From the streets to world’s top level sports competition, breakdancing will finally make its full debut at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris in June.  

The windmills and head-spins recreational pass time will bust out its energetic moves for global audiences – breaking out of its shadow that is linked with malign and dubious young people. News of the Olympian breakout kid was met with great joy and enthusiasm, especially by Gerald James aka Vouks James. 

“The Olympic news came as a green light because it’s everything that I’m passionate about. What these guys [B-Boys and B-Girls] are doing will now have a global impact,” says James.

“I think about the kids in Soweto, from the Cape Flats and even those that have access. The kids from the hood can dream about being an Olympian for breakdancing and raising their country’s flag.” 

The 43-year-old B-Boy is a renowned professional break-dancer and task team member for Breaking Team SA, representing Mzansi at the Olympics later this year.  

“Finally, people will experience the positive impact breakdancing has worldwide, on the community, in families and the youth,” James says.

“I was that kid from the Cape Flats who was not traditionally into soccer and other sporting codes. I was into music and culture. One day I saw these guys breakdancing on SABC 1’s docu-series Take 5. One of our friends recorded it on VHS and every day after school we would watch that tape and learn from it. We were hooked,” he laughs. 

“At school, we would take an extra clean shirt because whenever we had a break we would want to dance and practise what we saw. It was a great distraction from the social ills that plagued our community, which was gangsterism and drugs.”  

Referring to himself as the black sheep in his family, James' unorthodox career path quickly saw him lose favour in the sight of his relatives. Choosing airflares over academics, as a teenager, he decided he had no choice but to make it work.  

James’ incredible acrobatic moves caught the attention of Cape Town hip-hop crew Prophets of Da City. Joining the likes of DJ Ready D and Ramone, he was recruited. From there, his life was never the same.  

“I was the third generation in the group. Being part of that crew led to my many firsts – getting on a bus and taking a plane – travelling outside my community and seeing other communities and how they operate. I then represented SA at different concerts around the world, shared the stage with Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Beyoncé to name a few. For me and where I come from, these stories are just dreams,” James says. 

“It was also around that time when little money started coming in and I could buy groceries. They [his family] began to warm up to me.”

Fast forward to 25 years later, through his foundation, James is guiding talented young people down the Olympic path and giving them the support to make a success of themselves through the sport of breaking.  

“As with all international sports tournament’s codes of conduct, the athletes that are on drugs are not allowed. No rude gestures like holding your genitals, swearing and sexual moves. It’s clean and family-friendly,” he says. 

“When it comes to dance, you must be an all-rounder. You must be able to dance to music and have a solid understanding of the rules that come with the platform.

“We still want to keep it authentic and not just make it a sport. Breakdancing has all these amazing blow moves that you can see in gymnastics but keeping the originality of dance alive.” 

Breakdancing first debuted at the Buenos Aires Summer Youth Olympics Games in 2018. Surfing, sport climbing and skateboarding sports will also debut at the June Olympic Games.