HONG KONG: Cheung Cheuk Man, a plumber by day and breakdancer by night, was disappointed to miss out on an Olympic berth when breaking made his first appearance at the Paris Games, but Hong Kong's b-boys are the next wave of Hong Kong talent. in dance sports that we want to contribute to the development of.
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 better if we 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 usual, I might not be able to do it.
“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.
Mr Chong, who has represented Hong Kong in competitions from Brazil to Japan, stressed the need for maximum exposure for breakdancing to grow.
“It's important to have the opportunity to be seen by others. It's also important to promote culture,” said Ms Chan, who has a tattoo on her arm and wears silver tunnel earrings.
“Competing against world-class people is a really positive thing. Dancing is a really positive thing. You don't have to talk at all. It's communication.”
(issued March 11, 2024, 06:07 IST)
