Famous New York breakdancing champions Gabriel “Kwikstep” Dionisio and Ana “Rokafella” Garcia expressed their frustation over Rachael Gunn. They said that all the news about Australian athlete Gunn and her kangaroo dance at the 2024 Paris Olympics is overshadowing all the good things about other athletes in the sport.
Rachael Gunn, who goes by the stage name Raygun, performs in the breakdancing event at the 2024 Olympics at La Concorde, Paris, Friday (9/8/2024). Clips of Rachael Gunn’s performance went viral on social media. She was eliminated after getting a score of 0 from the judges in her three appearances and recorded an aggregate score of 0-54.
Raygun, who is a professor,’s performance was then widely mocked on social media and made breakdancing a joke. Rokafella and Kwikstep lamented the move, as many in the break community had hoped the art form would grow in popularity and attract a wider audience after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that breaking would be an official sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Instead, the art form was met with ridicule and mockery on social media, with the criticism even spreading to parodies on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in the United States. There were also accusations of cultural appropriation as Raygun, a white Australian, was seen as mocking breakdancing, which has roots in black and Latino American culture.
Malik Dixon, who is originally from New York but now lives in Australia, told the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC): “She came across as someone who was playing around with the culture and didn’t understand how important it was for the first time in the Olympics and how important it was for people who really love hip-hop and one of the elements of it, breakdancing.”
“There was attention on someone [Rachel Gunn] because her breaking wasn’t at the highest level,” Kwikstep told Al Jazeera. “Now, it’s fuel for the fire. Nobody talks about the winners who are taking home the medals, the guys who are making a big impression on the dance floor.”
Rokafella also expressed frustration. “I’m frustrated with everything that’s happened,” he said. “Emotionally, it’s been an intense chapter in my breakdancing life. “I try my best to be as impartial and open-minded as possible, and I still am. “I wish the world would focus more on the incredible, incredible performances that all the Olympic athletes have had. You know, I feel like the medalists in every category should be the ones who get the spotlight, but they don’t.”
Raygun’s viral stunt will not be repeated at the 2028 Olympics as the sport has been decided by local organizers not to be contested in Los Angeles. This was decided before the Paris Games and had nothing to do with Raygun’s performance.
