As the 2024 Paris Olympics set the stage for the debut of breaking, also known as breakdancing, the anticipation and excitement within the hip-hop community and beyond is palpable. Among the competitors representing Team USA, one breaker, in particular, feels the weight of history and expectations on her shoulders. For 35-year-old Choi, a breaker born in Tennessee but now living in Queens, New York, the journey to the Olympics is not just about personal glory—it’s about bringing a gold medal home to the birthplace of her sport.
Bringing It Back to Where It All Began
Breaking, which originated in the Bronx, New York, during the 1970s as part of the emerging hip-hop culture, has grown from its street dance roots into a global phenomenon. As it makes its debut on the Olympic stage in Paris, there’s a sense of coming full circle for Choi and her fellow Team USA breakers. The instructions from her New York community have been clear and emphatic: “Bring a gold medal home, to where breaking started.”
“I don’t know how often people are like: ‘You don’t have a choice. Like, you’ve got to bring it home for New York,'” Choi said during a news conference on Tuesday, highlighting the expectations placed upon her by her fellow New Yorkers. Despite being born in Tennessee, Choi’s move to Queens has deeply ingrained her in the city’s rich breaking culture, and she feels a deep responsibility to honor the sport’s roots by winning gold.
The Pride of Team USA: Representing Breaking on the Global Stage
Choi is one of four b-boys and b-girls selected to represent Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Alongside her are three other talented breakers, each bringing their unique style, creativity, and experience to the competition. The significance of representing the United States in the first-ever Olympic breaking competition is not lost on these athletes, all of whom expressed their pride and sense of duty in representing the sport’s origins.
During the same news conference, the Team USA breakers spoke about the honor of competing on behalf of the country that gave birth to breaking. For them, the Olympics are more than just a competition; they are an opportunity to showcase the cultural and artistic depth of breaking on the world’s biggest athletic stage. It’s a chance to demonstrate that breaking is not just a dance but a sport that requires immense skill, discipline, and creativity.
“We’re not just representing ourselves; we’re representing an entire culture,” Choi emphasized. “We’re here to show the world what breaking is all about, and to honor the people who came before us—those who paved the way for breaking to become what it is today.”
The Road to Paris: Training, Dedication, and Sacrifice
The journey to the Olympics has been a challenging one for Choi and her teammates. As breaking’s popularity surged globally, the path to Olympic qualification became increasingly competitive. Each of the Team USA breakers had to navigate a series of national and international competitions, showcasing not only their technical skills but also their ability to innovate and push the boundaries of the sport.
For Choi, this meant countless hours of training, often in the gritty urban spaces that define New York’s breaking scene. Balancing her personal life, work, and the rigorous demands of preparing for the Olympics required immense dedication and sacrifice. However, the support from her community and the knowledge that she was carrying the hopes of New York’s breaking pioneers motivated her to keep pushing forward.
“Every time I step into the cypher (a circle where breakers take turns dancing), I think about the people who did this before me—the ones who started breaking in the Bronx and made it into what it is today,” Choi said. “That’s what drives me to train harder and to bring my best to every battle.”
Breaking into the Olympics: A New Chapter for the Sport
The inclusion of breaking in the Olympics marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the sport. What began as an expression of hip-hop culture on the streets of New York has now been recognized as a legitimate sport on the international stage. This recognition is both a victory for the breaking community and a testament to the power of hip-hop culture to transcend boundaries and bring people together.
For Choi and her teammates, competing in the Olympics is not just about winning medals—it’s about representing the essence of breaking. This means staying true to the roots of the dance while also embracing the opportunity to showcase breaking’s athleticism and artistry to a global audience. The battles at the Olympics will be judged on several criteria, including technique, originality, musicality, and overall performance, challenging the breakers to bring their A-game.
“We’re not just here to win; we’re here to make history,” said one of Choi’s teammates. “Breaking is about expressing who you are, and that’s what we’re going to do in Paris. We’re going to show the world what makes breaking so special and why it deserves to be in the Olympics.”
The Impact of Breaking’s Olympic Debut
The debut of breaking in the Olympics is expected to have a lasting impact on the sport, both in the United States and around the world. For the breaking community, the Olympics provide an unprecedented platform to reach new audiences and inspire the next generation of breakers. It’s an opportunity to show that breaking is not just a dance form but a competitive sport that requires skill, strategy, and creativity.
In New York, where breaking first emerged, the anticipation for the Olympics is particularly high. Local breakers and hip-hop enthusiasts are eager to see their culture represented on the world stage and are rallying behind Choi and her teammates. The prospect of a Team USA victory in Paris, especially one that brings a gold medal back to New York, is seen as a powerful affirmation of the city’s role in the history of breaking.
Choi acknowledges the pressure but also sees it as a source of strength. “I know the expectations are high, but that just makes me more determined to bring home the gold,” she said. “This is bigger than just me or my team—it’s about showing the world what breaking is all about and honoring the people who started it all.”
Looking Ahead: Breaking’s Future in the Olympics
As the 2024 Paris Olympics approach, all eyes will be on the breaking competition and the athletes who have dedicated their lives to mastering this unique sport. For Team USA, the goal is clear: to bring home gold and make their country—and the birthplace of breaking—proud. But beyond the medals, the real victory will be the recognition and respect that breaking will earn on the global stage.
The future of breaking in the Olympics looks bright, with many in the community hopeful that it will become a regular feature in future Games. For Choi and her teammates, the Paris Olympics represent the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, but also the beginning of a new chapter for breaking. As they prepare to step onto the Olympic stage, they carry with them the hopes and dreams of their community, their country, and the pioneers who first brought breaking to life.
In the words of Choi, “This is our moment to shine, and we’re going to make sure that when we leave Paris, the world will never forget what breaking is all about.”