There has been no shortage of commentary on the now (in)famous performance from Australian Olympic breakdancer Dr Rachael “Raygun” Gunn. But with all the criticism that has ensued, much of the nation has echoed the sentiments of the father of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, who says, “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part”.
While B-girl Raygun failed to score a single point in the inaugural Olympic event, her fellow Australian athletes proved to be less harsh critics as she received a hero’s welcome ahead of the closing ceremony.
The Australian Olympic squad formed a guard of honour around the 36-year-old as she danced to raucous cheers and was then carried through the streets of Paris on rower Angus Widdicombe’s shoulders where she flaunted her signature kangaroo-paw move.
Raygun bowed out after the round robin stages of the breaking tournament after losing all three battles 0-18. She was the only one of 16 entrants who failed to score a single point in their round robin matches, swept aside by USA rival Logistx, French opponent Syssy and Lithuania’s Nicka, Raygun to end the tournament with a total combined score of 0-54.
During a press conference on Sunday, the breaking competition’s head judge Martin “MGbility” Gilian said that despite the result the breaking community was standing behind Raygun.
“Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” Gilian said.
How breaking is scored
- The competition consists of battles between two athletes. Each battle consists of a number of rounds. In each round one athlete performs first, then the other responds.
- Each round is judged against five criteria: technique, originality, execution, vocabulary – meaning the variety of moves, styles, and transitions – and musicality. Musicality refers to how well the breaker weaves together their moves to the beats.
- While the breaker knows the playlist of songs that the DJ select during the battle, they do not know the exact song they will be dancing to until it blares out of the loudspeakers.
Reuters
“This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
Gilian said the judges make their decisions based on five criteria, and added that Raygun’s level was “maybe not as high” as other competitors.
Source Agencies
