PARIS (AP) — calls for new rules at the Olympic level. And while breaking — commonly referred to as breakdancing — has been around for decades, it's still new to the world of Olympic judging. The battles, the moves and the culture aren't new — breaking is , the was celebrated last year.
The international competitions aren't new either — the Red Bull BC One World Final has been around for two decades and the sport resonated among younger viewers at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. Still, many remain skeptical of the Olympic addition as they tune in for the final few days of “I think the critics have a misconception about breaking still being something from the '80s or something that is just in the streets, and I don’t think they realize how much it’s evolved,” said Ronnie Abaldonado, or b-boy Ronnie, a breaker who's competed, judged and taught for 31 years. Abaldonado is one of NBC's official commentators for the breaking competition.
“It’s going to be undeniable once they see it on the big stage and they see the spectacle and the level of talent and even the high level of difficulty,” he said. “You could kind of compare it to gymnastics.” At its root, breaking is an art form that connects mind, body and soul.
Judges will score breakers using the Trivium judging system, created for breaking's debut at the Buenos Aires Youth Games. A panel of nine judges scores each breaker on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality .