ARTS / CULTURE & LEISURE
Breaking meets Chinese kung fu: B-boys and B-girls strive for medals at Paris Olympics
Breaking meets kung fu at Paris Olympics
By Published: Aug 08, 2024 11:49 PM
Breaking, a style of street dance, will soon make its debut at Paris Olympics on Friday, and Chinese breaking team that consists of young B-boys and B-girls will strive for medals by their dancing techniques and unique "weapon" - moves inspired from Chinese kung fu.
The B-boy Qi Xiangyu comes from a family with tradition of martial arts. Having learnt martial arts at a young age, his breaking moves are peppered with many elements of Chinese kung fu, with "Drunken Fist" being one of his signature moves.
As a DJ plays the beats, the athletes twirl, spin, and jump, showcasing a captivating fusion of elaborate footwork and twisted limbs.
Breaking has been flourishing on the streets in the US, but actually, during its development, Chinese kung fu influenced the dancing style.
The kung fu films made by Hong Kong film companies in decades since 1970s have always gone viral around the world.
The movements of Chinese martial arts such as Shaolin kung fu inspired the street dancers to invent a series of dancing moves, including headspin.
The impact was witnessed by Ken Swift, one of the greatest influencers of Breaking, who said that the kung fu films naturally led kids like him to imitate those moves that eventually became their inspiration to dance.
These dancers also endeavored to blend the kung fu moves with the young artform to create their own style.
The connection between Chinese kung fu and breaking was confirmed by Xia Rui, secretary-general of the street dance committee with China Dancers Association.
"Besides breaking, other genres of street dance such as locking also got inspired by kung fu. Some moves of locking can be associated with the use of nunchakus," Xia told the Global Times on Friday.
Chinese netizens place great hope in the breaking team to present a stunning performance to the world at the largest stage of the dance and showcase the charm of Chinese breaking dancers.
"The Olympics will expand the influence of the dancing style. Looking forward to performance of China breaking team and hoping they can make Chinese dancers and martial art more visible!" a Sina Weibo user commented.
Xia said it shows great progress of Chinese street dance that three dancers can compete at the Olympics this time as the development of breaking started relatively late in China.
The breaking competition at the Paris Olympics features competitors from more than a dozen countries, including China, France, Japan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the US.
China's Lithe-ing (right) competes in the men's Breaking B-Boys final during the Olympic Qualifier Series for breaking, BMX freestyle, skateboarding, and sport climbing events ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Shanghai, on May 19, 2024. Photo: VCG
Chinese breaking team that consists of two B-girls and one B-boy has attempted to incorporate traditional Chinese cultural elements into the dance, as one of the B-girls Liu Qingyi said to the media.The B-boy Qi Xiangyu comes from a family with tradition of martial arts. Having learnt martial arts at a young age, his breaking moves are peppered with many elements of Chinese kung fu, with "Drunken Fist" being one of his signature moves.
As a DJ plays the beats, the athletes twirl, spin, and jump, showcasing a captivating fusion of elaborate footwork and twisted limbs.
Breaking has been flourishing on the streets in the US, but actually, during its development, Chinese kung fu influenced the dancing style.
The kung fu films made by Hong Kong film companies in decades since 1970s have always gone viral around the world.
The movements of Chinese martial arts such as Shaolin kung fu inspired the street dancers to invent a series of dancing moves, including headspin.
The impact was witnessed by Ken Swift, one of the greatest influencers of Breaking, who said that the kung fu films naturally led kids like him to imitate those moves that eventually became their inspiration to dance.
These dancers also endeavored to blend the kung fu moves with the young artform to create their own style.
The connection between Chinese kung fu and breaking was confirmed by Xia Rui, secretary-general of the street dance committee with China Dancers Association.
"Besides breaking, other genres of street dance such as locking also got inspired by kung fu. Some moves of locking can be associated with the use of nunchakus," Xia told the Global Times on Friday.
Chinese netizens place great hope in the breaking team to present a stunning performance to the world at the largest stage of the dance and showcase the charm of Chinese breaking dancers.
"The Olympics will expand the influence of the dancing style. Looking forward to performance of China breaking team and hoping they can make Chinese dancers and martial art more visible!" a Sina Weibo user commented.
Xia said it shows great progress of Chinese street dance that three dancers can compete at the Olympics this time as the development of breaking started relatively late in China.
The breaking competition at the Paris Olympics features competitors from more than a dozen countries, including China, France, Japan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the US.
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