Korean breakdance team adds more glamour to Paris Olympic

Over 1,500 people in the audience screamed in joy as South Korean dancers performed breakdance to strong beats in the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris on Thursday (local time). French dancers also spun at a fast speed, matching the South Koreans’ performance.

The South Korean dance crew, 1Million, and the French crew, Pockemon Crew, with 20 years of performance experience, showcased a battle performance under the title “Urban Pulse Uprising.” The performance was to celebrate the adoption of breaking in the 2024 Paris Olympics. A member of the audience said that she came early in the morning to watch 1Million’s performance. Another French in the audience said that it was amazing to see this type of performance in Paris.

The performance also garnered the attention of the French cultural community. “The Theatre du Chatelet exclusively hosts ‘cultural elites,’ such as classical music, in France,” said the art director of the Pockemon Crew, Riyad Fghani. “The theater opening its doors to South Korea’s breaking crew is a beautiful thing. The South Korean and U.S. teams will go to the Olympic finals.” The art director of Battle Pro, a French production company, also said that the South Korean team is a big competitor against the French team.

The event organized by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is the first of its Korea Season series to showcase the Korean culture, which will be held for six months from May. The French government is holding the 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad, a culture and art program that has been held across France in the spirit of the Olympics since 2021. The Korea Season will be part of it. “We will further pursue the values of the Olympics, such as sharing and solidarity, through dialogues between art and sports,” said the general director of the 2024 Paris Cultural Olympiad, Dominique Hervieu.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com