The entry of breaking into the Paris-2024 program generated a worldwide rush for dance, in its sports version, to be included in some parameters of traditional sport in time for its debut in the Olympic Games.
While Brazil and other countries are still in their infancy to set up an official calendar of events and establish ranking criteria and formation of a national team, France appears to be more advanced in the process of structuring breaking as a public sport and cultural policy.
The idea of including in 2024 —there is no guarantee of continuity for subsequent editions— came from the French breaking organizing committee and was endorsed by the IOC, which has the desire to rejuvenate the audience of the Games. The bet was also based on an experience considered successful with the sport at the Youth Games in Buenos Aires, in 2018.
In Paris, breaking will have an iconic space for competition, Praça da Concordia, where an urban park will be set up that will also host skateboarding, BMX cycling and 3 x 3 basketball competitions.
The first World Championship with the Olympic seal was also held in Paris, earlier this month, at the Teatro do Châtelet. The French b-boys and b-girls (as the participants are called) did not go to the podium, which had representatives from Japan, Germany, USA, Canada and Kazakhstan.
A look beyond the initial results, however, shows ample work in development in the country. The French Dance Federation, which already financed cultural breaking projects, in recent years has also started to extend its activities to the sporting aspect.
A commission created within the federation with names historically linked to the practice in the country is divided into six regional areas of action.
Among the objectives is the detection of talents to form the French national team, receiving scholarships for athletes to dedicate themselves only to dance, encouraging the creation of regional qualifiers, promoting activities in schools and leisure centers, as well as training seminars of teachers.
Abdel Mustapha, the federation’s national breaking coordinator, says that the incorporation of dance into the sport is dealt with under some basic principles. “We are not starting with a blank page. We must not forget that many things existed in breaking before the Olympics. Everything we do has to be for our community and we have to maintain our culture as always, for example, without impose moves or types of clothing in battles.”
As elsewhere, breaking began to become popular in France in the 1980s, with the arrival of the hip-hop culture that had emerged in the US in the 1970s.
“We can say that it all started in 1984, thanks to the New York City Breakers tour,” says Pascal Blaise, who serves as the federation’s coordinator for the Paris region.
In addition to the presence of the pioneer group of American b-boys, Blaise cites other cultural products as responsible for spreading this culture. Among them is the film “La Haine” (1995), which addresses the daily life of youth on the outskirts of Paris and their problems, including conflicts with the police, and has a classic dance scene.
“Breaking has become a fashion among the youth, being practiced in historic places in Paris, such as the Trocadéro and at the train station in Châtelet. All these factors contributed to its becoming popular here, but it was the policy of valuing culture and the diversity of immigrants that made breaking into a powerhouse,” says Blaise.
Brazilian Matheus Barbosa Lopes, known as b-boy Kid Guma, works with Blaise in a project at the VNR association, where he teaches classes, works in a teacher training course and also in shows. At the recent World Cup in Paris, he helped foreign teams, including Brazil.
Lopes sees a favorable scenario for making a living from breaking in France, whether through culture, sports or education. The promising moment of financial resources also favors the development of dancers in the modality.
“They are very technical, but they don’t have a lot of originality and rhythm, something Brazilians have a lot. Many reproduce movements, and what interests me in breaking is the possibility of creating your own”, says Kid Guma.
The result of this national investment can be seen around the world in two and a half years, at the Paris Olympics. Although obtaining medals is among the goals of the French federation, Blaise does not place the Olympic Games as the main end point of the work.
“After a month everyone will have forgotten [do evento]. I really care about building a legacy for future generations. That’s why I try to take advantage of this moment of light to provide workshops in the neighborhoods, monthly courses, concerts and battles, in addition to taking breaking to the Ministry of Education and developing educational and social activities through dance,” he says.
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