GETTING HER BIG BREAK

Flipping and spinning on a studio floor, 17-year-old Royal is a star on China's break-dancing scene, and is aiming for gold at the WDSF Breaking World Championships in Japan this week.

Royal, real name Guo Pu, shot to fame when she won both the youth and adult Asian Championships in June.

She is part of a growing Chinese force in break dancing, which combines acrobatic floor moves, footwork and rhythmic expression to hip-hop or funk music, and was included as an Olympic sport for the first time at Paris 2024.

"At first my grandmother would not let me do breaking, because back then, the dance form's reputation was not very good," Royal told reporters at the studio where she trains in her hometown of Pingyi, in the eastern province of Shandong.

"But, after I achieved some results, she stopped saying anything," she smiled.

Having already won the youth world title in August, Royal will compete alongside other "B-girls" and "B-boys" at the senior world championships taking place Friday and Saturday in Fukuoka, Japan, the country which has long been a powerhouse in the sport.

"I want to win that gold medal for China and show the world that Chinese breaking is getting cooler and cooler," she said.

'Born for breaking'

As a youngster, "my mother signed me up for all kinds of extracurricular classes, such as playing musical instruments, then Chinese dance", Royal explained.

"I also participated in a local children's artistic show for the Chinese New Year. That's when coach Mike saw me."

Mike, whose real name is Li Shilong, told reporters: "She immediately impressed me."

"During her performance I saw a light in her eyes ... It was the kind of light that shows a real passion, a real drive for dance and for art.

"I felt that this girl might have been born for breaking."

Royal has now put school on hold to dedicate her time entirely to dancing.

Like other top athletes in China, she will benefit from easier access to university thanks to her sporting achievements.

Royal describes herself as "not very talkative" and still "pretty nervous before competitions", but says she is able to "open up" on stage.

In addition to her Asian and world titles, Royal won gold at this year's World Games — a top competition for non-Olympic sports.

She has developed a healthy rivalry with fellow Chinese breaker Liu Qingyi, known as "671", who won bronze at the Paris Games.

The country's next generation of break dancers looks promising, with China winning five out of six medals at the youth world championships in August.

Inspiring creativity

"In four years, China has gone from being unknown in the world of break dancing to ranking among the world's top three, and is now seen as the future of breaking," Mounir Biba, a 13-time world champion and head coach of the Chinese team, told reporters.

"There is talent, there is a lot of potential. There are a lot of young dancers in China," he said, adding that financial support from the government was helping the sport grow.

Having breaking in the Olympics has encouraged the surge of interest in China, according to coach Mike.

"Once a discipline is officially recognized as an Olympic sport in China, it's developed very intensively," he said.

Authorities see an opportunity to win international honors, while parents, reassured by break dancing's new respectability, are more willing to let their children practice it.

The Chinese DanceSport Federation now organizes numerous competitions, Mike said, while funds are allocated to training facilities.

The only downside, according to the coach, is that some Chinese dancers do not necessarily fully understand the culture of break dancing, which originated in New York in the 1970s.

"The (skill) difficulty level in China is exceptionally high. However, the understanding of dance and the depth of exploration into dance artistry remains insufficient," he lamented.

"This is an area where we need to learn from Western nations," Mike said. "With break dancing, and other street dance styles — their essence is innovation. I believe that by understanding the core of this culture, Chinese children will become more creative."

Royal is keen to push the sport's creativity.

"I really want to inspire the next generation of B-girls," she said.

"And to do that by passing on the history and the culture of breaking, and developing a style of breaking that's unique to girls."

AFP