For Ukraine’s Olympic breakdancers, “shining” is more important than winning: NPR

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WARSAW, Poland — A rhythmic beat of energetic music fills every corner of a spacious, sun-kissed sports complex in the Polish capital. After some stretching and warming up, three breakers and their trainer practice complex dances and acrobatic moves.

Breaking, also known as breakdancing, is making its Olympic debut as a sport this week in Paris. A team of Ukrainian female and male athletes, called “B-girls” and “B-boys”, went through a three-year selection process on their way to the Summer Games and finally gathered in a field of training here last month.

Kateryna Pavlenko, 29, or B-girl Kate, looked into the mirror as she danced, a look of growing confidence on her face. “When we know that the break will be in the Olympics, I have no doubt that I will do everything to finish there,” he said.

Pavlenko, another Ukrainian b-girl, Anna Ponomarenko, and two B-boys came here to train for the Olympic Games. In a one-on-one breakout competition, two dancers take turns showcasing their skills, moves, character, style and musicality, each trying to outshine the other. After all the rounds are over, the judges determine the winner.

Ukrainians have been able to break since Soviet times, when the authorities disapproved of it, which gave it a special appeal as a kind of forbidden cultural fruit. They usually discovered it first thanks to video tapes of films like Breakin’ (1984) that were brought home by citizens, often diplomats, who had the right to travel abroad.

After the end of the Cold War, many teenagers watched battles – or competitions – of American B-boys and B-girls on pirated hip-hop music videos, putting them on pause to learn the moves and the style.

Georgii Matiukhin, the team manager, was one of those teenagers.

“We were a generation without any schooling,” Matiukhin said. “We found VHS tapes, we watched them, and tried to repeat them. The first tapes we saw were American breakers, Rock Steady Crew from New York and elements of style from the West Coast.”

In the early 2000s, Ukrainian wrestling made its way to international battles and championships, where Ukrainians showed good results.

Matiukhin said that he believes that the dance has gained such popularity and development in his country because the dance “has always been in the blood of Ukrainians.”

Breaking, which was born in the Bronx, now shows many cultural influences, especially from South Africa and Brazil. Ukrainian folk dances, such as crossed arms, feet hopthey are also an inspiration to many – especially the three athletes who train here.

Oleh Kuznetsov, or B-boy Kuzya, age 34, says that his footwork shows how the classic elements of Ukrainian folk dances can be interpreted in a modern way. For him, representing Ukraine is a great honor.

“I want to show that we have beautiful big and bright souls and that they represent my country and my culture,” he said.

At the Olympics, Ukrainian breakers compete in groups of athletes in a battle format. The new judges will evaluate the athletes according to criteria that include originality, technique and “vocabulary” or the variety of dance movements implemented.

Unlike figure skating, where athletes practice the same choreography for months, even years, in break the athletes do not know the music in advance. So the ability to adapt and improvise is key.

Denys Seminikhin, the coach of the team, says that the psychological state of the breakers is no less important than the physical form, emphasizing that representing the country during the war is a great challenge for the athletes.

“Light is more important than winning,” said Pavlenko. With her show, she says she wants to turn the world’s attention to Ukraine.

“Of course I want to win a medal,” he adds. “I feel proud to represent my country and I also want to make my people proud.”