Embarrassing Olympic moves, white girl’s durag raises eyebrows

PARIS (AP) — From an Australian b-girl with a meme-worthy “kangaroo” dance to Lithuania’s silver-medal winner in a durag, breaking’s Olympic debut had several moments that left viewers wondering whether the essence of hip-hop’s art form was captured on the Paris Games.

Rachael Gunn, or “b-girl Raygun,” a 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, quickly rose to web fame, but not necessarily for her Olympic-level skills. Competing against several b-girls half her age, she was swept out of the round robin without scoring a single point, her unconventional moves landing flat, no match for her opponents.

At one point, Gunn lifted one leg while standing and leaned back, her arms bent toward her ears. At one other point, lying on her side, she reached up together with her toes, rolled over, and did it again, a move often called the “kangaroo.”

Gunn has a PhD in cultural studies, and her LinkedIn profile says she is desirous about the “cultural politics of break-up.”

“I never set out to beat these girls at what they do best — their power moves,” Gunn said. “What I bring is creativity.”

Clips of her performance went viral on TikTok and other platforms, with many individuals wincing on the sight of her moves showcased on the Olympic stage as a logo of hip-hop and breaking culture.

“It’s almost like they’re mocking the genre,” wrote one X user.

Some of this was “strange to see”

Many black viewers, specifically, criticized Lithuanian silver medalist b-girl Nicka (legally named Dominika Banevič) for wearing a durag to every of her battles. Once worn by enslaved Africans to tie their hair up for work, durags are still worn by black people today to guard and magnificence their hair. They became a trendy symbol of black pride within the Sixties and Nineteen Seventies, and have become a preferred hip-hop style element within the Nineties and early 2000s. But when worn by individuals who aren’t black, the durag might be seen as cultural approval. Banevič is white.

Actor Kevin Fredericks responded on Instagram to Banevič donning the headgear that “it’s weird to see someone who doesn’t need a headgear for protection or waves, but wears a durag.”

The 17-year-old competitor ultimately won the silver medal, losing in the ultimate to Japanese b-girl Ami (Ami Yuasa).

Banevič, in turn, attributes his success and breaking style to Nineteen Seventies Bronx breakdancers — the OGs, or “original gangsters” of hip-hop, who created the dance.

“It’s a huge responsibility to represent and raise the bar every time it comes to breaking because they did an incredible job. Big respect to the OGs and the pioneers who came up with all these moves. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible,” she said. “Without them, breaking wouldn’t be what it is today. So I’m grateful.”

Concerns about losing roots

Friday’s mishaps “may have turned off too many new viewers from getting the response they wanted from our Olympic premiere,” Zack Slusser, vice chairman of Breaking for Gold USA and USA Dance, said in a text message to The Associated Press.

“We need to change the narrative from yesterday’s initial impression of breakdancing as an Olympic sport. There were significant organizational and management shortcomings that could have been easily reconciled but unfortunately negatively impacted Breaking’s first point of contact with a new global audience.”

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The challenge for Olympic organizers was to achieve a broad audience, including many who were skeptical about adding the dance form to the Olympic list. Others feared that the subculture can be co-opted by officials, commercialized, and subjected to a rigid judging structure, while the spirit of breaking took root in local communities centered around street fights, ciphers, and street parties. Hip-hop began as a youth culture in black and brown communities within the Bronx as a method to escape socioeconomic conflict and struggles and to precise their will at a time when New York politicians labeled them as lost, lawless kids.

Refugee breaker Manizha Talash, or “b-girl Talash,” channeled that rebellious spirit by donning a “Free Afghan Women” cape during her pre-qualifying match — a defiant and private statement from the 21-year-old, who fled her native Afghanistan to flee Taliban rule. Talash was quickly disqualified for violating the Olympics’ ban on political statements on the court.

Both American b-girls were eliminated in Friday’s round robin, a blow to the birthplace of hip-hop in what stands out as the sport’s only appearance on the Games. B-girl Logistx (real name Logan Edra) and b-girl Sunny (Sunny Choi) were ranked in the highest 12 on the earth but didn’t advance to the quarterfinals.

“Breaking for the Olympics changed the way some people dance,” Choi said, referring to a number of the flashier moves and more packed routines. “Breaking changes with the times. Or maybe I’m just old-fashioned and don’t want to change. … I think a lot of people in our community were a little afraid of that.”

B-boys will take to the stage Saturday to present Olympic breakdancing one other probability to represent the culture.