A gold medal win by Canadian Philip Kim at the Paris Olympics in breaking has introduced the world to the sport and its culture that is all about peace, love and unity, his former coaches say.
Kim, who competes as B-Boy Phil Wizard, took the first-ever Olympic gold medal in menB次元官网网址檚 breaking in Paris by defeating French hometown favourite Dany Dann in SaturdayB次元官网网址檚 final.
Breaking is a mix of dance, gymnastics, acrobatics, head-spinning balance and a dose of bravado, all to a bass-thumping music beat. The urban dance style traces its roots to New York City during the 1970s.
Practitioners of breaking are called b-boys and b-girls.
Kim began his dance journey in Vancouver, and his former coach, Jheric Hizon, said watching Kim create his magic and seeing the Canadian flag raised on the global stage in Paris had been an incredible experience.
B次元官网网址淗e was really on point that day,B次元官网网址� Hizon said of the gold-medal match. B次元官网网址淧hilip does a lot of freestyle in his dance, so he was using some of his signature moves earlier on and then throughout the whole competition, he was just very relaxed and was having a lot of fun as well.B次元官网网址�
As KimB次元官网网址檚 mentor who first introduced hip hop to him when he was 10 years old, Hizon said seeing him applying everything he had learned to become the 27-year-old B次元官网网址淧hil WizardB次元官网网址� was a triumph.
B次元官网网址淲hoever watched the games, especially the younger kids, IB次元官网网址檓 sure they are inspired, and the ones who are breaking now, IB次元官网网址檓 sure they will practise even more, even harder, and just maybe take this dance just a little bit more seriously,B次元官网网址� said Hizon.
Breaking, also known as breakdancing, made its Olympic debut at the Paris Games, drawing huge audiences.
But it may be the sportB次元官网网址檚 last appearance as itB次元官网网址檚 not part of the program at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Anita Perel-Panar, the co-founder of Boogaloo Academy in Vancouver where Hizon teaches dance, flew to Paris with Hizon to support Kim.
She said she believes KimB次元官网网址檚 gold medal will keep the breaking scene alive and vibrant.
B次元官网网址淐oming to the Olympics brought it to the world,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淪o, everybody knows what itB次元官网网址檚 all about and people are starting to go like, B次元官网网址榃ow, thatB次元官网网址檚 the most amazing thing to watch. What a great sport, is it a dance?B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 a sport, itB次元官网网址檚 a dance, itB次元官网网址檚 art.B次元官网网址�
Perel-Panar said KimB次元官网网址檚 goal was to show people how breaking can be used to improve mental health, and give people hope and a better life.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not just winning the medal, but itB次元官网网址檚 how we can incorporate it and make positive change in peopleB次元官网网址檚 lives.B次元官网网址�
Hizon said the hip-hop culture is all about peace, love, unity and having fun, and although the Vancouver has a small community compared with other places, it has a unique vibe with dancers rooting for each other.
B次元官网网址淲e are just very friendly towards each other and we help and push each other and when you are creating together with people, then you just create the bond with each other,B次元官网网址� said Hizon.
HizonB次元官网网址檚 brother Jhaymee, who mentored Kim when he was 11, said witnessing KimB次元官网网址檚 victory in Paris brought tears to his eyes and he believed the gold medal would help attract more people to breaking.
B次元官网网址淚 think there will be definitely more youth wanting to find out, and that was the goal from the beginning to get more youth involved, to keep the scene growing and alive,B次元官网网址� said Jhaymee, sending more Canadians to compete on the global stage.
Hizon said he first met Kim 17 years ago while HizonB次元官网网址檚 hip-hop crew, Now or Never, was performing street shows next to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Their paths crossed again when Hizon went to KimB次元官网网址檚 elementary school to teach hip-hop and breaking workshops, which he said inspired Kim to get into hip-hop dance.
Kim won CanadaB次元官网网址檚 first world title in breaking at the 2022 World DanceSport Federation championships.
B次元官网网址淎nd once he started winning outside of North America, it became more serious,B次元官网网址� Hizon said, noting Kim was then making a living off breaking.
Kim won the first gold medal in breaking at the Pan American Games when the dance sport made its debut in Santiago last November. By winning, he qualified to represent Canada in Paris.
Hizon said Kim had developed a unique expression in breaking by not only understanding B次元官网网址渢he vocabulary of breaking dance B次元官网网址� but also knowing how to put his moves together.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of these moves everybody can do, but itB次元官网网址檚 how you put it together, so itB次元官网网址檚 like creating a puzzle and he creates these puzzles with beautiful pictures in them, and while people are still figuring out where this left piece or right piece goes, and he figured out how to make them really fast and unique,B次元官网网址� said Hizon.
Hizon said they donB次元官网网址檛 teach Kim dance anymore.
B次元官网网址淪o, right now, when we all hang out, itB次元官网网址檚 all about life lessons that I teach him,B次元官网网址� said Hizon.
READ ALSO:
READ ALSO:
