Australian b-girl Raygun has addressed criticism over her breaking dance moves at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
The sport of breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris — it might never be back — and one of the lasting images was Raygun’s performance who did a “kangaroo dance” and scored zero points.
Speaking to ESPN, Rachael Gunn said she knew she was an “underdog” and acknowledged her unique style was intentional.
“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” Gunn told ESPN. “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”
The Aussie dancer said she wanted to “make my mark in a different way.”
And Gunn isn’t the only one defending her dancing — so is the breaking community.
In a show of support on Sunday, the head judge of the breaking competition said the 36-year-old university professor was just trying to be original. And the breaking federation says it has offered mental health support in the wake of online criticism.
“Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” head judge Martin Gilian — known as MGbility — said at a press conference. “This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
The breaking and hip-hop communities “definitely stand behind her,” he added.
“We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and just her level was maybe not as high as the other competitors,” MGbility said. “But again, that doesn’t mean that she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. … Unfortunately for her, the other b-girls were better.”
Sergey Nifontov, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, said they’ve been in direct contact with Gunn and Australian Olympic team officials
“We offered (the) support of our safe-guarding officer. We are aware about what has happened, especially on social media, and definitely we should put the safety of the athlete, in this case, mental safety in first place,” he said. “She has us as a federation supporting her.”
Breaking — known to many break dancing, a term its performers dislike — is not on the program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
The next Summer Games after that will be in Brisbane, Australia.
“We believe that this has nothing to do with our chances for Brisbane 2032,” Nifontov said when asked about the criticism of Raygun and getting back into the Olympics.
Japan’s Ami Yuasa, known better as b-girl Ami, won the gold medal and said she wished Los Angeles organizers had waited to experience the energy between the athletes and the crowd at Place de la Concorde.
“I feel so sad about it not happening in Los Angeles, because breaking was born in the USA,” she said Sunday. “Breaking is not just a sport, it’s also expressing myself and art.”
Federation president Shawn Tay defended the evolution — from what started as an art form in the 1970s in the Bronx to an Olympic appearance. Critics have questioned the commercialization of the sport.
“Right from the beginning we were warned that some of the breakers — the top breakers — may not take part,” he said. “But now we have achieved to bring them all in — we have all the best breakers. Now they are fighting for the glory of their country — it’s a totally different thing. And that’s actually pushed them to improve so much, to work so hard in a more scientific way.”
Asked about her thoughts on the debate over the sport, Gunn said breaking is “really bringing a new level of excitement” to the Olympics.
“What is an Olympic sport? It’s so broad here …what are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon,” she said. “Breaking is clearly athletic and it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects so I feel like it meets that criteria.”
Who is Raygun?
Gunn is widely known as one of Australia’s best female breakers.
She represented the country in 2021, 2022 and 2023 at the World Breaking Championships.
The 36-year-old is also a lecturer at Sydney’s Macquarie University with a Ph.D in cultural studies. Her LinkedIn page notes she is “interested in the cultural politics of breaking.”
Gunn took part in a variety of dance styles, like ballet and tap, at a young age, but didn’t start breaking until her 20s, when she was introduced to it by her then-boyfriend, who is now her husband and coach.
Why did Gunn’s performance go viral?
Gunn quickly achieved internet fame Friday, but not necessarily for Olympic-level skill.
Competing against some b-girls half her age, she was swept out of the round-robin stage without earning a single point, and her unconventional moves landed flat while failing to match the skill level of her foes.
At one point, Gunn raised one leg while standing and leaned back with her arms bent toward her ears. At another, while laying on her side, she reached for her toes, flipped over and did it again in a move dubbed “the kangaroo.”
Clips of her routine have gone viral on TikTok and elsewhere, and many cringed at her moves platformed on the Olympic stage as a representation of hip-hop and breaking culture.
Still, announcers after the event noted Gunn was battling some of the best dancers in the world and “held her own.”