Breaking News

FRUKT/Octagon producer Holly Miles has been an integral part of the UK breaking scene and celebrates its arrival at the Olympics.

I’ve been lucky enough to be a (sadly, non-dancing) member of the breaking community since 2004, when I set up the UK’s first festival dedicated entirely to women in hip hop. I’ve seen and produced more breaking battles than I can count and I know the personal benefit to the community it brings. 

Despite an acute awareness of just how seriously breakers take their training and development, with levels of resolve akin to Olympic athletes, until 2018 the idea of breaking as an Olympic sport was whimsical to say the least. Over the last 15 years, however, hip hop dance has become highly commercialised due to shows like Just Dance, Britain’s Got Talent and The Greatest Dancer. While these representations give a less-than-authentic portrayal of the hip hop community, its musical roots and resonance with youth culture have undoubtedly contributed to the widespread recognition of breaking as an artform. Its popularity and connection to young people is one of the primary reasons for its inclusion in the Paris Olympics.     

So who’s repping the UK in Paris this year? Well, in short, no one...  

Let’s first look at the B-Boy category. Our best hope was Bristol native Sunni Brummit. With a long list of international wins under his belt and sponsorship from Adidas, Redbull and Subway, Sunni is arguably the most accomplished breaker the UK has ever seen. Yet he didn’t quite score highly enough in this weekend’s final heats in Budapest - ranking 14th, he narrowly missed out on qualifying. Team GB’s other hope, Derby-born Kid Karam, came in 27th place meaning no B-Boy representation in Paris.

Same goes for the B-Girls. Despite our top hopefuls being exceptionally good, Brixton born Roxanne ‘B-Girl Roxy’ Milliner and Stirling’s Emma ‘B-Girl Shortbread’ Houston failed to make it past the starting blocks, meaning we’ll have no female recognition in Paris. While this is disappointing for Team GB, it’s not a huge surprise. Despite a thriving hip hop community, the UK has never quite compared to the US or Japan on the world stage. In spite of all the above, it’s almost a guarantee that this epic demonstration of skill and talent will take the Olympics by storm.  

FRUKT is excited to see how breaking at the Olympics impacts young people tuning into this phenomenal artform for the first time. Will we see anything like the impressive 20% uptake we witnessed in skateboarding when 13 year old Sky Brown won Bronze at the sport's 2020 Tokyo Olympic debut? I am in absolutely no doubt that whatever the outcome, breaking will remain a permanent fixture in our hearts long after the final award has been handed out.

Which brings me to the big question – who’s going to win?  

I asked DJ Renegade, who sits on the GB breaking board and one of the UK’s most prolific hip hop advocates (and original Scratch Pervert for those that remember). If you’re a betting person, I’d pay attention – “I’d keep an eye out for 671 from China and Victor from USA. They have a very high chance of becoming the first gold medallists.”  

So there you have it. Make sure you’re tuning in to all the action taking place across two days at Paris' Place de la Concorde. Two gold medals are up for grabs, with 32 breakers competing. The 16 women are in action on 9 August and 16 men on 10 August.

I hope you end the summer with a newfound love of – in my opinion – the coolest dance discipline there is, and one which also has real power for good. I have seen this up-close and personal, as between 2009-2022 I took B-Girls (featuring Portugal hopeful Vanessa Marina and both aforementioned UK B-Girls) into schools in every London borough delivering an empowerment dance programme which engaged nearly 16k girls, building confidence, fitness and resilience. I’ve seen first-hand, the transformation breaking has on both mental and physical wellbeing, particularly in young women. So here’s hoping this year’s debut appearance is a catalyst for the next generation to get involved. 

Check Holly Miles' festival on Instagram - www.instagram.com/bsupremeuk