Houstonians to watch during breaking at the Olympics
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Breaking makes its debut at the Paris Olympics on Friday, showcasing hip-hop culture like never before. Since it's a fresh addition, here's a quick rundown of how it all works.
Why it matters: Houston has its own stars in the limelight — one as a competitor and one as a judge.
The big picture: For the first time in Olympic history, 32 breakers (16 B-boys and 16 B-girls) will compete in one-on-one battles.
- Athletes from the U.S., China, the Netherlands, South Korea and Australia will compete against each other.
Zoom in: Jeffrey Louis, known as B-Boy Jeffro, is one of the four breakers competing for Team USA. He qualified for the team at the June Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, Hungary.
- Louis, from Alief, found his passion for breaking at Westside High School. He says growing up in Houston influenced his moves.
The intrigue: Longtime breaker and Houstonian Moy Rivas is also in Paris, but as a judge.
- Rivas, the founder of Break Free Worldwide, has been a dedicated breakdancer and competitor for years. Now, he'll have the opportunity to judge and witness breaking being taken seriously on the Olympic stage.
What they're saying: "They're going to be able to see that it's much more than this circus act, it's actually special," Rivas told Fox26. "These kids and young men and women are actually pouring their heart into this."
What's next: The women's competition begins Friday and the men's begins Saturday.
Here are some terms to know:
- A battle is a one-on-one competition between two breakers, made up of multiple rounds.
- A throwdown is a 60-second freestyle routine.
- A round is two throwdowns (one from each breaker).
- Popular moves include the top rock, down rock, flare, air flare and freeze.
- Biting means to copy another breaker's moves.
- Crashing is when a breaker makes a mistake.
- The emcee and the DJ ensure audience engagement and crowd energy.
Breaking is judged and scored on five criteria: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality, per Olympics.com.
- Technique: How athletic and controlled a breaker is.
- Vocabulary: How the breaker uses a variety of moves in multiple positions.
- Execution: How cleanly each move is performed.
- Musicality: How well a breaker stays on beat.
- Originality: The personal style of the breaker.