Ram Ik/Reuters
Breakdancer Chung Chok-man (former B-boy) dances at the Olympic final selection in Hong Kong, China on December 15, 2023.Reuters/Ram Eek
Reuters
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Cheung Cheuk Man, a plumber by day and breakdancer by night, was disappointed to miss out on an Olympic berth when he made his first breaking appearance at the Paris Games, but Hong Kong's B-boy is nurturing the next talent in the dance world. I would like to contribute to Sports.
The 30-year-old, also known as “Ex,” finished 52nd at the World DanceSport Federation's Olympic qualifying event in Hong Kong in December and 130th in the world, giving him the chance to perform on the biggest stage of all. I grabbed it. summer.
But Chan, who has spent the past 15 years learning breakdancing despite challenges such as a lack of coaches, funding and formal training, is too passionate about the sport to quit.
“It would be even more amazing if I could make it to the Olympics,” Chen said. He needs a day job to pay the rent on his small apartment in the city's industrial Kwai Chung district.
“To be frank, I'm getting older too. If I push myself like I did last year, I might not even be able to do that.
“I don’t plan on quitting dance completely, but I will probably move on to the next phase, which is teaching and nurturing the next generation.”
But that next generation of talent may not be given the chance to dance for Olympic gold. After being added to the Paris 2020 program, breaking was removed from the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
After representing Hong Kong in tournaments from Brazil to Japan, Chung said he needed as much exposure as possible to break out.
“It's important to have the opportunity to be seen by others. It's important to promote culture,” said Chan, who has a tattooed arm and wore silver tunnel earrings.
“Competing against world-class people is a very positive thing. Dancing is a very positive thing, so there's no need to talk at all. It's a matter of communication.”
