Breaking is the original hip-hop dance, created by African American and Puerto Rican youth in the Bronx in the early 1970s. Dancers — b-boys and b-girls — battle in circles with four elements: toprock, footwork (downrock), power moves and freezes.
The name comes from the ‘break’ — the instrumental drum section of a funk record that DJs looped so dancers could go wild. Crews such as the Rock Steady Crew (founded 1977) and the New York City Breakers took breaking from the parks to the world through films like ‘Wild Style’, ‘Flashdance’ and ‘Beat Street’ in the early 1980s. Breaking is both an art and a competition: judges look at foundation, musicality, creativity and character. It made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, while the global scene continues with battles like Red Bull BC One — but its heart is still the cypher, where anyone can step in and show respect.
