A dance competition full of emotions. Breaking heated up the audience in Nowy Sącz

The breaking competition at the 2023 European Games was a real hit. The amphitheatre in Sagittarius Park was packed to the brim with spectators, who were immediately swept away by the energy carried by this dynamic sport.

Crowds of fans in Park Strzelecki

The amphitheatre in Strzelecki Park in Nowy Sącz was filled to the brim with an engaged audience. Fans cheered their favourites and loudly applauded the most spectacular performances. Dancers from fifteen countries turned the stage into a real arena of breakdancing duels. They danced in a tournament format. On the first day, the Round Robin group phase took place, during which four groups of four competitors competed. On the second day, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals took place.

The gold medals went to the Dutch and French representatives

The stakes were doubled as the gold medallists will be travelling to Paris next year. Emotions were at their peak during the finals. The bboys and bgirls did not lack a real sporting will to fight. One of the two French representatives, Bboy Laget, tried to fight his way through to the next stage despite an injury sustained during the quarter-finals. Unfortunately, he had to abandon the duel this time too, as the injury was too serious.

The gold medal in the Bgirls category was won by the Dutch representative, seventeen-year-old India Sardjoe, known as bgirl “India”. In the bboys category, the winner was the other French representative bboy “Danny Dann”.

Polish Bboy from Krakow

Representing Poland, Igor Wypiór, known to the breakdancing public as Bboy “Wigor”, comes from Krakow. Despite his young age, he has been breaking for over ten years. He stresses that physical endurance counts in breaking just as much as a sense of rhythm. Igor has been training almost every day for over ten years.

“It’s an art, but also a very physically demanding dance, a sport. I started about 11 years ago. When I was about 9 or 10 years old I saw dancers at the market square in Krakow, because I come from Krakow. I asked my parents to sign me up for classes,” is how he describes the first steps in his lifelong passion for dance.

Wypiór noticed that, as an Olympic sport, breaking would be more noticed and the athletes appreciated.