Breakdance with Olympic prospects
Kearny Mesa/Old Town
Breakdancing will be an official sport at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and local b-girls and b-boys have been practicing breakdance maneuvers in hopes of repping Team USA. Throughout the county, breakers are “spontaneously” linking up via “social media,” according to b-girl Melissa Adao, and more formally at the Apex School of Movement and Culture Shock Training Academy.
Photograph by Matthew Suárez
For the recent Olympic qualifiers held on Instagram and Zoom, Adao, a 41-year-old Golden Hill dweller, busted funky grooves up top then got down with traditional footwork and freezes. “There are three judges who score you on the spot, based on a USA Breakin’ scoring system,” she explained. “I made the top eight bracket for all of the Olympic qualifiers I’ve entered, so I am happy!” The wins garnered her a spot at Austin, Texas, where face-to-face battles will ensue, and judges will decide who’ll progress one