4 months ago
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AN OLYMPIC breakdancer’s ‘different’ routine has gone viral.
The sport of breaking made its debut in the 2024 Paris Games and was the only new addition this summer.
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AFP
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AFPBreaking is an urban dance style that started in America during the 1970s with roots in hip-hop culture.
In the Olympics, two breakers go up against each other in epic one-v-one battles.
They take it in turns to dance and use a combination of moves to music.
But Australian breakdancer “Raygun” – real name Rachael Gunn – went viral for all the wrong reasons.
She faced France’s Syssy (Sya Dembele) and America’s Logistx (Logan Edra) but failed to win a point.
And her performance was ridiculed by confused fans online as she was compared to a toddler rolling around on the floor.
One fan said: “‘I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer.”
Another said: “She’s amazing – she got an all exes paid trip to the olympics and a sweet tracksuit for 5 mins of bizarre performance art.”
What are the key moves of breaking and how is it judged?
THERE are five key fundamentals to look out for from the breakers at the Paris 2024 Olympics:
TOP ROCK
This is stand-up dancing, routines always start with this and feature cross-step and Salsa step.
FOOTWORK
When breakers are down on all fours from a low squat position, doing footwork patterns and steps including hooks and kicks.
GO DOWNS
This is the transition from Top Rock to Footwork, including the Knee Switch and Rock Drop.
FREEZES
Where breakers hold a position or pose during a routine, acting as a pause or ‘comma’ before going again – from the simple to the extraordinary.
POWER MOVES
These are the big wow moves, the ultimate crowd-pleasers, the impressive show-stoppers: flicks, tricks, headspins, air flares, munchmills or windmills.
B-Boys and B-Girls are judged on three categories…
- Body – this is the physical aspect and incorporates the execution and the flow of the dance by the breakers
- Soul – this is the interpretation aspect, how the breakers interpret the music, the competition, the specific battle, the room and how they display their character and bounce off the energy
- Mind – this is the artistic aspect, taking into consideration the creativity of the breakers
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Another fan said: “Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there.
“But this was the most second hand embarrassment I’ve ever felt.”
One shared the video and joked: “My toddler 1 min after she comes to our bed to “sleep”.”
Despite the backlash, Gunn shared a positive message on her Instagram story in the aftermath of her Olympic elimination.
It read: “Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.”
Gunn came into the Games as Australia’s top-ranking breakdancer.
She also works for Sydney’s Macquarie University as a creative arts researcher specialising in “the cultural politics of breakdancing”.
Gunn was the Australian Breaking Association’s top ranked bgirl (‘break-girl’) in 2020 and 2021.
She qualified for the Olympics after winning last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships.
Gunn is a former jazz and ballroom dancer was introduced to breaking by her husband Samuel.
‘I wanted to move differently’
After Olympic elimination, she spoke out to explain her breaking routine following the critical response.
Gunn said: “What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity.
“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.
“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
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