Breakdancing Just Debuted at the Olympics, and Black Twitter Has All the Smoke

While the Olympics are coming to an end, Black people on social media are still finding a reason to laugh. This time, it’s because of the newly introduced “Breaking” competition at the Summer Games.

On Friday, breakdancing made its debut at the Paris Olympics, with teams from the USA, Australia, China, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, and many other countries all fielding dancers.

Viewers didn’t know what to expect when they turned on the competition, but what they got was even more entertaining than I think anyone would’ve thought (and not for all the right reasons).

That’s not to suggest that the dancers did a horrible job of showcasing their skills — Black Twitter was just more amused than impressed, and they weren’t afraid to get some jokes off on social media.

Users on X made fun of everything from what the dancers were wearing, to some of the “interesting” moves they pulled off during the competition.

With the growing popularity of hip-hop and Black culture, breakdancing has become a worldwide sensation, with young kids everywhere taking it up. But what fans witnessed on TV at the Olympics is nothing like the movies some people watched growing up such as “You Got Served” or “Stomp the Yard.”

It’s more akin to this infamous “hip-hop dancing” video from the 1990s where viewers are taught to breakdance in the most cringeworthy and embarrassing way possible.

While Black Twitter is having a ball watching the competition, the actual dancers are taking it seriously.

The first person to win a gold medal in breaking is B-Girl Ami, a 25-year-old woman representing Japan. She defeated B-Girl Nicka of Lithuania in the gold-medal round.

B-Girl 671 from China beat B-Girl India of the Netherlands to take home the bronze medal. (Don’t worry, these aren’t their real names, they just used them during the Olympics).

If you’re wondering where in the world the Black people are, there’s one on Team USA: Jeffrey Louis, AKA “B-Boy Jeffro.”