Will the Olympics break breakdancing?

Update: 2024-08-09

Digest

This episode of Planet Money from NPR delves into the complex world of judging subjective sports, using breakdancing as a primary example. It begins by highlighting the lack of transparency in breakdancing competitions, specifically focusing on a 2008 Red Bull Championships final. The episode then introduces Storm, a legendary b-boy, and his quest to create a more objective judging system for breaking. This leads to the development of the Threefold System, a collaborative effort between Storm and DJ Renegade, which categorizes breaking into physical, artistic, and interpretation aspects. The episode further explores the potential impact of Olympic inclusion on breaking, examining the challenges and opportunities it presents for the breaking community. The Threefold System is tested at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, marking a significant step towards breaking's official Olympic recognition. The episode then expands its scope to discuss the diverse range of judging systems used in Olympic sports, from holistic systems like breaking to rigid points systems like gymnastics. It examines the recent overhaul of artistic swimming's judging system, moving from a holistic approach to a points-based system similar to figure skating. The episode concludes by reflecting on the challenges of balancing artistic expression and technical skill in judging subjective sports, exploring the potential impact of Olympic inclusion on the artistic integrity of breaking.

Outlines

00:00:00

Breaking: A Battle of Styles and the Quest for Objective Judging

This episode explores the challenges of judging subjective sports like breakdancing, focusing on a 2008 Red Bull Championships final and the development of a more objective judging system.

00:12:02

Breaking into the Olympics and the Threefold System's Debut

The episode discusses the Olympics' interest in incorporating breaking as a sport and the challenges and opportunities it presents for the breaking community. It also highlights the Threefold System's debut at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.

00:16:50

The Spectrum of Judging Systems and Artistic Swimming's Evolution

The episode explores the diverse range of judging systems used in Olympic sports, from holistic systems like breaking to rigid points systems like gymnastics. It examines the recent overhaul of artistic swimming's judging system, moving from a holistic approach to a points-based system.

00:24:58

The Balancing Act of Art and Sport

The episode reflects on the challenges of balancing artistic expression and technical skill in judging subjective sports, exploring the potential impact of Olympic inclusion on the artistic integrity of breaking.

Keywords

Breaking

A street dance that originated in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s. It involves a combination of acrobatic moves, footwork, and musicality. Breaking is often performed in battles, where dancers compete against each other.

B-boy

A male breakdancer. The term is derived from \"break boy,\" which was used to describe the young men who danced in the early days of breaking.

B-girl

A female breakdancer. The term is derived from \"break girl,\" which was used to describe the young women who danced in the early days of breaking.

Red Bull BC One

An annual international breakdancing competition organized by Red Bull. It is considered one of the most prestigious breaking competitions in the world.

Storm

A legendary b-boy from Germany, known for his innovative moves and his advocacy for the development of breaking.

DJ Renegade

A renowned DJ and breakdancing pioneer from the UK. He is known for his innovative DJing style and his contributions to the development of breaking culture.

Threefold System

A judging system for breaking developed by Storm and DJ Renegade. It categorizes breaking into three aspects: physical, artistic, and interpretation.

Olympic Games

A major international sporting event held every four years. The Olympic Games feature a wide range of sports, including both traditional and newer events.

Artistic Swimming

A synchronized swimming sport that combines athleticism, artistry, and technical skill. It involves swimmers performing synchronized routines in the water, often to music.

Q&A

What are the challenges of judging subjective sports like breaking?
Judging subjective sports is difficult because there are no clear-cut criteria for determining a winner. Judges must rely on their own subjective impressions, which can lead to inconsistencies and disputes.
How did Storm and DJ Renegade develop the Threefold System for judging breaking?
They started by identifying key elements of breaking, such as technique, creativity, and musicality. They then grouped these elements into three categories: physical, artistic, and interpretation.
What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of breaking becoming an Olympic sport?
Breaking's inclusion in the Olympics could bring greater recognition and funding to the sport, but it could also lead to a focus on technical skill over artistic expression.
How has the judging system in artistic swimming evolved?
Artistic swimming has moved from a holistic judging system based on overall impression to a points-based system that emphasizes technical difficulty.
What are the implications of points-based judging systems for subjective sports?
Points-based systems can make judging more objective, but they can also lead to a focus on technical skill over artistry and creativity.

Show Notes

For some sports, picking the winner is simple: It's the athlete who crosses the finish line first, or the side that scores the most goals. But for the new Olympic sport of breaking (if you want to be cool, don't call it breakdancing), the criteria aren't quite that straightforward. How do you judge an event whose core values are dopeness, freshness, and breaking the rules?

That was the challenge for Storm and Renegade, two legendary b-boys who set out to create a fair and objective scoring system for a dance they say is more of an art than a sport. Over the years, their journey to define the soul of breaking led them to meetings with Olympics bigwigs, debates over the science of dopeness, and a battle with a question many sports — from figure skating to gymnastics — have tried to answer: Can art and sport coexist?

This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi. It was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Jenny Lawton. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez with help from James Willets and Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

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