OLYMPICS SPOTLIGHT: World Champion breaker, Victor Montalvo, tells DailyMail.com why sports fans need to give ‘art form’ of breaking a chance on debut… but reveals he didn’t know how big the Games were!

The Olympics are now just seventeen weeks away and Mail Sport looks ahead to the Paris Games with a series of interviews, flashbacks and deep dives.

Breaking’s participation in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has raised eyebrows among some spectators, with even the sport’s world champion admitting he was surprised.

Breakdancing may be a young art form that emerged from the South Bronx in the mid-1970s, but Victor Montalvo believes it will take the sports world by storm across the Atlantic if fans are willing to give it a chance.

The Olympics are about to make a breakthrough on the world stage when they make their debut this summer and Montalvo, the reigning world champion, is enjoying the spotlight of Paris – even if he didn’t know how big the Games are.

“I was surprised that the breaking would happen at the Olympics,” the 29-year-old, who competes as ‘B-Boy Victor’, told Mail Sport at Red Bull’s New York office.

‘I never really watched the Olympics. I didn’t know how big it was until I started talking to other Olympians.”

The breaker, who is also a two-time Red Bull BC One champion, is of course eyeing gold to back up his medal at last year’s World Championships, but he believes he and the sport as a whole have just as much to offer. the games.

“It’s just going to bring a completely different atmosphere because it’s bringing hip-hop culture to the Olympics,” says the Red Bull athlete.

“I just want a newer generation to watch this sport, this dance, and get into it, because you don’t need much, all you need is a dance floor, yourself and self-expression. That is it.

“I want fans to know that breaking isn’t just about moves, it’s about movement. It is an art form, but it can also be a sport.

“I just want them to know that the true essence of breaking is about being creative and original, and also about being on the music and bringing your own creative mindset into this dance. So for me it’s an art.’

Breaking originated on the streets of New York City in the 1970s, but has grown into a real dance sport, with fixed rules for fair competition.

As breakdancing is now ready to make the leap to the big stage of the Olympic Games, Montalvo hopes that the sport will remember its origins and that the IOC will embrace the cultural elements of hip-hop – the performing, the DJing, the graffiti, the breaking – will bring to the world. Parisian block party.

During the Games, athletes compete in individual men’s and women’s events, with the breakers competing against each other in spectacular solo battles to impress the judges, with each breaker taking two or three alternating turns – or ‘throw downs’.

Breakers are judged on creativity, personality, technique, variation, performativity and musicality.

But Montalvo explains that to truly beat your opponent, you have to bring your own flair.

“First of all, you have to have your own original style and your own creativity,” he says. ‘Then you have to stay strong from start to finish.’

And each breaker seems to have a different approach to bringing their unique style to the floor, with Montalvo explaining that he has a few signature moves up his sleeve to pair with spontaneity.

“I’m half structured and half improvised,” he adds, explaining his own preparation process.

‘I make sure I have three signatures per round, but at the same time I am also prepared to have a Plan B or Plan C, because you never know what will happen.

‘You have to find a quick way to adapt and improvise in the moment. And that’s what I like about breaking, because it’s so challenging.’

And Montalvo’s own signature moves include his own self-titled move: The Supa Montalvo.

“My friend mentioned it. I just did it randomly out of practice. And since then they just call it a Supa Montalvo. So just for me, like spin on one side or the other side, like in a W shape, or freeze spin.”

It may seem like a foreign language to those who have no idea of ​​the breaking jargon, but spectators don’t have to understand the sport to remain impressed by seeing it performed. Yet they probably don’t realize the level of physical conditioning required to achieve this.

Breaking, according to Montalvo, requires a combination of muscle memory, flexibility, strength and momentum, which he achieves through gymnastics, running, cycling and, most importantly, dancing every day.

But his most unusual pre-match ritual comes just as he’s about to hit the dance floor, as Montalvo reveals there’s one person who gets him in the right mindset.

“I like watching a James Brown concert,” he admits. “I don’t know why it makes me so disconnected, just the way he dances. It’s like, “Man, I want to be like that in battle.” So when I look at him I think, “Okay, that’s what I’m going to do during the fight, just to enjoy myself.”

Aside from James Brown, Montalvo’s real inspiration is his father. He was introduced to breaking by his father, Victor Bermudez, and uncle, Hector, who have been described as “breaking pioneers” as they helped grow the sport in Mexico since the late 1980s.

His father supported Montalvo’s dreams and made sacrifices to ensure they became a reality – even if it meant going against the rest of the family.

Montalvo reveals that some family members discourage him from traveling internationally and playing the sport. He remembers being given the opportunity to participate in an event in Amsterdam, but his mother’s family was convinced he could not attend.

“My father was the only one who was super supportive,” he says. “For me, it crushed my dreams. This was a dream of mine and I had the opportunity to make it come true.

“Actually my dad said you go and he got money from my grandpa because he didn’t have enough money to get a passport. So he gave me a passport and I went to the event.

“After that event, I started flying everywhere. It just became a natural career.”

But now they will all cheer him on in Paris.

“They are so proud,” he emphasizes when asked what his family thinks of his passion. ‘So proud. They honestly didn’t know it would become this big or that I would make it my profession.

“My mother said, ‘What kind of dancing is this? You’re not going to make a career out of this, you’re not going to make any money.’ Now I’m doing very well.’