Diana LeyvaNashville Tennessean
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"You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far" — The Notorious B.I.G. on "Juicy"
Breaking, the competitive, unique dance form born out of the Black and Latino neighborhoods of the Bronxin the late 1960s and early 1970s, will take the world stage this weekend during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Breaking, more commonly known as break dancing, involves sophisticated footwork as well as athletic moves which emphasize energy, creativity, and elements of danger, for example head spins and backbends. The breaking competition will include 32 breakers from around the world, 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls, each representing their country in one-on-one battles. Competitors will be judged on five criteria: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality, according toOlympics.com.
Representing Team USA is 34-year-old first-time Olympian, Sunny Choi, a Tennessee native. Choi won silver at the 2022 World Games and is considered one of the 10 best B-girls in the world, said ESPN.
Logan Edra, aka Logistx, from San Diego is the other B-girl on Team USA.
Here's how you can watch.
More: How Tennessee native Sunny Choi performed in breakdancing at Paris 2024 Olympics
Who is Sunny Choi, the Olympic B-girl from Tennessee?
Cho was born 80 miles outside of Nashville in Cookeville to first-generation Korean American parents. According to ESPN, her mother, Jung-In Choi, and father, Kyung-Ju Choi, emigrated from Daegu, South Korea, to the United States in 1977 to pursue doctorates at the University of Tennessee.
Choi fell in love with gymnastics at age 3 and dreamt of being an Olympic athlete. As a young girl, she enrolled in gymnastics classes at a local YMCA. Choi continued pursuing a gymnast career throughout college at the University of Pennsylvania, but it was ultimately breaking which proved to be her true passion after she spotted a group of B-boys on campus.
"I remember that being my first real sense of, like, this is hip-hop," Choi told ESPN. "And thinking, One day I want to be part of this. I want to be able to contribute. I want to be able to go in and dance with them."
Who is Logan Edra from Team USA?
Also competing in the breaking competition is Edra, who at 21 years old is the youngest B-girl on Team USA. Edra, the grandchild of Filipino immigrants, has been breaking since she was seven years old, after her father drove her to her first hip-hop class.
Edra's father fostered her love for the genre, often playing hip-hop classics from groups like A Tribe Called Quest at home. Eventually, she fell in love with James Brown and Wu-Tang Clan. Her B-girl name, Logistx, also comes from her father, due to her methodical personality.
“My dad would always tell me, ‘Do you want to be good, or do you want to be great?’" she told USA TODAY. "And that was a seed that was planted at a very young age."
In 2021, Edra became the youngest woman at the time to have won the prestigious 2021 Red Bull BC One title, according toVanity Fair. But by then, she was already eyeing the Olympic stage after it was announced breaking would be part of the 2024 games.
Outside of breaking, Edra has also become a champion for mental health, often being candid about her own struggles on social media and during interviews.
How did breaking make it to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?
Breaking has joined the likes of skateboarding, freestyle BMX and surfing, as part of a new wave of sports to join the Olympic event lineup. As previously reported by USA TODAY, the addition of breaking by the International Olympic Committee is part of a broader effort to appeal to younger fans.
How to watch breaking during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?
Every event at the 2024 Paris Olympics will be aired live across NBC, USA Network, E!, CNBC, GOLF Channel, and there will be a Spanish broadcast on Universo and Telemundo. All events will be available to stream live on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
Here is the full weekend schedule:
Friday, August 9:
- B-Girls Round Robin:9 a.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Quarterfinal 1:1 p.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Quarterfinal 2:1:07 p.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Quarterfinal 3:1:14 p.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Quarterfinal 4:1:21 p.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Semifinal 1:1:45 p.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Semifinal 2:1:52 p.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Bronze Medal Battle:2:14 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Girls Gold Medal Battle:2:23 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
Saturday, August 10:
- B-Boys Round Robin:9 a.m. CT on Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Quarterfinal 1:1 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Quarterfinal 2:1:07 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Quarterfinal 3: 1:14 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Quarterfinal 4:1:21 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Semifinal 1:1:45 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Semifinal 2:1:52 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Bronze Medal Battle:2:14 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
- B-Boys Gold Medal Battle:2:23 p.m. CT on E!, Peaco*ck and NBCOlympics.com.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for The Tennessean. Contact her at Dleyva@gannett.com or follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @_leyvadiana
