This story is part of the July 7 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . This story was originally published on July 4.
In a hip new move to bring younger audiences to the games, the International Olympics Committee has introduced breaking to Paris 2024. For Rachael Gunn, a breakdancer and academic with a PhD in cultural studies, it is her chance to represent Australia next month. Gunn, 36, who goes by the street name B-Girl Raygun, is leaning into the unique opportunity to put her skills to the test.
She’s putting her own stamp on the sport and hopes to encourage other women to follow in her spinning footsteps. Rachael Gunn goes by the street name B-Girl Raygun. Credit: Courtesy of The Iconic How did you get into breaking? I initially started as most girls do, doing jazz and tap dancing.
I even tried hip-hop for a while, but none of them quite did it for me. It wasn’t until after I finished high school and met my boyfriend [Samuel Free, now her husband] at university in Sydney in 2008. He introduced me to the subculture and I became really curious about it.
What was it like getting into the scene? The scene is dominated by guys, and no matter how many training sessions I went to in those days, it was always filled with men. I think that’s changing, but it’s still male-dominated. Sam tried to teach me some moves, and I initially found it really difficult because I had a background in dance choreography, where the whole class learns the same routine.
This was completely different. I was overwhelmed and would go to the bathrooms and cry, feeling freaked out trying to do what Sam taught me in front of other guys. I got the foundational moves eventually – things like a six-step, a baby freeze and a CC – but it took years.
At first, I didn’t have the physical strength to do a stab freeze. What I discovered, though, is that those who didn’t fit into mainstream culture in Australia and wanted to dance found their way to breaking. When did theory and practice cross paths for you? It was at a competition in Melbourne in 2011.
I had just signed up to do my PhD, but also wanted to train more as a breaker. Through my PhD, I became interested in how my embodied experience of breaking helped me understand and challenge some deeper assumptions about gender stereotypes..
