PARIS-. From the Australian b-girl with a meme-worthy “kangaroo” dance move to the Lithuanian who won the silver medal in a durag, the debut Breaking Olympics had some moments that raised questions from viewers about whether the essence of the art form of Hip-hop was appropriately captured at Paris 2024.
Rachael Gunn, or “b-girl Raygun,” a 36-year-old teacher from Sydney, Australia, rose to fame online, but not necessarily for her Olympic-level prowess.
Competing against some b-girls half her age, she was eliminated from the round-robin stage without earning a single point, her unconventional moves falling flat as she was unable to match the skill level of her opponents.
Gunn has a PhD in cultural studies and is “interested in the cultural politics of breaking.”
“I was never going to beat these girls at what they do best: their power moves,” Gunn said. “What I bring is creativity.”
Many black fans, in particular, criticized silver medalist Lithuanian b-girl Nicka (whose legal name is Dominika Banevi) for wearing a durag during each of her battles. Durags, once worn by enslaved Africans to tie back their hair for work, are still worn by black people to protect and style their hair. But when worn by those who are not black, durags can be seen as cultural appropriation. Banevi is white.
The 17-year-old “breaker” eventually won the silver medal after losing in the final to Japanese b-girl Ami (Ami Yuasa).
“It’s a huge responsibility to represent and raise the bar every time it’s broken because they did such an amazing job. Huge respect to the OGs and the pioneers who invented all those moves. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible,” Nicka said.
