Breaking: A Dance of Originality and Improvisation Debuts at the Olympics

Breaking: A Dance of Originality and Improvisation

Breaking, an electrifying dance form rooted in the Bronx and hip-hop culture, is set to make its Olympic debut this year. In Bengaluru, a Red Bull-hosted Cypher offered a glimpse into the captivating world of this unique sport.

Arif Chaudhury, known as B-Boy Flying Machine, is one of India's top breakers. He credits his latest move to a vivid dream. "I dreamt I was in a tunnel and suddenly there was a wall in front of me. I told myself 'Damn, I need to break this'. I punched the wall and got out. Based on that visual, I created a move."

Breaking is a fusion of hip-hop, acrobatics, and flow art. Inspiration can come from anywhere, even cartoon characters. "When you dance, you're often playing a character," says Arif. "In breaking, there's so much room to imagine, create, and just make something look magical."

In competitions, breakers battle one-on-one in a circle. The music is controlled by a DJ, and breakers must improvise their moves to the beat. Judges evaluate their musicality, execution, technique, and originality.

"How much you're in sync with the music with your freestyle, how clean your execution is, how sound your technique is, and how original you are, is what is looked at by judges," explains Arif. "Most of us have signature moves that we use in each round."

Improvisation is crucial. Breakers must be able to adapt to sudden changes in tempo and outmaneuver their opponents. "There's some amount of showmanship and undermining your opponent involved," says Arif.

At the Bengaluru Cypher, Arif emerged victorious in the 16-man field, while B-Girl Glib (Simran Ranga) won the women's category. They will represent India at the Red Bull BC One World Finals in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite the absence of Indian breakers at the Paris Olympics, Arif remains optimistic. "It's tough and depressing, but we're going to take some time to get there," he says. "It's great that breaking will be on a huge stage like the Olympics. It will hopefully bring more attention, awareness, and sponsors."

Arif is working to establish an academy in Bhopal to promote breaking at the grassroots level. "We're trying to create a curriculum and take it to other states too," he says. "In India, the breaking scene is still very underground. Maybe when more people see it on TV, they'll want to dive in."

Tags: #Breaking, #HipHop, #Dance, #Olympics, #Improvisation