The DJ's mixing desk quickly replaced the 3x3 basketball hoop. Breaking or break dancing, the latest addition to the Olympics, is set to round off two crazy weeks in the heart of the Place de la Concorde urban park. Given the success of the BMX, skateboarding and 3x3 basketball disciplines, the show promises to be grandiose for perhaps the only appearance of breaking at the Olympics, since LA 2028 has decided not to bank on hip-hop, despite its origins in the streets of New York's Bronx.
The 16 b-boys and 17 b-girls (the name given to the dancers) have all already danced on stages all over the world, but this Friday (from 4 p.m.) for the women and Saturday (also from 4 p.m.) for the men, in the 5,500-seat Paris arena, the spice of Olympism is bound to make this competition special for a self-taught discipline, rich in a culture mixing graff, rap, DJying, both art and sport. It's a milieu that's built itself against the grain of Olympic traditionalism.
But its spectacular and viral nature on social networks seemed perfect for "breaking the codes", as Paris 2024 boss Tony Estanguet repeats, and reaching out to the younger generation, an obsession of the IOC. Its president Thomas Bach was captivated - and convinced - by the energy felt at the 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games. At the time, breaking was not even recognized as a high-level sport.
A culture in its own right and entirely of its own
France's Carlota Dudek and Martin Lejeune, the first mini-olympians in Argentina, were selected on video and took their (compulsory) license... on the plane. So when, in 2019, the announcement of breaking's entry into the Olympics was official, apart from a few insiders, the community was surprised. They came looking for us," confirms Mounir Biba, multiple world champion, who accompanied the authorities when breaking made its Olympic debut. We've been around for forty-five years, and we did it on our own, without a federal project. We're very happy, but we have a history to defend, codes and values. We've had to do a lot of educational work.
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Everything then followed in quick succession for a milieu that has its own major events, sponsors and organization. Far, far removed from institutional shackles. It took six years to build up a French team, a judging system and a circuit of national competitions, including the French Championships. " We had to ensure that the federal structure was moving in the right direction, and at the same time find the best dancers to help them win a medal. It's a big double project," points out Abdel Mustapha, coach-coordinator of Les Bleus at the FFDanse. The same applies to the international scene. Each has contributed to the other," assures dancer Bojin Chen, head of the break section at the International Federation. The WDSF doesn't want to change breaking, there's a real respect for it. We got them to change some rules that didn't make sense to us, and they listened to us."
It's not always easy: of course, there's the inevitable big clash of cultures. Tensions, power struggles and misunderstandings too. But all the big stars got caught up in the Games. With the arrival of the Olympics, a certain facet of breaking has changed. As with skateboarding and BMX, thanks to the media boost and the federations' greater resources, more nations were able to send athletes - or rather art-thletes, as many like to call them - to compete. The sporting aspect has also been strengthened. The judging criteria for the Olympics require us to be complete in our dancing," explains Carlota Dudek. Physical preparation is essential. Technically, I've come a long way. But your character and your style also count: what do you express when you dance?"
In France, in order to shine at the Games, one of the best examples of this break development is surely the opening, in September 2022, of a Pôle France at Insep. Breakers, historically chased out of station halls, now have access to medical and socio-professional follow-up.
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The four French players qualified for the Olympics train there more or less regularly. Guyana's Danis Civil (Dany Dann) and Martinique's Gaëtan Alin (Lagaet) are among the most experienced (36 years of age), having won a number of world titles prior to the Olympics. Sya Dembélé (Syssy, 16), nurtured by the Melting Force crew from Saint-Etienne, has been performing on the world stage since she was 9. Carlota Dudek (Carlota, 22) has embraced this life of artist and athlete, taking advantage of the Olympic hype to skilfully build her own career. All dream of shining at home, to represent their culture to the best of their ability.
"I want to show that you can dream of being a member of the French break dancing team, just as many people dream of being on the French soccer team," smiles European champion Dany Dann. While remaining artists. What I like best about break dancing is creating," says World bronze medallist Syssy. Everyone has their own style. That's my goal at the Olympics: to show my dance and share it with the public. Break as an art of living, with this historic Olympic stopover.
(L'Équipe)