The Olympic battles, which are set for Aug. 9 and 10, will be a watershed moment for a dance form conceived and cultivated by Black and Hispanic youth in the Bronx during the 1970s, when they boogied at basement parties and park jams to the break beats played by hip-hop architects like DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash.

Back then, breaking’s fundamental movements provided escapism and expression, competitive and spontaneous physical performance breathed to life by the dawning genre of hip-hop. Breakers danced to make a name for themselves and earn respect in their neighborhoods.

But breaking — not “break dancing,” a term coined by media and disdained within the breaking community — no longer belongs solely to New York City. In Paris, Olympic breakers representing countries like Japan, Lithuania and Morocco will compete one-on-one in battles waged for a global television audience.

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