How Breaking Went From a Street Dance to an Olympic Sport

Victor Montalvo will be competing for Team USA in breaking at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Pier Marco Tacca / Getty Images In the early 1970s, hip-hop dancers at block parties in New York City began adding moves from gymnastics, martial arts and other sources to their repertoire. They called their new improvisational style “b-boying.” Today, it’s commonly referred to as “breakdancing”—though the dancers who specialize in this genre prefer the term “breaking.” Now, more than 50 years later, breaking is set to appear on its biggest stage yet: the Summer Olympics in Paris. Breaking will become the first dance sport ever included in the Olympics when it debuts at this year’s Games, which will take place between July 26 and August 11. This summer, 32 athletes from around the world—16 men and 16 women, called B-boys and B-girls—will compete for gold, silver and bronze at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. While a DJ spins tracks, dancers will improvise a variety of moves, including intricate footwork, twists, spins and “freezes,” a feat that involves balancing on their hands or head. Judges will score them in six categories: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality. So far, the United...