Calls Grow To Lift Ban On Breakdancing At Aussie Schools

Calls are growing to allow kids in New South Wales to once again breakdance during recess at school.

The state government introduced a ban on the epic dance moves back in 1999 over fears headstands and spins could cause spinal injuries.

The ban has been upheld ever since and students have been prevented from rolling out the mat on the playground, dropping their hottest tracks and dancing like no one's watching.

However, now that breakdancing has been green lit for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, there are some who believe we should allow kids to express themselves in order to prepare themselves to compete one day.

Australian Breakdancing Asso­ciation spokesman Eu Kuan Lim told the Daily Telegraph: "Schools don't want to be liable for kids getting injured...but it doesn't seem valid to have a ban on breaking in schools because other sports are allowed.

"Even a lot of the basic and fundamental moves require a lot of practise to hone strength and co-ordination."

The campaign for breakdancing to return to schools also has the support of Macquarie University lecturer Dr Rachael Gunn, who described the ban as 'moral panic'.

These calls will no doubt only become hotter as we edge closer to the Paris Games.

A decision was made in December last year to permit the form of dancing as an official sport in a bid to attract younger viewers to the international competition.

According to Sky News, breakdancing will be referred to as 'breaking' when competitors take to the floor.

Breakdancing proved a success at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which was when it was proposed.

When the games come to Paris, the dance-offs will take place at a downtown venue alongside sport climbing and 3v3 basketball.

Speaking about the decision, Logan 'Logistx' Edra, 17, told Sky: "It can resonate with a lot of people because hip-hop culture resonates with a lot of people, hip-hop music resonates with a lot of people.

"It being in the Olympics, it makes sense that people would refer to it as (a sport) but I think one thing for the breaking community is we want to make sure that it's not known as just a sport but an art, a sport, a culture."

Ronnie Abaldonado also added: "The biggest part is your stage presence and character and your rhythm, whether or not you're really feeling it.

"People can hit the moves but if you're not feeling what they're doing then you just kind of look robotic and that's what kind of separates it being a sport to it being an art form."

Who knows, maybe the gold medalist at the Paris Games could come from someone in Australia.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Australia

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie