09 Apr 2018 15:28
Breaking Rules - something which does sound like a contradiction in terms - have now been released by the World DanceSport Federation - WDSF.
Several authors have worked over several months to come up with the rules which are to govern the three Breaking events at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (BAYOG) in October.
Just ahead of the last of the three stages of YOG qualifying, a specific set of rules goes into effect. You can download them here!
These rules, together with the ones published previously on the Breaking for Gold website, will apply at the 2018 WDSF World Youth Breaking Championships on 20 May in Kawasaki, JPN, and during the BAYOG. WDSF reserves the right to make further amendments to these rules during the upcoming weeks and months.
08 Apr 2018 10:27
The city of Hiroshima in Japan became a leg of the FISE World Series for the first time this year. And the IOC as well as the Organising Committee for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (BAYOG) sent their observers to have another look at the sports and disciplines which are on the BAYOG programme: climbing with Bouldering, cycling with BMX and DanceSport with Breaking. With a setting almost identical to the one in Buenos Aires, the FISE World Series event gave everyone a good first impression of what can be expected in terms of overall atmosphere!
Breaking for Gold Judge B-Girl Narumi, who officiated at the FISE even too, told the press that it was the first time that Breaking has been part of such a huge multi-disciplinary event in Japan. She also believes that each athlete can learn from the culture of other sports and take advantage of the energy of each community to grow. She was pleased that her discipline was promoted to the general public by the top Japanese b-boys/girls and hoped their passion for Breaking inspired some of the young spectators.
19 Mar 2018 14:59
Immediately after the Closing Ceremong of the PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, the Facebook page of the Olympic Channel conveyed a message of almost euphoric anticipation: "We are excited to see Breaking make its Youth Olympic debut."
After dancing - in one form or another - was included in virtually every edition of the more recent Summer and Winter Olympic as well as Paralympic Games, anticipation is growing for its première as part of an official Olympic Sports Programme.
It should be most encouraging for the worldwide community to see that Breaking (aka b-boying and b-girling), the discipline of DanceSport selected by the International Olympic Committee to make its debut in Buenos Aires, ARG, this October, is singled out over 31 other sports on the programme.
From today, 19 March 2018, it is exactly 200 days to go until the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games will get underway with an Opening Ceremony that is bound to make history. Held not in a stadium but at a downtown location - right next to the emblematic obelisk at the intersection of two of the city's most important avenues - dancing will most likely be part of the huge urban party too. Tango, breaking, everything that is movement to music!
27 Feb 2018 16:59
We have made reference to the one and only vlogger among the top-ranked dancers on the international Latin and Standard circuit once before. Yes, we are talking about Winson Tam, CAN, a Ten Dance standout (Anastasia Novikova is his partner) with very solid Latin credentials (# 15 in the World Ranking) - and with Standard not too far behind (# 23).
He has been vlogging for over a year now: at regular intervals, Winson distributes a L.O.A.D. (Life of A Dancer) instalment through his YouTube channel. 29 episodes so far!
We show you Winson's vlog on last year's GrandSlam in Helsinki, FIN, with the intention to motivate you to do something along these lines yourself on this year's edition. In fact, we make it an official vlogging competition: whoever gets the most views with a personal video account on his or her participation in Finland by 31 March will win vouchers for our DanceSport Total video-on-demand service. Because one thing we don't want you to do is to record and show anything happening on the floor from the quarterfinal onward.
23 Feb 2018 11:05
B-Girl Connie, USA, was victorious at the YOG Continental Qualifier for the Americas last year. In the final battle of the qualifier held in Philadelphia, USA, she defeated B-Girl Emma from Canada and was -
eventually, with a delay due to a problem with the scoring software - declared the winner.
As she gets ready for the last stage of YOG qualifying at the WDSF World Youth Breaking Championships in Kawasaki, JPN, this July, the media are starting to tell her story. And it sounds unbelievable: "“I never took a class in my life, so I’m a self-taught dancer. It basically started off by just watching breakdancers on like ‘America’s Got Talent,’” she said. “Then I just started kind of like copying what they would do. From there it just took off!"
Read the full article on Connie Kingston on the website of the Burlington, NC, station WFMY.
21 Feb 2018 14:48
"B-Girls Serena Paredes and Valeria Gonzalez, together with B-Boys Ignacio Mercado and Mariano Carvajal, are vying for the two quota places available for Argentina, the host country of the Youth Olympic Games."
This is how the organisers of the Buenos Aires 2018 YOG (BAYOG) start a lengthy article on the four members of the Argentine breaking squad getting ready to be at their best when these quota places will get awarded. This May - in Kawasaki!
What a write-up: 1250 words! And the reporting on the two b-girls and two b-boys extends from the official BAYOG website to several posts on the BAYOG social media too, with excellent videos enhancing the compelling story on four breakers wanting to be in Buenos Aires this October with all their heart.
"Limitations live only in our minds. If we use our imagination, our possibilities are without limits!"
Serena Paredes - Quote or Motto
13 Feb 2018 16:22
We recently did a piece on Lautaro Bravo, ARG, aka B-Boy Aurico, who is preparing himself for the 2018 WDSF World Youth Breaking Championship in Kawasaki, JPN, by taking Tango lessons in Argentina. The IOC YouTube channel did the same.
Little did we all know that there is a group of 12 dancers, some of them b-boys, who are touring the world, currently performing in Italy and Switzerland, with the higly acclaimed "Break The Tango."
It features a spectacular fusion between Tango, Electro Tango and Hip Hop - and it is best described with its own tagline "Tango meets Streetdance." That is the very mix which Aurico hopes will give him an edge this May, when he tries to qualify for October's YOG in his home country.
"Break The Tango" must have hit Germany too, because the leading news magzine DER SPIEGEL did an article on the fireworks of "virtuosity and athleticism," on "dancing in its most stunning form: furious and sensual." Under the title "Divine Groove," the article looks at dancing, its enduring appeal and its many health benefits. Very interesting, but hold off a few months until you can read it for free.
Tango and Breaking will meet at the Buenos Aires 2018 YOG too!
02 Feb 2018 10:19
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board concluded two days of meetings in Bonn, GER, on 27 January, having made a number of key decisions regarding the PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
In relation to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games sports programme, the IPC Governing Board approved which sports and disciplines should proceed to the next stage of the application process. Going forward to stage 2 will be CP Football, Golf, Powerchair Football and Sailing.
Karate and Para DanceSport - formerly known as Wheelchair DanceSport - will move to the next stage as well to be potentially considered as additions outside of the official Paris 2024 Paralympic sports programme.
Andrew Parsons, the IPC President, said:“These six new sports, together with the 22 existing Paralympic sports, will now take part in the most comprehensive application process in Paralympic history as we aim to ensure that the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games features the best possible sports with the strongest global appeal.”
01 Feb 2018 09:17
At the recent Goldstadtpokal in Pforzheim, GER, former WDSF Sports Director and, after his 16 years of loyal service, WDSF Honorary Member Heinz Spaeker gave an interview to the "Pforzheimer Zeitung."
Spaeker was interviewed by Thomas Frei: "When the Summer Olympic Games take place in Tokyo two years from now, many new sports such as skateboarding, surfing, climbing or softball will get featured. Why is dancing not yet on the programme?"
And here is his answer - headlined STILL WAITING FOR OLYMPIA: "Dancing and the Olympic Sports Programme - the two make for a long story. The World DanceSport Federation works on this project for many years already, but without success so far. Many 'decision-takers' in the matter of Olympic disciplines do not perceive dancing as sport."
Even though Heinz Spaeker attempted to put the above into perspective by commenting further on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition and on breaking at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games (BAYOG), his answers did not do justice to the facts.
The only decision-takers in the matter - the members of the IOC Session - voted to recognise dancing as a sport back in 1995. More than twenty years later, on 6 December 2016, the specialists who spearhead the development of the Olympic Sports Programme, the members of the Executive Board, voted to add DanceSport to the programme of the BAYOG. Breaking is DanceSport and - if all disciplines will pull together - it will be hugely successful in its first appearance at Olympic Games. It already was with its first stage of YOG qualifying.
No, DanceSport will not feature as a medal sport at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but last year its bid video won an award at a Japanese Film Festival held to promote the upcoming Games. Who knows what else can happen between now and 2020? As long as we all stay positive, Heinz!
29 Jan 2018 15:01
Stance, the official broadcaster of the UNDISPUTED World B-Boy Masters held last Saturday and Sunday in San Diego, USA, releases another gem of a 1 vs 1 battle.
Here is the UNDISPUTED semi-final which pitted B-Boy Issei, JPN, against B-Boy Victor, USA, on the latter's path to glory. This year's UNDISPUTED organiser Chris "Cros1" Wright summed it up perfectly, "This semi-final was hype, hype, hype!"
More soon!
28 Jan 2018 11:19
The UNDISPUTED World B-Boy Masters had the winners of the most emblematic 1 vs 1 events held during 2017 plus the two highest-placed runners-up in the ranking fight it out over the "supremo" title of UNDISPUTED champion of champions.
Through a round robin danced in three groups plus two semi-finals pitting the group winners and the one runner-up who had accrued the most wins, rounds and votes, the competition arrived at its pinnacle. The final battle between B-Boy Victor, USA, and B-Boy Vero, KOR!
For those following the action in San Diego, USA, through live streams on Facebook or YouTube - many of whom had to either stay up late or get up early - the viewing experience may not have been the best. "Lag sux... Good battles minus lagz!" was just one of many comments made by the members of a demanding audience watching from all corners of the world. Good thing that Stance turned the first edited highlight of the final around in no time at all. Watch victorious Victor claim the second UNDISPUTED title of his career ...
20 Jan 2018 07:57
The Organising Committee for the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games rolled out the official pictogrammes used to identify 34 sports and disciplines featuring with competitions. They bring a truly innovative spin to a concept which came of age with the Olympic Games 1972 in Munich.
"Draw B-Girl Brenda Romero in a headspin - but don't lift the pencil off the paper!" were the instructions given to 500 children at different schools in Buenos Aires.
The outcome is superimposed on the photograph.
Read more abot the creative process behind the designing of the 34 pictobgrammes here. Or watch in the clip below!