Hyderabad breakers on cloud nine

As the dance form heads for Olympics 2024, debate kicks off over it being a sport

Hyderabad: Dancing community in the city is over the moon after the recent elevation for breakdancing. It has been inducted into the Olympic fold by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and people will see B-Boys and B-Girls (as they are popularly called) in battles during the Paris-2024 edition of Olympics.

However, the move has also kicked up debates over whether breakdancing is considered as a sport. While a few argue that it is a cultural art form, others say breakdancing requires a lot of athleticism along with imagination and physical strength like sports.

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Indian rhythmic gymnast from Hyderabad Meghana Reddy, however, welcomed the move. “It is good to see new sports being introduced in the Olympics. We have to wait and see how people receive it. Breakdancing also requires a lot of hard work and effort. The dance form is hugely popular among youth. As an athlete, I am happy to see this. The Olympics is about inclusiveness. It is meant for everyone, irrespective of the race, colour, country or ethnicity,” she added.

Speaking about the notion of breakdancing not considered a sport, she says, “Rhythmic gymnastics too has a touch of dance. You can’t say it is not a sport. Even breakdancing requires a lot of effort.”

This was not an experimental move by the IOC as it had introduced it in the Youth Olympics Games in 2018 in Buenos Aires. The battles took place in front of an audience and proved to be a great success, forcing the World Dance Sports Federation pitching it for its induction into the Olympics.

Vikas Prakash, a 26-year-old breaker, was all excited when he heard the news. “I woke up to this news and took a screenshot of it and sent it to all my friends. Once, dance was never considered a serious thing. But now, the world is getting progressive. I was very happy and surprised when I first heard the news. It is no more underground. Now more people know about it. It is a big boost for the breakdancing community. More people will get motivated and will start it seriously,” he added.

He also revealed there is a huge fan base in the city for breakdancing. “There are a lot of competitions round the year. ‘Blame it on the Boogie’ is one of the top competitions and there are so many low key competitions as well. People from all over the country come and participate,” he added.

Speaking about the dance form, he said, “It is not easy in competitions. There is a lot of preparation that goes into it. You have to train hard and choreograph moves. But when in battle, you have to dance to the music spontaneously.”

However, a few are eagerly waiting on how the battles would be judged. Sixteen B-Boys and B-Girls will be pitted in a one-on-one battle in the Olympics for the medals.

The breakdancing culture

A style of acrobatic dancing originating in the mid-1970s, breakdancing or breaking is characterised by intricate footwork, pantomime, spinning headstands, tumbling and elaborate virtuosic movements. Breakdancing mainly consists of four kinds of movement: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes. It is typically set to songs containing drum breaks, especially in hip-hop, funk, soul music and breakbeat music, although modern trends allow for much wider varieties of music.

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