The US Olympic breaking team.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOPC

Call it Breaking News – B-Boys and B-Girls battle it out for the Breaking News (not Breakdancing) makes its official debut as an Olympic discipline. The women’s and men’s competitions will take place on August 9 and 10 at La Concorde, the urban park that hosted the BMX freestyle and skateboarding competitions in Paris. Of course, global competitions are nothing new for breakers; the 2024 Olympics roster includes the two reigning WDSF Breaking World Championship winners, Victor “B-Boy Victor” Montalvo of the USA and Dominika “B-Girl Nicka” Banevič of Lithuania. But what if you’re tuning in as someone who can’t tell windmills from backspins? “If there’s one thing you take away from this, it’s that you’re seeing the purest form of hip-hop,” says Luis “Prevail” Toledo, a New York-based breaker who has been dancing for 22 years and represents crews Mighty Zulu Kingz, One Society and Fresh Descendants. Below is a breakdown of breaking basics, including why it’s not “breakdancing,” how the events are judged, when and where you can tune in live and its origins in hip-hop.

Breaking originated in the Bronx’s black and brown communities in the 1970s as an outlet for tense gang rivalries. Early followers “had no way to escape from anything, so they wanted to dance it out by fighting rather than actually having to fight,” Toledo explains. The name derives from the “break,” the main percussive part of a song. When hip-hop founder DJ Kool Herc noticed that people were going wild on the dance floor during breaks, he figured out how to extend those parts. (He also coined the terms “B-boy” and “B-girl.”)

The main elements of breaking have fairly intuitive titles: Toprock refers to moves you perform while standing, Downrock is done while lying on the ground, Freeze means getting into and holding a pose that often defies gravity, and Power Moves include acrobatic moves like spins.

Do what you want…but be aware that some breakdancers will probably roll their eyes. “Breakdancing” is a word that has been popularized by the media. and sometimes incorrectly used to describe other street dance styles, so it can represent an unwelcome simplification and commercialization for those who protect breaking culture. Victor “B-Boy Victor” Montalvo, a gold medal favorite for the USA in the men’s competition, said Today that the term coined by the media is considered “cheesy.” If you use it, you might even get a nickname: “They call them toys, people who know nothing about the dance.”

Thankfully, there’s no complicated scoring system to contend with. After a round-robin qualifying tournament, breakers compete in best-of-three rounds, known as “throwdowns,” where they have up to 60 seconds to improvise a routine to beats by DJ Fleg from New York or DJ Plash from Poland. During these one-on-one duels, a panel of nine judges moves digital sliders in real time to the side of the breaker they think performs better in each of five different categories set by the WDSF:

Each category counts for 20 percent, meaning that showing off some advanced power moves, for example, is just as important as listening to the music and hitting the rhythm of the beats or certain instruments. This is where the artistic part of this sport comes in – winning isn’t just about being the fastest or strongest.

With match commentary from David “Kid David” Shreibman and analysis from Ronnie “B-Boy Ronnie” Abaldonado, NBC’s Olympics coverage should include enough commentary to explain even concepts that may not be so obvious to newcomers, like how difficult a certain footwork sequence is or whether the breaker had proper form when they were upside down on the ground doing a headspin.

The United States has two B-girls and two B-boys competing in the Olympics this year. The women’s team includes 35-year-old Sunny “B-Girl Sunny” Choi and 21-year-old Logan “Logistx” Edra. Victor “B-Boy Victor” Montalvo, 30, and Jeffrey “B-Boy Jeffro” Louis, 29, will represent Team USA in the men’s competition. A total of 16 men and 16 women from more than a dozen countries will compete this year.

Six years after a strong showing at the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, breakdancing will become an official discipline. It is not on the program for LA 2028, but there is still hope that a successful launch in Paris could help it return for the 2032 Games.

Although some breakers have expressed concern that making it an Olympic event would dilute the artistic spirit and culture of street fights and block parties, others see it as a good thing that breaking will gain more recognition as a sport on the world stage. “I think it’s needed,” Toledo says of the event’s Olympic debut. “I’m happy and grateful for the people who are up there doing it.” In the tight-knit breaking community, everyone seems to know everyone in one way or another. (For example, Toledo often trains two to three times a week with Sunny Choi, the B-girl from Queens who was the first woman to qualify for the U.S. breaking team; he also hangs out with B-boy gold medal favorite Montalvo whenever they’re at the same events.) As someone who has no Olympic aspirations and organizes community practices and events, referees battles and competes at the grassroots level, Toledo believes the increased attention on breaking will lead to more opportunities for him, too.

Tune in to Peacock or NBCOlympics.com to watch the two-day competition live. The current competition schedule with all times in ET is below.

Friday, August 9
10:00–12:10: Women’s Qualification

14:00: Women’s quarter-final 1
14:07: Women’s quarter-final 2
14:14: Women’s quarterfinal 3
14:22: Women’s quarterfinal 4
14:45: Women’s semi-final 1
14:52: Women’s semi-final 2
15:15: Battle for the women’s bronze medal
15:23: Battle for the women’s gold medal

In New York, there will be a live watch party of the B-Girl event at the Ladies of Hip-Hop studio in Queens (and yes, you are welcome to dance to the music that plays during the commercial breaks).

Saturday, August 10
10:00–12:10: Men’s Qualification

14:00: Quarterfinal 1 Men
14:07: Quarterfinals 2 Men
14:14: Quarterfinals 3 Men
14:22: Quarterfinal 4 Men
14:45: Semifinal 1 Men
14:52: Semifinal 2 Men
15:15: Battle for the bronze medal, men
15:23: Battle for the men’s gold medal

The preliminary round of the Red Bull BC One Cypher in New York, an open-to-the-public event on Saturday co-organized by Toledo, will also give attendees plenty of time to watch the Olympic B-Boys compete live.

You can continue to catch up on the latest news after the Olympics by watching local events. Or, for another global showdown, set a reminder for the Red Bull BC One World Final, a long-running global competition that will take place this year on December 7 in Rio de Janeiro. (It was previously available as a live stream on social media.) If you’re interested in learning to breakdance, Toledo says many dance studios offer introductory programs that teach the basics in one class. In New York, there are also several weekly practice sessions open to anyone. Toledo recommends stopping by 360 Flow Studio on Mondays at 8 p.m., Cypher Studio on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., and the Williamsburg Community Center on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6:30 p.m.

“It can be intimidating to be around practitioners who have been doing this for years, but the cool thing about this community is that everyone is very helpful and always wants to make you feel comfortable,” he says. “If you want to sit in the corner and try to learn something, just let us know.”