More than 50 years after its inception, “breaking” — not “break dancing,” a term coined by the media and disdained by practitioners — will debut as an Olympic sport.
Jonathan Abrams, who writes about the intersection of sports and culture, explains how breaking’s big moment came about.
Guest: Jonathan Abrams, a Times reporter covering national culture news.
Background reading:
• The Olympic battles in breaking will be a watershed moment (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/08/05/arts/dance/breaking-paris-olympics.html) for a dance form conceived and cultivated by Black and Hispanic youth in the Bronx during the 1970s.
• Breakers are grappling with hip-hop’s Olympic moment. Will their art translate into sport? (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/arts/dance/olympics-breaking-dance.html)
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I thought the Les Twins was going to appear?
It’s about time