![](https://images1.caifuzhongwen.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20240809/080027b692af2820061a0a.jpg)
霹雳舞(Breakdancing)对硬件要求并不高,仅需要激烈的节奏以及可供滑动、瘫倒、跳跃和旋转的场地。
这可能也解释了为什么这个于上个世纪70年代兴起于纽约布鲁克斯街区的舞蹈门类能够风靡全球。
这个原本小众的舞蹈艺术如今已成为最受欢迎的嘻哈文化输出运动之一,而且已经有了专属的比赛和流行文化作品——例如《舞出我人生》(Step Up)和《闪电舞》(Flashdance)。其影响力和文化意义已经传遍了整个世界,其粉丝遍布法国、中国等国家。
今年,所有人的目光都将投向霹雳舞,因为它将首次亮相2024巴黎奥运会,登上这个无与伦比的国际舞台。
入选奥运会被认为是体育赛事成功的顶点。当前的形势可谓是十分严峻,因为奥运会都开始尝试通过引入新项目来挽留不断流失的观众。
不过,霹雳舞的巴黎奥运会首秀并不一定意味着成为奥运会常设项目。它未能入选2028年洛杉矶奥运会。这对于在某种程度上刚刚才开始其奥运历程的霹雳舞来说是一个打击。
尽管如此,入选奥运对于霹雳舞以及那些“B-boys”(男舞者)和“B-girls”(女舞者)来说是一个重大时刻。在霹雳舞今年被纳入奥运赛事之后,各国将启用更加正规的构架来发现、训练和培养霹雳舞人才。洛杉矶奥运会落选并不一定意味着无缘今后的奥运会。
佐治亚理工大学(Georgia Tech University)黑人媒体研究中心研究员乔瑟琳·威尔森向《财富》杂志阐述了霹雳舞入奥的意义:“入选奥运会体现了一定程度的[霹雳舞]文化认知和认同,也是对其全球影响力的首肯。”
入奥历程
当前的奥运会是一个有着128年历史的赛事机制,拥有田赛和径赛这些赛事,这两类项目也是奥运会极其重要的组成部分。
在这个历史悠久的运动会中,霹雳舞与其他类型的体育项目大不相同。它始于50多年前的纽约街头,是嘻哈文化四元素之一,其他三个元素分别是饶舌、涂鸦和打碟。
从一开始,那些生活在犯罪猖獗环境下手头拮据的非洲裔美国人、拉美人和加勒比年轻人,成为了这项运动的深度参与者。
对于他们来说,霹雳舞是一种艺术表达形式,用于应对歌曲中节奏感强烈的“间奏”部分。很快,它便成为了其文化密不可分的一部分,而且迅速得到了来自于大西洋彼岸国家移民的青睐。
![](https://images1.caifuzhongwen.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20240809/080027b692af2820065c0b.jpg)
新项目有望通过迎合小众爱好,为奥运会带来新的观众。例如,在东京奥运会,首次被纳入的滑板项目迎来了前来东京参赛的80名年龄12-46岁的运动员。壁球和腰旗橄榄球在4年后将首次登上奥运会舞台。
2011年成立的英国霹雳舞主管机构Branking GB的主席伯恩·巴里克表示:“有了奥运会的背书,任何项目都将迎来重大改变。”
与霹雳舞一样,在获得奥运会背书之前,滑板被认为是滑板爱好者的活动,而不是一项正式的体育项目。然而自那之后,人们对滑板的兴趣在世界各地均有所提升。
霹雳舞是否也会得到类似的提升呢?很有可能。
霹雳舞已经现身2018年布宜诺斯艾利斯青年奥运会。国际奥委会一位发言人对《财富》杂志说,霹雳舞与奥运会十分契合,因为它主打的就是青年参与和都市运动。
更为重要的是,奥运会的背书可能会为那些希望从事霹雳舞职业的人带来不少机会。那些与霹雳舞有着深度文化关联的社区可能会拥有比此前更多的培训机构,因为其技能最终将在国际舞台上大放光彩,而且还有奥运光环加持。
巴里克对《财富》杂志说:“巴黎将为这项运动带来高光时刻……,而且我们已经为这项运动的兴盛做好了准备。因此,我们可以说,‘实际上,任何希望在多赛特学习霹雳舞的人,我们都会妥善安排的。’我们可以接触并鼓励那些传统体育未能接触到的社区,正是体育本身的特性激励了这些寒门舞者参与这项体育活动。”
![](https://images1.caifuzhongwen.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20240809/080027b692af282006790c.jpg)
快餐连锁店赛百味(Subway)是英国霹雳舞队(未能进入奥运会决赛)的赞助商之一。公司赞助该赛事的原因在于,这项运动“正处于上升期”,而且是“各类社区所热衷的运动”。
赛百味发言人对《财富》杂志表示:“霹雳舞让不同年龄、文化和种族背景的人走到一起,而且在英国将越来越受欢迎。”
发言人还指出,与Breaking GB的合作“将有助于双方通过重要活动合作(全国锦标赛)、对社区活动(工作室、大师课、对战)的支持以及对指导和训练的资助,提升该项目的可及性。”
巴里克对《财富》杂志说,很明显,霹雳舞依然处于其发展初期,而且仍然面临着各类障碍,例如无法获得足够的资源和资金来举办训练营,让参与者为奥运会级别的赛事做准备。
他说:“我们希望获得资助,但可以想象的是,作为一项新体育赛事,这一切取决于能在哪些方面拿奖牌。”
浅尝辄止——但影响力不小
裁判将根据国际奥委会设立的五大标准对霹雳舞选手打分:音乐性、动作丰富程度、原创性、技巧和完成度。比赛用音乐不能含有辱骂内容,而且舞者的得分将取决于个人在对决期间对其对手的反应形式。
一些舞者批评这种系统化的模式与该艺术自由和自发的特征相违背。
因此,找到全球接受度和真实性之间的微妙平衡将变得十分重要。
围绕霹雳舞的活动已不是什么新鲜事,红牛自2004年以来每年都会举办霹雳舞赛事,已成为该运动最知名的赛事之一。红牛指出,来自于全球不同地区的霹雳舞者对待这项赛事的态度各不相同,有的是为了获胜,而有的则是为了享受其文化的精华所在。
![](https://images1.caifuzhongwen.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20240809/080027b692af282006930d.jpg)
询问的对象不同,那么有关霹雳舞意义的答案也会各不相同。即将于8月9日拉开帷幕的霹雳舞奥运赛事可能会引发轰动,也有可能会成为文化挪用的典型案例,即不尊重该运动的起源。
她说:“非常重要的一点在于,随着国际奥委会迈出这一意义非凡的一步,他们在接受和包容该艺术形式起源背景方面也迈出了重要一步。”实现这一点的其中一个举措就是吸纳资深霹雳舞者担任裁判。
获国际奥委会首肯的霹雳舞监管机构世界体育舞蹈联合会(WDSF)称,就自身而言,该机构将采取多项举措来确保人们能够了解霹雳舞的起源。正在实施的一些举措包括让霹雳舞界的多名知名人物参与其中,向观众宣传该项目的历史,并确保参赛选手的多元化。
一位发言人对《财富》杂志说,在WDSF看来,霹雳舞落选2028年洛杉矶奥运会只是“暂时的挫折”。由于每一届奥运会在开赛之前都会对赛事项目清单进行评审,像青年参与、巴黎奥运会成功以及全球热度这些因素将有望在今后提升人们对霹雳舞的认知度。
这项赛事的效果如何仍有待观望。不过,首秀的成功有望为该赛事纳入今后的奥运会创造机会,并为从事霹雳舞职业带来支持资金。威尔森称霹雳舞的未来并不亚于篮球和足球,后两项运动已经成为了青年运动员走出贫困或困境的跳板。
她说:“这个平台可以帮助保护和彰显霹雳舞的崛起文化。”(财富中文网)
译者:冯丰
审校:夏林
霹雳舞(Breakdancing)对硬件要求并不高,仅需要激烈的节奏以及可供滑动、瘫倒、跳跃和旋转的场地。
这可能也解释了为什么这个于上个世纪70年代兴起于纽约布鲁克斯街区的舞蹈门类能够风靡全球。
这个原本小众的舞蹈艺术如今已成为最受欢迎的嘻哈文化输出运动之一,而且已经有了专属的比赛和流行文化作品——例如《舞出我人生》(Step Up)和《闪电舞》(Flashdance)。其影响力和文化意义已经传遍了整个世界,其粉丝遍布法国、中国等国家。
今年,所有人的目光都将投向霹雳舞,因为它将首次亮相2024巴黎奥运会,登上这个无与伦比的国际舞台。
入选奥运会被认为是体育赛事成功的顶点。当前的形势可谓是十分严峻,因为奥运会都开始尝试通过引入新项目来挽留不断流失的观众。
不过,霹雳舞的巴黎奥运会首秀并不一定意味着成为奥运会常设项目。它未能入选2028年洛杉矶奥运会。这对于在某种程度上刚刚才开始其奥运历程的霹雳舞来说是一个打击。
尽管如此,入选奥运对于霹雳舞以及那些“B-boys”(男舞者)和“B-girls”(女舞者)来说是一个重大时刻。在霹雳舞今年被纳入奥运赛事之后,各国将启用更加正规的构架来发现、训练和培养霹雳舞人才。洛杉矶奥运会落选并不一定意味着无缘今后的奥运会。
佐治亚理工大学(Georgia Tech University)黑人媒体研究中心研究员乔瑟琳·威尔森向《财富》杂志阐述了霹雳舞入奥的意义:“入选奥运会体现了一定程度的[霹雳舞]文化认知和认同,也是对其全球影响力的首肯。”
入奥历程
当前的奥运会是一个有着128年历史的赛事机制,拥有田赛和径赛这些赛事,这两类项目也是奥运会极其重要的组成部分。
在这个历史悠久的运动会中,霹雳舞与其他类型的体育项目大不相同。它始于50多年前的纽约街头,是嘻哈文化四元素之一,其他三个元素分别是饶舌、涂鸦和打碟。
从一开始,那些生活在犯罪猖獗环境下手头拮据的非洲裔美国人、拉美人和加勒比年轻人,成为了这项运动的深度参与者。
对于他们来说,霹雳舞是一种艺术表达形式,用于应对歌曲中节奏感强烈的“间奏”部分。很快,它便成为了其文化密不可分的一部分,而且迅速得到了来自于大西洋彼岸国家移民的青睐。
新项目有望通过迎合小众爱好,为奥运会带来新的观众。例如,在东京奥运会,首次被纳入的滑板项目迎来了前来东京参赛的80名年龄12-46岁的运动员。壁球和腰旗橄榄球在4年后将首次登上奥运会舞台。
2011年成立的英国霹雳舞主管机构Branking GB的主席伯恩·巴里克表示:“有了奥运会的背书,任何项目都将迎来重大改变。”
与霹雳舞一样,在获得奥运会背书之前,滑板被认为是滑板爱好者的活动,而不是一项正式的体育项目。然而自那之后,人们对滑板的兴趣在世界各地均有所提升。
霹雳舞是否也会得到类似的提升呢?很有可能。
霹雳舞已经现身2018年布宜诺斯艾利斯青年奥运会。国际奥委会一位发言人对《财富》杂志说,霹雳舞与奥运会十分契合,因为它主打的就是青年参与和都市运动。
更为重要的是,奥运会的背书可能会为那些希望从事霹雳舞职业的人带来不少机会。那些与霹雳舞有着深度文化关联的社区可能会拥有比此前更多的培训机构,因为其技能最终将在国际舞台上大放光彩,而且还有奥运光环加持。
巴里克对《财富》杂志说:“巴黎将为这项运动带来高光时刻……,而且我们已经为这项运动的兴盛做好了准备。因此,我们可以说,‘实际上,任何希望在多赛特学习霹雳舞的人,我们都会妥善安排的。’我们可以接触并鼓励那些传统体育未能接触到的社区,正是体育本身的特性激励了这些寒门舞者参与这项体育活动。”
快餐连锁店赛百味(Subway)是英国霹雳舞队(未能进入奥运会决赛)的赞助商之一。公司赞助该赛事的原因在于,这项运动“正处于上升期”,而且是“各类社区所热衷的运动”。
赛百味发言人对《财富》杂志表示:“霹雳舞让不同年龄、文化和种族背景的人走到一起,而且在英国将越来越受欢迎。”
发言人还指出,与Breaking GB的合作“将有助于双方通过重要活动合作(全国锦标赛)、对社区活动(工作室、大师课、对战)的支持以及对指导和训练的资助,提升该项目的可及性。”
巴里克对《财富》杂志说,很明显,霹雳舞依然处于其发展初期,而且仍然面临着各类障碍,例如无法获得足够的资源和资金来举办训练营,让参与者为奥运会级别的赛事做准备。
他说:“我们希望获得资助,但可以想象的是,作为一项新体育赛事,这一切取决于能在哪些方面拿奖牌。”
浅尝辄止——但影响力不小
裁判将根据国际奥委会设立的五大标准对霹雳舞选手打分:音乐性、动作丰富程度、原创性、技巧和完成度。比赛用音乐不能含有辱骂内容,而且舞者的得分将取决于个人在对决期间对其对手的反应形式。
一些舞者批评这种系统化的模式与该艺术自由和自发的特征相违背。
因此,找到全球接受度和真实性之间的微妙平衡将变得十分重要。
围绕霹雳舞的活动已不是什么新鲜事,红牛自2004年以来每年都会举办霹雳舞赛事,已成为该运动最知名的赛事之一。红牛指出,来自于全球不同地区的霹雳舞者对待这项赛事的态度各不相同,有的是为了获胜,而有的则是为了享受其文化的精华所在。
询问的对象不同,那么有关霹雳舞意义的答案也会各不相同。即将于8月9日拉开帷幕的霹雳舞奥运赛事可能会引发轰动,也有可能会成为文化挪用的典型案例,即不尊重该运动的起源。
她说:“非常重要的一点在于,随着国际奥委会迈出这一意义非凡的一步,他们在接受和包容该艺术形式起源背景方面也迈出了重要一步。”实现这一点的其中一个举措就是吸纳资深霹雳舞者担任裁判。
获国际奥委会首肯的霹雳舞监管机构世界体育舞蹈联合会(WDSF)称,就自身而言,该机构将采取多项举措来确保人们能够了解霹雳舞的起源。正在实施的一些举措包括让霹雳舞界的多名知名人物参与其中,向观众宣传该项目的历史,并确保参赛选手的多元化。
一位发言人对《财富》杂志说,在WDSF看来,霹雳舞落选2028年洛杉矶奥运会只是“暂时的挫折”。由于每一届奥运会在开赛之前都会对赛事项目清单进行评审,像青年参与、巴黎奥运会成功以及全球热度这些因素将有望在今后提升人们对霹雳舞的认知度。
这项赛事的效果如何仍有待观望。不过,首秀的成功有望为该赛事纳入今后的奥运会创造机会,并为从事霹雳舞职业带来支持资金。威尔森称霹雳舞的未来并不亚于篮球和足球,后两项运动已经成为了青年运动员走出贫困或困境的跳板。
她说:“这个平台可以帮助保护和彰显霹雳舞的崛起文化。”(财富中文网)
译者:冯丰
审校:夏林
Breaking, popularly called “breakdancing,” doesn’t require much—just some
That’s probably what turned the dance form, which emerged in New York’s Bronx borough in the 1970s, into a global sensation.
The once-niche form of art is now among the most popular hip-hop exports, with competitions and pop-culture glory (think Step Up or Flashdance) to its name. Its power and cultural significance have spread to every corner of the world, with fans from France to China.
This year, everyone’s eyes will be on breaking as it makes its historic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics, lending it an international stage unlike ever before.
Being part of the Olympics is considered the pinnacle of sporting success. The stakes are high, given the Games are trying to appeal to a dwindling audience by onboarding new sports.
But debuting this year in Paris doesn’t guarantee the future of breaking at the Olympics. The sport hasn’t been picked for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, marking a setback in a journey that, in some ways, just commenced.
Still, it’s a big moment for breaking as well as its “B-boys” and “B-girls.” Being in the Olympics this year has helped countries adopt a more formal structure to spot, train and nurture breaking talent. Its exclusion from the next Olympics doesn’t preclude its addition to future Games.
“It offers a level of cultural recognition and validation [for breaking]. It acknowledges its global impact and influence,” Joycelyn Wilson, a faculty member in Black media studies at Georgia Tech University, told Fortune of breaking’s Olympics moment.
The path to the Olympics
The Olympics, in its modern form, is a 128-year-old institution with events like track and field forming a quintessential part of it.
Breaking is quite unlike the other sports in this historic championship. It broke ground on New York’s streets over 50 years ago as one of hip-hop culture’s four elements, along with rapping, graffiti, and DJ-ing.
African-American, Latino, and Caribbean youth who were living in economically deprived, crime-ridden conditions were deeply involved in the sport from its earliest days.
To them, breaking was a form of artistic expression in response to the “break” of a song where the percussion is amplified. Soon enough, it became an integral part of their culture and was enthusiastically adopted by immigrants in countries across the pond.
New sports can attract new audiences at the Olympics by stoking niche interests. For instance, in the Tokyo iteration, skateboarding made its debut with 80 athletes aged between 12 and 46 in Tokyo. Squash and flag football will be part of the Olympic sports list in four years’ time.
“Having that Olympic stamp for any sport changes the game of play,” said Born Barikor, the chair of U.K.-based governing body Breaking GB, formed in 2021.
Skateboarding, like breaking, was seen as an activity for hobbyists rather than a serious sport until international events gave it a credibility boost. But ever since, interest in skateboarding has increased worldwide.
Could breaking experience a similar lift? Possibly.
It already featured in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. An International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson told Fortune that breaking is a great fit given its focus on youth involvement and urban sports.
More importantly, the validation at the Olympics could help open doors for those looking to pursue breaking professionally. Communities with deep cultural connections to the dance-sport could have more agency than before, as their skills amount to something more tangible on an international stage with the glory of the Olympics attached to it.
“Paris will highlight the sport … and we are getting ready for that growth. So we’re getting ready to say, ‘actually, if little Margaret wants to get into breaking in Dorset, there’s a pathway,’” Barikor told Fortune. “We can reach and inspire communities that have not necessarily been able to be reached with traditional sports. It’s one as a sport that by nature encourages those that are from tough reality backgrounds to take part in physical activity.”
Subway, the fast-food chain, was one of the backers of breaking in Team Great Britain (which didn’t make the final cut to the Olympics). Its reason for supporting the sport was because it was “up-and-coming” and championed “movement amongst diverse communities.”
“Breaking brings together people of different ages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds and continues to grow in popularity across the U.K.,” a Subway spokesperson told Fortune.
The partnership with Breaking GB “will help increase accessibility to the sport through headline event partnerships (national championships), support for community events (workshops, masterclasses, battles) and funding for coaching and training,” the spokesperson added.
Breaking is clearly still in its early stages as it still faces barriers in the form of limited resources and funding to conduct training camps that prepare participants for an Olympics-scale event, Barikor told Fortune.
“We would love to have the funding, but as you can imagine, as a new sport, it’s all dependent on where you’re going to get medals,” he said.
Treading lightly—but making an impact
B-boys and B-girls will be judged on five criteria set by the IOC: musicality, vocabulary, originality, technique and execution. The music used during the competition must also be free of profanity and breakers’ scores will depend on how they respond to their opponents in a face-off format.
Some breakers have criticized the systematic format of breaking goes against the art form’s free-flowing, spontaneous nature.
That’s where striking a delicate balance between global recognition and authenticity becomes important.
Events surrounding the sport have become more commonplace, with Red Bull hosting one of the most high-profile annual competitions since 2004. As Red Bull pointed out, breakers from different parts of the world approach the sport differently—some do it to win, while others do it to enjoy a central piece of their culture.
Since breaking takes many meanings depending on who you ask, the Olympics event, which will kick off on Aug. 9, could either spark excitement or become a bad example of cultural appropriation that fails to honor the sport’s roots, said Wilson.
“It’s going to be really important that as the IOC takes this very significant step, that they take a significant step also in recognizing and including the context through which this art form comes,” she said. One way of doing this is by including seasoned breakers as judges.
For its part, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the IOC-recognized governing body overseeing breaking, says it’s taking several steps to ensure the dance-sport form’s roots are recognized. Some steps it’s taking include involving prominent figures from the breaking community, educating the audience on the sport’s history and ensuring diversity in competitors.
The way WDSF sees it, breaking’s exclusion from the 2028 Olympics isn’t a “permanent setback,” a spokesperson told Fortune. As the sports roster is reviewed before every edition of the Games, factors like youth engagement, success at the Paris Olympics and global interest could increase breaking’s profile in the years to come.
How the tournament turns out remains to be seen. A successful debut could pave the way for opportunities in future Olympics while opening up funding to support careers in breaking. Wilson likened breaking’s promise to sports like basketball and football, which have served as anchors for young athletes to lift themselves from impoverished or disadvantaged situations.
“This is a platform that can help preserve and celebrate the culture from which breakdancing emerged,” she said.