Breaking — or breakdancing, as it’s more commonly known among average people — made its Olympics debut on Friday morning and, well, fans weren’t exactly impressed. They were delighted, but they were not impressed.
Actor and rapper Ice-T was particularly excited, posting on X in the hours before the event that it was “gonna blow the minds of people that haven’t seen breaking in a while…” But, for the most part, viewers were underwhelmed by the quality of the dancing.
“The dancer right now is doing some of the most basic moves in Breaking,” one fan wrote. “I thought I was gonna see some s–t I ain’t never seen before. Sis, just Salsa danced for a solid 16 counts.”
Another joked that the moves looked more “like 5-year-old me going up to my mom like, ‘Look what I can do,’” while still another joked that “all the white people in the Breaking Olympics are giving Hayden Panettiere in ‘Bring It On: All or Nothing.’”
Others were fascinated by the competitors themselves — particularly Australia’s entrant, Rachael Gunn.
Known as Raygun on stage, her actual moves were criticized, but it was her background that drew people’s confusion. She’s a 36-year-old former jazz and ballroom dancer, who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Music and got a PhD in Cultural Studies.
And she was far from the only person with a relatively “normal” background. “Imagine being 41, a kindergarten teacher, and competing in the Olympics’ first breaking competition. That’s wild,” one fan joked.
You can see more reactions to Olympic Breaking — including some joy! — below:
