French legend Biba leads China to Olympic breaking debut

by sportswriters Dong Yixing and Niu Mengtong

 Breaking, also known as breakdancing, has made an extraordinary journey from street corners to the prestigious stage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. For the first time, breaking will be included as an Olympic sport, a milestone moment for dance culture worldwide.

Behind China's impressive rise in the breaking arena stands the legendary French breakdancer, Mounir Biba.

A 13-time breaking world champion, Biba now serves as the head coach of China's breaking team. His journey to legend status began with a life-changing encounter with hip-hop.

"I was 13 years old, and I was playing football. My plan in my mind was to become a professional football player. Then in autumn 1997, they proposed a hip-hop class, which was not even a breaking class, and I fell in love," Biba recalled.

His love for breaking soon turned into an unwavering commitment. "I started to practice six hours a day, seven days a week. Since I was 16, 17 years old. There were plenty of times when I started to doubt or get tired. You need a strong vision, you need to stick with it and keep working out every day," he said.

Biba's dedication paid off as he started performing professionally at the age of 17. By 20, he joined a world-renowned dance troupe and eventually swept 13 world championships, including the prestigious Red Bull BC One individual championship in 2012.

His expertise also led him to become a judge at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina, marking the first connection between breaking and the Olympics. Subsequently, he helped Paris organizing committee president Tony Estanguet advocate for breaking's inclusion in the Olympics.

When China sought to establish its national breaking team, they turned to Biba for his unmatched experience and vision. "When China came to me, I knew the ambition of China - to be the best and to be number one. So my ambition matched. I know I have great athletes full of potential with a lack of experience and knowledge. That's what I'm willing to share with them. I want them to start where I stopped," he explained.

Faced with a young team that started training in 2022 and was officially formed in early 2023, Biba accepted the challenge. Under his guidance, the team progressed quickly, making significant marks on the global stage.

"Breaking is like a bridge between different cultures," said Biba. As a Frenchman, he is proud of helping China thrive while also learning from his time in the country. He hopes breaking can foster more profound Sino-French cultural exchanges and sports cooperation.

Over the past two years, Biba has led the Chinese team in extensive training programs in France and overseen their participation in several international competitions across Europe. His efforts have broadened the athletes' horizons, improved their skills, and enriched their experience. Biba expressed great joy at their rapid improvement and excellent performance. "To be the best you have to be with the best, and you have to beat the best," he added.

As a result, Chinese dancers have set new records in multiple international competitions. Notably, Liu Qingyi won gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, securing an early Olympic spot, while Qi Xiangyu and Zeng Yingying earned Olympic berths through the Olympic Qualifying Series in Shanghai and Budapest.

Biba praised Liu, who claimed the historic first-ever women's breaking gold in Hangzhou last year. "She is definitely the best in the world with the biggest potential. But like I always say, even the best has to prove it, even the best has to show it. She only focused on her goal, which is progressing. She understands her potential, but she also understands her weaknesses, and that's what makes the difference between good and great," he said.

With Olympic competition just days away, Biba and his team are hoping to win first ever Olympic medals in the sport. "The same expectation that I always have for myself is to win, to represent the country, to be proud of ourselves, to prepare ourselves in the best way possible."

"We have made tremendous progress in the last year and a half. So now we can really visualize that competition and say, yes, we can do it," Biba added.

As China and France celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties, breaking has served as one of the many bridges between the two cultures. "It's a universal language that requires the same characteristics - being creative, being yourself. I'm learning through you, you're learning through me. That's why this exchange is what makes breaking so unique," he noted.

Biba has also seen immense potential in the physicality and artistic creativity of the Chinese dancers, advocating for drawing inspiration from China's rich historical and cultural heritage to develop a unique Chinese style.

"China has a great history, a great background in terms of kung fu and everything. So there is a lot of inspiration that Chinese B-boys and B-girls should take from the roots and the history to use," he said.

"Without seeing your face and just by watching you dance, I should be able to know where you come from. Just by seeing your style, [we know] that's Chinese style. This is what we're looking for."

With Biba at the helm, China's breaking team is not just preparing for an Olympic debut - they are gearing up to make history, illustrating how breakdancing can unite cultures and create a global community through a shared passion for movement and expression. Enditem (Cong Feiyang also contributed to this story.)

Xinhua News Agency