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When they fell in love with breakdancing， or “breaking，” these young boys in beanie hats and baggy clothes never could have imagined this fringe cultural offering would one day become a mainstream Olympic sport.
Shang Xiaoyu felt star-crossed when breakdancing foot rocked its way into his life. Considered a “bad student” who frequently skipped class and got into fights with other students in junior middle school， this millennial had no idea how his life could， and would， be changed dramatically by a niche dance genre.
Shang was 13. It was a regular day at school when he happened to pass through a classroom where a handful of students were practicing their breaking moves. A mere glance of the scene made him stop in his tracks. “This looks super cool，” Shang said. “I must learn how to do that.”
Breakdancing soon became his focus and he also proved to be a natural at it. He practiced hard and began to make a name for himself through various competitions. At the age of 18， he became the only representative of China competing at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. He reached the final eight in the men’s group.
A bigger stage awaits him now as the International Olympic Committee （IOC） has announced breakdance as an official Olympic event to debut in Paris in 2024.
Yang Kai， renowned as China’s leading breakdancer， didn’t travel to Argentina as Shang did due to his age—he was 31 already at the time.
Born in 1987， Yang had his first taste of breaking when watching TV at home when he was about 15.
Originating in the 1970s as part of early hip-hop culture in the United States， breaking was introduced to China in the 1980s， causing a flurry of excitement among China’s youth. China held its first-ever national breaking competition in 1988.
Breaking has long been regarded by mainstream society as a dance genre for “slackers.”
Therefore， when Yang made the bold decision to quit school and become a full-time breakdancer， he received nothing but some very strong parental opposition. His persistence finally persuaded his parents， who agreed on condition that he had to “show some results within a couple of years.”
Among several street-dance styles， including locking and popping， Yang finally pinned down breaking as his focus as it demands higher levels of physical strength， coordination and creativity.
In 2004， two years after he embarked on this newfangled career， he won a national street dance competition. In the following years， he scooped up a dozen champ titles in various competitions， both in and outside of China， making him the“B-Boy King of China.” “If there is something that I really regret so far，” Yang told Beijing Review. “It is I should have started breaking at a much younger age—let’s say 7 or 8.”
He is happy to see learners today starting out at ages even earlier than that. One salesperson from a dance studio in Beijing told Beijing Review that the youngest student of breaking in the studio is only 3. It is common for kids of 4 or 5 to learn breaking now， with the support of their parents. Hype-laden talent contests such as Street Dance of China， first launched in 2018， and breaking’s inclusion in the Olympics have made this sport mushroom across the nation.
“China has been lagging behind countries including the U.S. and France in terms of breaking，” Yang explained. “When I started practicing， it was hard to find professional coaches， who are very necessary as breaking is physically extremely demanding and it’s easy to get hurt without proper coaching.”
The high demand for physical power and skill made it a strong candidate for its eventual inclusion in the Olympics， Yang said. After the trial run at the 2018 Youth Olympics， the IOC gave it the provisional nod for inclusion at the Paris 2024 Games in March 2019 and further rubber-stamped it in December 2020.
IOC President Thomas Bach， too， is a self-proclaimed fan of breaking and he feels its Olympic acknowledgement along with that of other events such as skateboarding， sport climbing and surfing—all of which debuted at the Olympic Summer Games Tokyo 2020， is expected to make the Olympic program “more gender-balanced and urban， connecting with the younger generations.”
Mere days after its official inclusion in the Olympics， the organizing committee of 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 announced it would include breaking on its list of official athletic disciplines.
“If you take up breaking just because you think it looks cool， you will likely give up halfway through because of how repetitive， tedious and tough its practice really is，” Hu Qiang， a breakdancer in Beijing， said. “Some very difficult movements will see you practice for days on end before you get the hang of them. In order to become a world-class breakdancer， I would say at least five years of intensive practice is in order.”
Former gymnast Wang Shenjiong switched to breaking in 1997. He was Shang’s coach in Buenos Aires and now owns a dance studio in Shanghai.
“More b-boys from China have traveled to other countries to study and compete in recent years， and it has greatly contributed to the development of breaking in China，” Wang said. “Many major street dance competitions， such as Battle In Shanghai （B.I.S）， Greenpanda and Redbull BC One， have taken place in China， providing great platforms for exchanges between Chinese and international street dancers.”
The state has also provided more support. The China Street Dance Association， an affiliate of the General Administration of Sport of China， was established in 2014， organizing annual multistyle national championships， conducting training programs and issuing national-level instructor certificates.
In 2020， Beijing Sport University opened an experimental class in breaking and recruited students nationwide. Today， 11 are enrolled in the major.
Some have voiced their concerns that the rules to measure breaking at the Olympics might affect the freedom of the discipline’s artistic expression， Wang commented that such worries are simply“narrow-minded.” “There are many forms of breaking and the sport is just one of them，” Wang said.“Its inclusion in the Olympics will make breaking be seen as a serious career choice and create more opportunities for its development.” BR
Shang Xiaoyu felt star-crossed when breakdancing foot rocked its way into his life. Considered a “bad student” who frequently skipped class and got into fights with other students in junior middle school， this millennial had no idea how his life could， and would， be changed dramatically by a niche dance genre.
Shang was 13. It was a regular day at school when he happened to pass through a classroom where a handful of students were practicing their breaking moves. A mere glance of the scene made him stop in his tracks. “This looks super cool，” Shang said. “I must learn how to do that.”
Breakdancing soon became his focus and he also proved to be a natural at it. He practiced hard and began to make a name for himself through various competitions. At the age of 18， he became the only representative of China competing at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. He reached the final eight in the men’s group.
A bigger stage awaits him now as the International Olympic Committee （IOC） has announced breakdance as an official Olympic event to debut in Paris in 2024.
Street to stage
Yang Kai， renowned as China’s leading breakdancer， didn’t travel to Argentina as Shang did due to his age—he was 31 already at the time.
Born in 1987， Yang had his first taste of breaking when watching TV at home when he was about 15.
Originating in the 1970s as part of early hip-hop culture in the United States， breaking was introduced to China in the 1980s， causing a flurry of excitement among China’s youth. China held its first-ever national breaking competition in 1988.
Breaking has long been regarded by mainstream society as a dance genre for “slackers.”
Therefore， when Yang made the bold decision to quit school and become a full-time breakdancer， he received nothing but some very strong parental opposition. His persistence finally persuaded his parents， who agreed on condition that he had to “show some results within a couple of years.”
Among several street-dance styles， including locking and popping， Yang finally pinned down breaking as his focus as it demands higher levels of physical strength， coordination and creativity.
In 2004， two years after he embarked on this newfangled career， he won a national street dance competition. In the following years， he scooped up a dozen champ titles in various competitions， both in and outside of China， making him the“B-Boy King of China.” “If there is something that I really regret so far，” Yang told Beijing Review. “It is I should have started breaking at a much younger age—let’s say 7 or 8.”
He is happy to see learners today starting out at ages even earlier than that. One salesperson from a dance studio in Beijing told Beijing Review that the youngest student of breaking in the studio is only 3. It is common for kids of 4 or 5 to learn breaking now， with the support of their parents. Hype-laden talent contests such as Street Dance of China， first launched in 2018， and breaking’s inclusion in the Olympics have made this sport mushroom across the nation.
“China has been lagging behind countries including the U.S. and France in terms of breaking，” Yang explained. “When I started practicing， it was hard to find professional coaches， who are very necessary as breaking is physically extremely demanding and it’s easy to get hurt without proper coaching.”
The high demand for physical power and skill made it a strong candidate for its eventual inclusion in the Olympics， Yang said. After the trial run at the 2018 Youth Olympics， the IOC gave it the provisional nod for inclusion at the Paris 2024 Games in March 2019 and further rubber-stamped it in December 2020.
IOC President Thomas Bach， too， is a self-proclaimed fan of breaking and he feels its Olympic acknowledgement along with that of other events such as skateboarding， sport climbing and surfing—all of which debuted at the Olympic Summer Games Tokyo 2020， is expected to make the Olympic program “more gender-balanced and urban， connecting with the younger generations.”
Mere days after its official inclusion in the Olympics， the organizing committee of 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 announced it would include breaking on its list of official athletic disciplines.
Dance to sport
“If you take up breaking just because you think it looks cool， you will likely give up halfway through because of how repetitive， tedious and tough its practice really is，” Hu Qiang， a breakdancer in Beijing， said. “Some very difficult movements will see you practice for days on end before you get the hang of them. In order to become a world-class breakdancer， I would say at least five years of intensive practice is in order.”
Former gymnast Wang Shenjiong switched to breaking in 1997. He was Shang’s coach in Buenos Aires and now owns a dance studio in Shanghai.
“More b-boys from China have traveled to other countries to study and compete in recent years， and it has greatly contributed to the development of breaking in China，” Wang said. “Many major street dance competitions， such as Battle In Shanghai （B.I.S）， Greenpanda and Redbull BC One， have taken place in China， providing great platforms for exchanges between Chinese and international street dancers.”
The state has also provided more support. The China Street Dance Association， an affiliate of the General Administration of Sport of China， was established in 2014， organizing annual multistyle national championships， conducting training programs and issuing national-level instructor certificates.
In 2020， Beijing Sport University opened an experimental class in breaking and recruited students nationwide. Today， 11 are enrolled in the major.
Some have voiced their concerns that the rules to measure breaking at the Olympics might affect the freedom of the discipline’s artistic expression， Wang commented that such worries are simply“narrow-minded.” “There are many forms of breaking and the sport is just one of them，” Wang said.“Its inclusion in the Olympics will make breaking be seen as a serious career choice and create more opportunities for its development.” BR