Half a century after its appearance on the streets of New York, breaking debuts on Friday at the Paris Olympic Games. But is dance really a sport?
The atmosphere heats up Châteletand hotbed of Parisian hip-hop culture. This week, while waiting for the tests of breakinghundreds of people attend the ‘battles’ organized by a major sports brand.
“The appearance of breaking in the Olympic Games will highlight a surprising and very physical discipline. There are really nice movements, but the most important thing for me is the creativity“explains Bboy Diego, a dancer who has come from La Rochelle to participate in the test.
El breakdance, o breaking, born in the New York neighborhood of the Bronx in the 70’shas experienced a meteoric rise around the world. Today, the world’s best dancers regularly compete in international tournaments, but for other members of the movement, the competition does not fully represent the values of breaking.
“Breaking at the Games is great because you get noticed as a sport, but it’s above all an art. In its origins, it was practiced in the streets and anyone could participate. For me, the core values son share and have fun, not compete“explains Bgirl Vibe, a 16-year-old breakdancer in Paris.
A new Olympic sport
“I’ve been in hip hop for 40 years, I come from culture, but now I represent sport. Sport or culture, it doesn’t matter. It’s very good that we are in the sport, because it is a good promotion for breaking,” says OG SAMSON, a hip hop figure who has come from Slovenia to train several athletes participating in the Olympic Games.
16 male dancers and 16 female dancers (or ‘breakers’) will face each other in battles of around one minute each, this Friday and Saturday in the arena built on the Place de la Concorde, in the heart of Paris. Two of them will win the first medals gold in breaking olympic history.
After skateboarding and surfing in Tokyo, breaking has been chosen by the IOC to adapt to contemporary sporting practices around the world. Considered an additional sport in Paris, the discipline was not selected for Los Angeles in 2028.
But is dance really a sportand untiland language? Why is it danced all over the world? A immersive exhibition in Paris entitled ‘Danser’ invites children and their parents to immerse themselves in the mysteries of this universal practice.
Question of creativity
The danza has been the subject of numerous investigations over the centuries, from Darwin to neuroscientists who have recently demonstrated their benefits for the brain. According to scientists, dance helps people discover their body, explore space and create social bonds.
“In all our projects, we can see that a bond is created between groups. People do not know each other and suddenly a unity emerges, a union through dance“explains Vincent Delétang, one of the choreographers participating in the exhibition.
Families pass through several spaces called “Walk,” “Turn,” “Jump” and then “Meet” in a dance held every half hour. The exhibition is more of a question of creativity what an image. There are no mirrors and technology transforms visitors into avatars to work on movement and detachment.
“The danza es one of the first forms of expression that appeared at the same time as human beings. Dance appeared as part of religious celebrations, entertainment and the desire to celebrate oneself… We can see it right now in the Olympic Games, when everyone applauds at the same time to support a sporting movement, or when throws a wave in the stadium,” adds the choreographer.
“The motor skills of the children enters in play from birth. It is when we grow up that inhibitions come into play, because it is a matter of image. But little by little we can put that aside,” says Delétang, who says that she started dancing at family parties before enrolling in dance as a teenager and making contemporary dance her profession.
“The contemporary dance overwhelmed me with his creative principle. It was crazy to discover that he didn’t have to repeat existing steps, but could invent my own vocabulary“says the choreographer.
The ‘Danser’ exhibition It can be visited in the City of Sciences and Industry of Paris.
