What to look out for as the Olympics begin

By NOREEN NASIR

PARIS (AP) — The girls of B-girls and the boys of B-boys are ready for fame.

On Friday, breakdancers will begin synchronizing their moves to a breakbeat played by a DJ in front of the largest audience ever seen.

Earlier this week, dancers-turned-Summer Olympic athletes tested the floor of the breaking venue at Place de la Concorde in Paris ahead of the first competition on Friday. The stage resembles a giant record, and the backdrop is a giant replica boombox. It’s a nod to the musical origin of breaking — the breakbeat itself — the moment when the vocals of a song drop and the DJ repeats the beat over and over again to allow the b-boys and b-girls to make their presence known on the dance floor.

“Even though there weren’t any people there yet, I could already see the crowd,” said American Logan Edra, or “b-girl Logistx,” after seeing the stadium for the first time. “And the floor was incredible.”

33 athletes representing 15 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team will take to the court on Friday and Saturday to compete for gold for the first time in Olympic history.

For those watching breakdancing for the first time, there’s a lot to understand about the elements of breakdancing. Aside from the unique culture and history of the dance form, which originated in the black and brown communities of the Bronx in the 1970s, there’s no other event like it in the Olympics. Some compare it to a mix of gymnastics and martial arts, but with music and improvisation. Breaking has its own judging structure — the Trivium judging system, which will allow judges to evaluate breakdances based on technique, vocabulary or variety, execution, musicality, and originality.

“It will also be the only sport that will use other elements of hip-hop because there will be a DJ and there will be a host, a compere,” said Ronnie Abaldonado, a breakdancer who is one of the commentators for NBC’s breakdancing competitions.

The DJ plays an important role in coordinating the competition.

“Whether it’s a high-production event or just your local gym, breaking is a party,” said Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA and USA Dance. “And the DJ makes that party happen.”

Slusser described breaking as live storytelling, where characters and emotions are present on stage and the narrative unfolds in real time.

The DJ “sets the energy in the room. They’re kind of like the narrator and then the breakers themselves, they’re the protagonist or antagonist in the story, but the audience at the event or the people watching — reading the book — they have to feel that energy.”

The Breakers won’t know what songs or music they’ll be competing to—the element of surprise is as much a part of their experience as it is of the audience. It creates a raw, emotional and energetic atmosphere. The stadium will be transformed by that energy, said Tyquan Hodac, executive director of Breaking for Gold USA.

“It’s not a spectator sport. The audience is also part of the whole show, part of the party,” Hodac said. “There’s a feedback loop. It’s a story, a conversation between everyone.”

Breaking consists of four basic elements: Toprock, Power moves, Footwork, and Freezes.