Breaking made its long-awaited debut at the Paris Olympics on Friday – and the routine of an academic dancer called ‘Raygun’ has left fans questioning whether the street performance art has a role to play in the global contest of champions.
A clip of the 36-year-old – real name Rachael Gunn – quickly went viral as she awkwardly squirmed on the dance floor with her hand on her chin to end what was already a confusing and chaotic routine.
The video was taken from her face-off against France’s Syssy (Sya Dembélé) in the second of three qualifying matches on Friday afternoon – and the Australian ultimately scored no points against any of her three rivals.
Ms Gunn is, however, Australia’s top-ranking breakdancer and an expert researcher on breaking who works for Sydney’s Macquarie University as a creative arts researcher specialising in ‘the cultural politics of breakdancing’.
But as videos of the performance circulated on the internet, users shared their thoughts on all things Raygun, from her stage name, outfit choice, and overall performance.
B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia competes during the B-Girls Round Robin
Fans shared their thoughts online after Australian breaker Raygun’s rough performance
The veteran bgirl (‘breakgirl’) bowed out of the competition with her head held high after competing against athletes half her age
The competition saw the Australian face-off in street battle-style dance contests (pictured here against the US dancer Logistx)
Raygun said of her moves: ‘Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t’
‘I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer,’ one user wrote.
‘Never watched breaking before but I can already tell Raygun doesn’t have a chance in this event,’ another added.
‘Raygun breaking looks like 5 year old me going up to my mom like ‘look what I can do’,’ a third quipped.
Regardless of her performance, other users commended the Australian for her confidence and courage. However, they did not let that excuse the non-Olympic quality performance.
‘Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there,’ one user suggested. ‘But this was the most second hand embarrassment I’ve ever felt.’
‘Raygun from Australia is my Olympic hero actually,’ another added.
Meanwhile, a sixth user wrote: ‘Raygun, I’m sure you’re a sweet lady, but man,’ with a laughing and crying emoji.
But the professional dancer appears to have shaken off her haters – sharing an Instagram post from the World DanceSport Federation featuring a photograph of her, accompanied by a motivational quote, on her ‘Stories’ feed.
Attributed to Raygun, the quote reads: ‘Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.’
And despite questions over her routine, there’s no doubting Raygun’s credentials – whether on the mean streets of Sydney or behind a desk at Macquarie University.
Raygun was the Australian Breaking Association’s top ranked bgirl (‘break-girl’) in 2020 and 2021.
She represented her country at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and won last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships – victory at which secured her position as Australia’s Olympic bgirl.
At Macquarie – where her academic photograph shows her in dance-friendly loose fitting jeans and a red jacket – she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students while undertaking research projects on street dancing, particularly around women trying to break into the scene.
Among her publications are ”Don’t Worry, it’s Just a Girl!’: Negotiating and Challenging Gendered Assumptions in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene’ and ‘Where the #bgirls at? Politics of (in)visibility in breaking culture’.
She also wrote, seemingly with simmering anger, about the idea that breakdancing being included in the Olympics was a ‘gag’ in a paper alongside another researcher and fellow breaker, Lucas Marie.
They wrote in their abstract, published in Global Hip Hop Studies, that the Olympics could bring about ‘wider recognition and legitimization of the dance’ as well as open up opportunities for breakers to make more money and elevate their careers.
The 36-year-old is also a former jazz and ballroom dancer and is married to husband Samuel, who introduced her to the sport.
The 2024 Paris Games are the first time breaking has been included as an Olympic sport – but it is not on the slate for the 2028 event in Los Angeles.
Raygun went 0-3 on Friday, losing to Logistix (USA), Syssy (France), and Nicka (Lithuania)
She was eliminated during the group round robin – but said she was pleased to have ‘done her thing’
And the dance-off format brings with it a whole host of new additions to the competition – including competitors performing under their ‘street’ names rather than their full names.
Among them is 671, a Chinese teenager believed to be the first Olympic athlete without a letter in her recognised competitive name.
Competitors also size each other up on the stage and watch one another as they throw down. Raygun’s French rival Syssy, 17, caused some consternation by starting her own routine before the Australian had properly finished.
Raygun finished the group round robin 0-3 against Team USA’s Logistix, the aforementioned Syssy and Nicka of Lithuania.
And while she has bowed out of the competition, the academic says she is simply happy to have taken part in that rare thing: the birth of a new Olympic sport.
‘I’m super excited to be a part of bringing breaking to the world,’ she said.
‘It is such a phenomenal atmosphere, and a privilege to get this opportunity.
‘All my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is all about.’
