliated media are allowed to film and upload their content. Photography is permitted, but video is not. However, some content (like Raygun) went so viral, the copyright bots just gave up. Technically, I am not allowed to film the battles either, not even highlights. However, I got annoyed that the Internet and media were so focused on Raygun from Day 1, that I decided for Stance to film with our phones anyways because the dance community deserved better coverage. How our clips are still online, who knows.
2) Because of media rights and money, the IOC always wants certain regions involved in any sport. That is why every sport is required to have an Oceania qualifier for automatic entry. Historically, the Oceania region is a weaker region for dance talent. I personally would have loved South America to be more involved. But instead, South America and North America were grouped together. This decision was beyond WDSF control and was an IOC decision. Unfortunately, this participation ruling gave the dance community its lowest scoring competition.
THINGS THAT INTEREST ME
1) 390 songs were cleared by the Olympics with DJ One Up taking the driver’s seat. Incredible.
2) How iconic The Mexican was the final song of the Olympics. It gave me chills.
3) My favorite battles were Logistx vs Nicka. Jeffro vs Dany Dann.
4) In hindsight, I would have preferred someone like Sway to be the main MC of the event. An established, African American in the USA hip hop scene, who could bridge the general audience with our dance audience, and would be respected by both. No matter what, you cannot escape that Breaking is composed of USA DNA. It can be as global as it gets, but it will always have its roots in the United States. Therefore, it is at our most critical moment that we have the proper representation.
5) One more hindsight, I would have liked it if the judges and administrators of the event were not so prominent in the foreground of media coverage. The way the judges were positioned, they were the center of attention in the TV angles. I have been to many Olympics events, and Breaking was the only one where our officials had just as much broadcast time as the athletes. There have been memes online regarding the judges’ stoic faces. Let’s save ourselves the headache and eliminate that situation altogether. I feel Red Bull BC One does a great job of positioning the judges back enough to see the battles, while giving the dancers room to take the media spotlight.
6) Jeffro, you were my favorite dancer of the weekend. I had to make a highlight video on Stance because you danced just like you always would have in the many cyphers I’ve seen you. When the Olympics were announced for Breaking 5 years ago, there was so much speculation: “They just want power moves!” - “What about personal style?” - “Footwork?” - “Relation to the music?” Jeffro proved all of those questions wrong at Paris 2024.
7) Raygun. Her skill levels were those of ones I’ve seen at many events. Many breakers dance like her. Do they deserve a stance highlight? Probably not. But is it out of the ordinary? It’s pretty common. It is the Olympics stage, the biggest stage in the world. Not the best time to come out with a kangaroo jump or the sprinkler. There’s a time and place, and the Olympics stage turns out wasn’t it.
8) Prior to the event, I purchased more than 12 USA flags. I handed them out to Nemesis, Fever One, CrosOne, virtually any American in the crowd got one of my flags. I wanted our Team USA support to be as loud and visual as possible. Sorry for not filming as much of the Team USA breakers on stance. I was too busy cheering.
9) Phil Wizard is the perfect ambassador for Breaking. Throughout his Olympic experience, from windmills on concrete in front of the Eiffel Tower, to daily croissant stories, to dancing on top the Olympic cardboard beds, Phil embodied the personality of Peace, Love, United, and Having Fun. I’ve been a huge supporter of our northern neighbors at Team Canada for a while. I am so happy he is our Bboy Champion.
10) One week after the Olympics, Google Analytics have shown “breaking” and “breakdance” to be the most searched word online. Whether it is positive or negative, we have reached peak curiosity. I have noticed Tiktokers analyzing old battles, re-posting stance videos on the other competitors, showing was “real breaking” is. Perhaps the world is turning around?
11) To the unsung heroes on reddit and other social platforms, re-posting footage of our other 31 dancers…”thank you.” I see you are trying to change the public’s narrative on breaking and we all appreciate it.
12) Hiro10, to see you tear up on stage and throw out your biggest round of your life on the Olympic stage, you made myself and others cry. I knew this was the clip I was to post online to change the public’s opinion after Day 1. 100 million views+ and counting, across many accounts including ours and Snoop Dogg’s. Power moves.
13) LA2028. Flag Football has NFL money. Cricket has Indian and Saudi money. Brian Roberts, the CEO of Comcast is a former squash champion and is heading Team USA Squash. Breaking has……? Despite the popularity of Breaking and dance amongst the youth, ultimately it’s a money situation why Breaking is not part of LA2028. It didn’t help that WDSF and Red Bull terminated their relationship after 4 months in 2021. There have been inside talks about possible investors to help fund Breaking to push it to future Olympic games, but until we get on the same financial level as the other new sports, chances are still slim.
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