Article by Christine Taulapapa, Dominic Yeoh, Lachlan Scouler, and Renee Tiatia
Australian B-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics stunned the world, and a video of her hopping like a kangaroo and writhing like a snake went viral right away. The judges weren’t as enthusiastic, giving the academic who specializes in cultural studies a perfect zero for her work. However, according to Breaking head judge Martin Gillian, that does not imply that she performed poorly.
Stating that the breaking community “definitely stands behind her,” He made these remarks before the closing ceremony and said the score wasn’t a sign she didn’t do well. “Being innovative, bringing something fresh to the table, and representing your nation or region are all essential components of breaking.” He stated, “Raygun was acting precisely in this manner. She was influenced by the things around her, in this case, a kangaroo.”
Rachel’s selection to compete for Australia in Breaking comes from her taking first place in the b-girl’s category of the Oceania Breaking Championship.
Rachael’s Loss Highlights Bigger Issue Regarding Breaking‘s Induction into Olympic Games
In 2018, seven years before the world knew the name, Raygun, the Summer Youth Olympic Games were held in Argentina.
Among other “youthful” sports including BMX freestyle and sport climbing, the form of dance known as Breaking, commonly referred to as “breakdancing” and “b-boying”, made its official debut. After what was considered a successful sporting event, Breaking to the International Olympic Committee and approved as a sporting event in 2020.
Already, the newly inducted sport was met with negative reactions from the Breaking community. A main criticism was that the World DanceSport Federation, the sport’s inductors, was not qualified to induct Breaking into any type of mainstream sporting event, noting that the WDSF worked primarily in ballroom dance – ballroom dance being their initial choice to induct into the Olympics – and had no real affiliation with the Breaking community. The Breaking community itself has no Dance Federation exclusive to its dance style, which was a reason why WDSF was qualified to propose Breaking to the IOC, to begin with – there was no competing organization to do so.
And because there was no existing Dance Federation for Breaking, its induction into the Olympics occurred at such an unexpected and unprepared pace for many countries, including Australia. Rachael herself was selected to compete in the Olympics only last year in October, taking gold in the B-girl category of the brand-new Oceania Breaking Championships, also organized by WDSF.
The Oceania Breaking Championship served as a pivotal event for breakdancers aiming to secure their spot in the 2024 Olympics. The Championship saw thirty-seven B-Boys and fifteen B-Girls from across the continent vie for the prestigious title of ‘Breaking Champion’ and most importantly, a direct ticket to the Paris Olympics. The atmosphere was electric, filled with anticipation and excitement as these talented dancers showcased their breaking skills. The WDSF event was broadcast live, allowing a global audience to witness the performances and the crowning of the champions.
From this event, Rachel, a 36-year-old university lecturer, emerged victorious, leading to some initial skepticism. Some questioned her qualifications given their academic background, as well as her ‘unique’ performance to qualify for the Olympics, leading to some controversial online discussions from those unreceptive to her win. Winning in the women’s division, Rachel beat three other B-Girls; B-Girl Fizzy, Hannah, and the runner-up B-Girl Molly, to earn a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics and represent Australia in the most prestigious sports event in history.
It is currently being discussed whether Breaking may return for future Olympic events despite its less-than-impressive debut. Some believe it deserves another chance while others don’t wish for it to once again be a source of embarrassment for Australia during the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Sources
https://smh.com.au/sport/raygun-beat-three-b-girls-to-qualify-for-the-olympics-20240812-p5k1pw.html
https://www.worlddancesport.org/News/qms-2023-wdsf-oceania-breaking-championships-recap-3370
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/olympics-breaking-ray-gun-1.7292038
