The Olympic Games are by no means the first worldwide breaking event. But they do mark the first time that a breaking competition is being put on in a big way for the general public, not just the breaking community itself.

There are world-class opera singers and there are award-winning breakers—and then there is Jakub Józef Orliński. The Polish countertenor, 32, is both an opera star and a talented breaker in the Warsaw-based crew Skill Fanatikz.

American b-boys and b-girls talk about breaking becoming sport at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

“Being upside down is important to me,” says Pavan Thimmaiah. After all, an image of an upside-down dancer in a freeze is the logo for his New York City–based PMT House of Dance studio. And yet, when Thimmaiah was younger, he was so unsure about being upside down that his mother, attempting to help, would […]

For years, Makhloot and his crew of Kabul-based breakers felt like no one was paying attention to them. “Everybody forgot about Afghanistan,” says the breaker and teacher, who goes by his b-boy name for his safety. “Afghanistan was hiding in the map of the world. For years, nobody saw us.” Things changed when his student […]

It was the late ’90s, and breaking pioneer Ana “Rokafella” Garcia was in rehearsals for a major theater production with a crew of male breakers. A popular b-boy began making comments dripping with sexual innuendo about the only other woman in the group. With each consecutive rehearsal, the harassment progressed while other castmates stood by […]

Scroll through the Instagram feed of Rauf “RubberLegz” Yasit, and you’d be forgiven for not being able to define exactly what kind of dancer you’re watching. The way he spins on his head might remind you of classic break-dancing, but then he’ll balance in a headstand like a yogi as his arms and legs twist […]

Recognizing the importance of questions such as “Who teaches what? And for who?,” many degree programs have recently been starting to alter their curriculums. Yet this approach has always been central to the University of East London’s BA Dance: Urban Practice, which has used alternative approaches to teach popular urban dances since 2007. Students in […]