05 Dec 2021 07:09
B-girl Ayumi (JPN) and b-boy Victor (USA) were crowned World Champions on 4 December at the 2021 WDSF World Breaking Championship in Paris.
The two overcame a pool of 204 Breakers from over 50 countries in 1vs1 battles that took place throughout the day at the sold-out Théâtre du Châtelet in the heart of the French capital.
Ayumi went head-to-head against compatriot and defending World Champion Ami in the first final of the evening, coming from behind to take the title 3 rounds to 1. B-girl Jilou (GER) finished third by outlasting a spirited Anti (ITA) in the bronze-medal battle.
It was an all North American final on the b-boy side, with Vicious Victor exhibiting great power moves as well as stamina in all four rounds to beat Canada’s Phil Wizard 3-1. The Impressive rise of Kazakhstan’s Amir also continued in Paris, the 24-year-old member of the Predatorz crew taking home bronze with a victory over Luan San (BRA).
Rounding out the Top 8 were b-girls Kastet (FDSARR), Madmax (BEL), Sunny (USA) and Paulina (POL), and b-boys Danny Dan (FRA), Gun (FDSARR), Xak (ESP) and Mini Joe (VEN).
“Congratulations to all the Breakers who competed this weekend in Paris for providing such inspiration and enjoyment, especially the medal winners, who were a step ahead of the rest,” said WDSF President Shawn Tay. “The fact that the finals were a sell-out is proof of the huge appetite for Breaking globally and it bodes extremely well for our debut at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in three years.”
The 2021 WDSF World Breaking Championship doubled as a qualifying event for next year’s The World Games 2022, scheduled for 7-17 July in Birmingham, USA.
In total, 91 b-girls and 113 b-boys took part in the Championship, including 2018 Youth Olympic Games alumni Shigekix (JPN), X-Rain (CHN), Emma (CAN) and Señorita Carlota (FRA).
A stellar line-up of judges included Skim (KOR), Kujo (USA), Valentine (FRA), Fastfoot (FDSARR), Bojin (TPE), Kim (CHN), Storm (GER), Dora (HUN), Fox (CYP), and Extremo (ESP). Renegade (GBR) filled the head judge duties, while Katsu One (JPN) was the chairperson.
MC Amjad and MC Maleek shared the mic, with DJs Nobunaga and One-Up manning the turntables.
The event was organised by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and the French Dance Federation (FFDanse) in partnership with the Agence Nationale du Sport, the Ile-de-France region and the city of Paris.
The event was livestreamed in France on france.tv and the Mouv’ radio network, and globally on Olympics.com and the Breaking For Gold website.
Back to the Future
The location of the World Championship was highly significant because it was on the Place du Châtelet, in front of the theatre, where French b-boys and b-girls first practiced Breaking after importing the art form from the United States in the 1980s.
Breaking was officially added to the sports programme for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in December 2020. The Breaking competition will comprise two events at Paris 2024 – one for men and one for women – where 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls will go face to face in solo battles on the Place de la Concorde.
Photo credits: © Little Shao
02 Dec 2021 07:31
With less than three years to go to Breaking’s Olympic Games debut at Paris 2024, some 200 of the world’s leading b-girls and b-boys will provide a taste of things to come when they converge on the French capital for this weekend’s 2021 WDSF World Breaking Championship.
With Breakers from over 50 countries competing in 1vs1 battles at the Théâtre du Châtelet on 4 December, it will be the biggest and most-anticipated Breaking event of the year.
The action gets under way with qualification rounds for both genders, culminating in the finals from 20:00 local time. The finals will be open to spectators, subject to COVID-19 safety protocols.
The event is being organised by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and the French Dance Federation (FFDanse) in partnership with the Agence Nationale du Sport, the Ile-de-France region and the city of Paris. It will be livestreamed in France on france.tv and the Mouv’ radio network, and globally on Olympics.com.
Some of the biggest names in Breaking are scheduled to participate, including b-girls Vanessa (POR), Sunny (USA), Jilou (GER), Ami (JPN), and Vavi (FDSARR), and b-boys Vicious Victor (USA), Hatsolo (FIN), Phil Wizard (CAN), and Kid Karam and Sunni (GBR).
A number of dancers that took part at Breaking’s Youth Olympic Games debut in Buenos Aires in 2018 also made the cut, including b-boys Shigekix (JPN) and X-Rain (CHN), and b-girls Emma (CAN) and Señorita Carlota (FRA).
MC Amjad and MC Maleek will share the mic, with DJs Nobunaga and One-Up manning the turntables.
The location of the World Championship is highly significant because it was on the Place du Châtelet, in front of the theatre, where the first French b-boys and b-girls imported the art form from the United States in the 1980s.
Breaking was officially added to the sports programme for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in December 2020. The Breaking competition will comprise two events at Paris 2024 – one for men and one for women – where 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls will go face to face in solo battles on the Place de la Concorde in the heart of the city.
For all the championship news, follow us on Facebook and Instagram @breakingforgold
26 Oct 2021 12:25
With great regret the All Russian Federation of DanceSport and Acrobatic Rock'n'Roll (FDSARR) had to inform that the Russian Open Breaking events, scheduled to take place in Moscow from October 29th til 31st need to be postponed due to the COVID 19 related Lockdown of the country, ordered by the Government of the Russian Federation. The lockdown order for the period of October 28th until November 7th unfortunately does not allow to run the first event of the newly installed WDSF Breaking competition series.
FDSARR combines the sad news with a positive view into the close future and offers a new date for Russia's most prestigious event, which shall now be held in Moscow from December 10th to 12th.
We sincerely hope that the actual governmental measures against the spread of the Corona virus will have the expected success and all WDSF Breakers have the chance to gather and battle in Moscow again on the second weekend in December.
20 Oct 2021 16:25
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has named five US Breakers to its Breaking Technical Committee to pave the way for the sport’s debut at the Olympics Games Paris 2024.
Tyquan Hodac, Kareem Gwinn, Jamal ‘Nemesis’ Warren, Ben ‘Boxwon’ Barnes-McGee and Morris Isby will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the panel. High-profile b-girls are expected to be named to the new committee in the coming months.
The WDSF and USA Dance say the addition of Breaking stars from the USA, where the dance form originated, deepens collaborative efforts to put the sport on the global map in the build-up to Paris 2024.
“All of them will bring their unique skills and perspectives to our existing global team of Breaking experts,” says Shawn Tay, WDSF President.
“In preparation for Breaking’s Olympic bow, the WDSF wants to work closely together with our NMBs, local Breaking communities and National Olympic Committees in building the right structure towards Paris 2024 and beyond.”
He adds that the five US Breakers joining the WDSF as technical advisors demonstrates how hard the WDSF is working to take Breaking beyond communities and on to the world stage.
The diversity of skills and talent they will bring to the WDSF will also help in the federation’s bid to get Breaking on to the programme for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
Asked what he offers the WDSF’s Breaking Technical Committee, Tyquan says he brings 22 years of experience working in the world of Breaking and business acumen from a career in the IT sector.
“It is important to listen to the concerns and advice from the Breaking athletes, and objectively present it to the WDSF Breaking Division so we can come together to provide solutions to any problems that may arise,” says Tyquan, citing judging matters, improving communication of Breaking initiatives globally and sponsors/partnerships among the challenges he can advise on.
The announcement demonstrates how USA Dance is strengthening its partnership with the WDSF in a number of areas.
USA Dance partnered with Shaolin Productions and Cros1 to hold its National Breaking Championships in July. The event crowned the national champions and qualified four athletes for the WDSF Breaking World Championships held in Paris in December: b-boys Victor and Nelzwon and b-girls Logistx and PepC.
The NMB’s collaboration with the world governing body also saw 18 retired US Breaking athletes register to become judges of the national and international Breaking division.
06 Sep 2021 16:43
The European Olympic Committees (EOC) and the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) are pleased to announce that Breaking has been added to the sports programme for the 2023 European Games in Krakow-Malopolska, Poland.
In total, 32 Breakers (16 b-girls and 16 b-boys) will compete in 1vs1 battles for gold, silver and bronze medals.
Breaking is set to make its Olympic debut at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 after being officially included in the Olympic sports programme by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in December 2020. It’s inclusion at the 2023 European Games will be the perfect springboard for Europe’s best b-boys and b-girls attempting to qualify for Paris.
“Being part of the European Games, which are a gateway to the Olympic Games a year later, should come as excellent news for Europe’s best b-boys and b-girls,” said WDSF President Shawn Tay. “To get a real taste of the Olympic experience so close to Paris 2024 will be invaluable to the 32 athletes who qualify. We are confident that Breaking will bring much added value to the European Games’ programme and will be a big hit with the public in Poland.”
The worldwide appeal and growth of Breaking has resulted in the discipline being added to a number of high-profile multisports events, including the Youth Olympic Games, World Games, World Urban Games, the Asian Games and now the European Games.
“We are delighted to welcome Breaking on board for its first European Games appearance,” said Hasan Arat, EOC Coordination Commission Chair for Krakow-Malopolska. “Our sports programme will be the biggest and by far the most diverse in the history of our Games, and Breaking will bring a young, dynamic and urban dimension. With Breaking’s Olympic debut set for 2024, it will also be the perfect platform on which the athletes can prepare for Paris in a similar Olympic environment.”
The European Games are the continent’s premier multisport event for elite athletes and are held every four years. Krakow-Malopolska 2023 will be the third edition, following the inaugural edition in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2015 and the second edition in Minsk, Belarus in 2019.
Breaking joins 3×3 basketball, archery, badminton, beach handball, beach soccer, boxing, canoe, cycling, judo, karate, modern pentathlon, muaythai, kick boxing, padel, shooting, ski jumping, sports climbing, table tennis, taekwondo, teqball and triathlon, as sports already on the 2023 European Games programme, with more sports set to follow.