Ballyvolane breakdancer:  Hoping to represent Ireland in  the newest Olympic sport 

Breakdancing — or breaking as it is now known — will be part of  the  Olympics in 2024. Cian Mulcahy hopes to be there 

Cian Mulcahy from Ballyvolane, who is an active breaker, said it would be an 'absolute honour' for him to represent Ireland in the Olympic Games in 2024 if selected.

Eyebrows were certainly raised in sporting circles when the International Olympic Committee recently announced that breakdancing — or breaking as it is now known — is to be included in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Breaking will join surfing, skateboarding and wall climbing, and it has certainly ruffled a few feathers in the process, particularly those involved in squash.

Hearing that squash was still knocking on the front door of the Olympic club after many years surprised me. So one can imagine how galling it must be for those invested in the game to see breaking — and even beach volleyball (remember that furore?) for that matter — jump the queue and gain entry to this exclusive club.

I think what surprised most people was that breaking even still exists, with many assuming it been dumped into the '80s fad bin. Not so. The scene has continued to evolve and break (pardon the pun) new ground and it has definitely moved on from the days of placing a piece of cardboard on a street corner. 

The inner B(break)-boy in me did a back spin, a caterpillar crawl followed through with a body pop on hearing the news. I nearly did my back in the process, but them are the breaks (real bone breaks now and not the DJ breaks).

Cian Mulcahy from Ballyvolane is an active breaker and said that 'breaking is extremely complex and difficult to judge and it’s important that it is looked after by the people who understand the culture and know what it really means'.

I did try the moves back in the day, but trying to back spin on a primary school floor just didn’t cut it. Plus we were missing the turntable decks or even the regulatory ghetto blaster (remember them?) and my slightly rural setting didn’t really add to the whole ‘street’ vibe either.

Having grown up in the early '80s and getting my feed from those ‘Beat Street’ series of films that showcased breaking, I loved the energy and the amazing (if mind boggling) movements of those dancers — as well as everything else associated with the hip-hop scene including the DJs, the MC battles and graffiti.

Just as turntablism is still going strong, breaking never went away. Olympic purists might shrug at its addition; but hey, if you can back spin and perform other spectacular acrobatic moves, surely it deserves to be recognised at an Olympic level?

If anything, it will bring breaking to a whole new audience, which can’t be a bad thing, especially for the World Sport Dance Federation (WSDF), which worked tirelessly to get breaking into the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires two years ago.

WSDF president Shawn Tay said in a recent statement that it was "a historic occasion", not only for B-boys and B-girls, but for all dancers around the world.

Professor Griff Rollefson, from UCC's department of music — who is undertaking the world’s first global study of hip-hop, having received a €2m research grant — said the addition of breaking in the Olympics would be a wonderful boost for young people involved in this activity.

"It doesn’t surprise me at all when you think about the blend of artistry and technique and, once people see it, they will understand. For example, the breaking scene in Japan is very community centered and they have done it right. It’s the Japanese breakers and the French who have really pushed for it to be included in the games," he said. 

According to reports, the official format will have 16 B-boys and 16 B-girls competing in one-on-one battles and it will be the first time any dance sport discipline has appeared at an Olympic Games.

Active breaker Cian Mulcahy, from Ballyvolane in Cork and currently based in Vancouver, has been breaking for 10 years and is a member of the Cork crew, Rhythm Rebels.

He feels this is a fantastic opportunity for the dance and could act as a platform for more children and adults to get into breaking.

"For me personally, it has helped me in so many aspects of my life including building my confidence, keeping myself fit and healthy, staying out of trouble and just challenging myself on a daily basis in a fun environment," he said. 

"Breaking is extremely complex and difficult to judge and it’s important that it is looked after by the people who understand the culture and know what it really means. This is still a dance to me and it always will be." 

Cian is very involved in the scene in Canada and regularly competes both there and in the United States, and he has certainly made a name for himself.

"I’m currently being mentored by a Canadian legend, Bboy Puzzles, and he has really transformed my breaking to a new level. The scene very much focuses on the style and complexity and originality, which really suits my breaking and it’s extremely inspiring for me to be here in that scene," Cian said. 

He added that it would be an "absolute honour" for him to represent Ireland in the Olympic Games in 2024 if selected.

"I have some personal goals over the next three to four years to really break through and put my footprint on the international scene, so this really aligns with my goals." 

All eyes will be on Paris in 2024 and it will make for a very interesting Olympic Games. 

I’d love to try breaking again, but I just need to watch those hips and that dodgy knee — and my back isn’t as good as it used to be. Then again, maybe I’ll sit this one out. Safer all round. 

I could take up squash maybe.