The polarizing politics of breaking’s inclusion in the Olympics

Abstract

As nations across the world incorporate breaking into their national sports systems in anticipation of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the new dancesport classification has resulted in a number of tensions and possibilities among dancers. The increased support from state governments and commercial sponsors in recent years has noticeably impacted dancers and their prospective careers. While this development has been promising in some countries, a range of disparities has become apparent across the globe, particularly in relation to funding, stipends, salaries, and contracts from state agencies or local DanceSport organizations. This disparity between the global north and south is becoming more pronounced in the lead-up to the Olympics. This creates a contradiction our issue explores: on the one hand, the Olympic opportunity is a sign that breaking is thriving around the world, while on the other, the resources required to participate successfully will, as ever, favour the globally powerful. Furthermore, the articles and statements in this issue seek to situate the Olympic project’s impacts on the dance, particularly in terms of colonizing mindsets, misogyny and unequal power relations more generally.