This story was updated on September 4th.
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On August 10th, the first-ever Olympics women’s breakdancing competition was held. While Snoop Dog was in attendance, a performance by 36-year-old Australian academic Rachael “Raygun” Gunn went viral, making “breaking” one of the most talked-about competitions at the Olympics.
For those expecting head spinning and backflips, there was some confusion. Raygun’s performance was heavy with kangaroo hops, and the athlete writhed on the ground. It was a meme-perfect moment quickly picked up on TikTok, where both her uniform and unique moves were mocked. But, many Australians named her an Aussie icon, unfairly pilloried for having a go and rushed to her side.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese even weighed in at a press conference, saying: “It’s an Australian tradition for people to have a go. She’s had a go representing our country, and that’s a good thing.” A post from The Inspired Unemployed heralding her “The New Queen of Australia” received supportive comments from accounts like Miss Double Bay, The Betoota Advocate, and Australian beauty mogul Zoë Foster Blake, Steph Claire Smith and even the ABCNews Instagram account.
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Meanwhile, breaking head judge Martin Gilian has backed an official statement by AusBreaking which condemned the “global online harassment and bullying of Raygun.”
Gunn defended herself on the grounds of creative expression. “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do their power moves,” she said, according to ABCNews, “What I bring is creativity.”
As the week has rolled on, the conversation about Gunn has moved on from debating what bad breakdancing versus good breakdancing is, to something more complicated. Now, there’s a petition with 40,000 signatures at time of writing calling for a public apology from Rachel Gunn and Anna Meares.
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She has now directly addressed the controversy, and the Australian Olympic Committee has called for a halt to the harassment of Gunn. And, now she’s back on Gunn is back on Australian soil and rumoured to be fielding offers from local television networks and ready to appear on The Project.
Here’s everything you need to know about her saga to date, her upcoming appearance on The Project, and her speculated television deals.
Who Is Rachael Gunn?
Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn is a 36-year-old university lecturer from Sydney with a PhD in cultural studies. According to her About section on the Macquarie University website, Gunn is an interdisciplinary researcher interested in the cultural politics of ‘breaking’. Gunn holds a PhD in cultural studies and a bachelor’s in contemporary music.
While Gunn earned zero points for her performance at the Paris Olympics, the Australian Breaking Association has recognised her. She was the Association’s top-ranked b-girl in 2020 and 2021 and represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in Paris 2021, Seoul 2022, and Leuven (Belgium) 2023. She also won the Oceania Breaking Championship in 2023, which qualified her for the Olympics.
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Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s Response To The Controversy:
Rachael Gunn shared her response to the controversy around her breaking performance in a video on Instagram after almost a week of global attention.
She thanked the people who had supported her, saying, “I’m glad I was able to bring some joy to your lives. That’s what I hoped.” Gunn then addressed the response to her performance: “I didn’t realise that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.” Gunn insisted that despite allegations her performance lacked effort that while she “had fun” she “worked her butt off” to prepare. She then said: “In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around… please refer to the recent statement made by the AOC (Australian Olympics Committee), as well as the posts on the AUSbreaking Instagram. This post clarifies that while Gunn has been accused of setting up her own governing body for Breaking “AUSbreaking was founded in 2019 as a registered non-profit organisation.”
Gunn ended her post by saying she would be in Europe for a few weeks for “pre-planned downtime” and that she would be open to questions on her arrival back in Australia. She finally requested press leave her friends, family, acquaintances and community alone. “I would really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community.” “Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I would like to ask you to please respect. their privacy,” she summarised.
What Was The Change.org Petition Against Rachael Gunn About?
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On August 12th, a petition started by an account called “Someone who hates corruption” went live on Change.org. The petition called for “immediate accountability and transparency” into Rachel (sic) Gunn and Chef de Mission Anna Meares’ actions involving Gunn’s selection process.
On August 15th, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) condemned the petition. As reported by Fox Sports, AOC chief executive Matt Carroll described the petition as “appalling” and with “no factual basis.” He described it as an affront to Anna Meares, who had no role in overseeing the nomination of Olympic athletes.
Carroll said: “It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way. It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. We are demanding that it be removed from the site immediately.”
The selection process has been described as flawed from the outset, as the Australian breaking community had to source potential competitors with little notice following inclusion in the Olympics. However, the petitioner alleged unethical behaviour on the part of Gunn and Meares and requested a public apology by Dr Rachael Gunn, a full investigation into the selection process, and an audit of Gunn’s business dealings.
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It accused Rachel Gunn of “setting up her own governing body for breakdancing”, a allegation since refuted by AUSbreaking and asserted she “manipulated the selection process to her own advantage.”
The petition accused Rachael Gunn of withholding funding from the Northern Territory breakdancing group NT Youlong Boys, which the petitioner describes as an “incredibly talented and underprivileged youth.”
Meanwhile, Carroll said: “It’s important that the community understands the facts and that people do not form opinions based on malicious untruths and misinformation.”
As of August 16th it appears the petition has been removed.
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What Was The Controversy Around Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn About?
Cultural Appropriation:
Gunn said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald in July this year that breaking was all about “observing what’s come before and leaning into those historical roots without plagiarising.” However, some strongly feel that her performance missed the mark when it came to treating breaking respectfully.
Commenters online have raised frustration and concern around cultural appropriation.
The Guardian Australia posted a video of retired track cyclist Anna Meares, Australia’s “Chef de Mission” (the person in charge of a national team at international sports events), addressing the Gunn controversy.
Meares hit back at “trolls and keyboard warriors” who she said had “belittled” and praised Gunn for persisting in a male-dominated sport. The comments section reflected a different sentiment. “
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Judges made the right call here because what was that move lol #Olympics #Breakdancing pic.twitter.com/sXAs9AdHjX
— MⓞNK BLOODY P👑s (@MonkeyBlood) August 9, 2024
Australian model Succubus Mami wrote: “All for women in sport, but not here for a middle-class white woman and her white tears making breaking her entire identity – when it absolutely wasn’t made for her. She has so many ways to express herself as a white woman yet she has to choose breaking? And make it her entire identity? Embarrassing. She is from Australia though & what she’s doing is Australia’s whole deal…”
The comment refers to breaking’s origins in the 1960s and 1970s in the Bronx, New York. According to Breaking GB, it was created by working-class African American, Latino, and Caribbean immigrant youths.
On Gunn’s pinned post, a comment from the handle @trap.a.holics read: “I’m sorry, I am 41 years old was born in the Bronx, New York, where hip-hop originated and started from. This is disgusting to see. I’m sorry I don’t care what anyone has to say about it. Do not make a mockery of my culture’s art.”
On a separate post from The Guardian Australia, a person posting under the handle @sean_curtis wrote: “I was deeply disappointed by what I saw at the Olympics… Hip-hop isn’t just something you can join; it’s a spirit that either resides in you or it doesn’t. You either grow up with it, or you don’t. While I have no issue with people engaging in hip-hop art forms, what we saw this weekend was not only an embarrassment to Australia but also a mockery of hip hop culture… honestly, I’m more frustrated with the committee than with Raygun” (you can read the comment in full here).
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The Pushback From Sporting Circles:
Firstly, other sporting experts resisted her participation in the Olympics on the grounds of an academic critique. University of New South Wales professor and Australian Rugby League commissioner Megan Davis criticised Gunn’s motivations for participating in the competition, accusing her of participating to bolster her academic study. “Getting zero points on purpose in three rounds for an academic study subsidised by the taxpayer both at a university and Olympic level isn’t funny and isn’t ‘having a go,” Davis said, according to Nine, World Wide Sports. “It’s disrespectful to other competitors, and I’m glad most Aussies aren’t buying the Kool-Aid.”
It’s important to note that accusations Gunn received funding from the Australian Sports Commission or Macquarie University to support an “academic trip” to the Olympics have been debunked.
Do Breakers Want To Be In The Olympics, Anyway?
Breaking was added to the Olympic roster at the last minute, following a failed attempt by the World Dance Sport Federation to include ballroom dancing in the Games. When it was decided ballroom dancing was “too outdated”, breaking was included. But not all breakers felt this was appropriate.
While Davis and other sporting figures are critical of Rachael taking spots from other athletes who might have competed in a more traditional way, “breakers” have expressed ambivalence about breaking being included in the Olympics full stop. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that breakers who they spoke to anonymously expressed little interest in breaking being included in the Olympics – although they did express support for Gunn.
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In a follow-up piece, The Sydney Morning Herald spoke to breakers who were ambivalent about the Olympics. Lowe Naplan, a top dancer who became an administrator, said, “The only reason I did it was because no one else would do it. I never really thought of [breaking] as a sport… it will always be a culture and an art form first.” The Herald reported “an undercurrent of bemusement running through a subculture that may be too cool for the Games.” They reported that high profile b-boy Serouj Aprahamian had actually created a petition demanding that the WDSF leave what he saw as an art alone. He said “the action is immoral, illogical and insulting.”
Wild this take is literally in the conclusion of her paper on the topic & she still took up all that space with those moves on the largest possible international platform. But please, Raygun, tell me more about your concern for historically-marginalized folks being left out. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/4mxlqor78s
— beckab (@beckab) August 11, 2024
What Is Dr Rachael Gunn’s Thesis About?
As some pointed out, Raygun’s thesis strangely reflects a similar sentiment. As an X poster pointed out, the conclusion of her paper indicates concern about the alignment of an institution like the Olympics with the accessibility and culture of breaking. Her non-conformist approach to the sport certainly spoke to the framing of it as an art practice rather than a competitive sport. “Creativity is really important to me. I go out there, and I show my artistry. Sometimes, it speaks to the judges; sometimes, it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art.”
While the discussion has generated plenty of headlines, it may be the last time breaking appears at the Olympics. The Economic Times reported that the Los Angeles Olympics’ organisers have not flagged breaking in their choices of new sports to introduce, and it is also unlikely to appear in the next two Summer Games.
Meanwhile, there’s no ETA on the discussion around breaking at the most recent Olympics will die down.
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Where Can You Watch Raygun’s ‘The Project’ Interview?
As she promised in her Instagram post, Raygun is back on Australian soil and ready to tell her side of the story. She will appear on The Project tonight (September 4th) at 6:30 and on 10Play.
In a trailer released by The Project, Gunn seemed unapologetic and frank. Aly asked her if she “genuinely” thinks she’s “the best female breaker” in Australia, and Gunn responded, “I think my record speaks to that.” Gunn’s television presence may expand beyond The Project, YahooLifestyle has reported she has multiple local networks have been competing to secure Raygun for their programs. A source told YahooLifestyle: “Love her or hate her, Raygun is one of the most talked about Australians.”
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Ruby Feneley
After completing a Bachelor of Arts at The University of Sydney (English Literature/Gender and Culture Studies), Ruby started her Australian media career as a media and marketing reporter for Mumbrella after a brief stint working in fashion marketing in New York. An ex-makeup artist, she quickly transitioned to beauty journalism and has held multiple in-house positions as a beauty editor. Ruby’s writing can be found across print and digital titles, including Dazed, GRAZIA, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Body and Soul, Refinery29, POPSUGAR, Marie Claire and ELLE. Now, she loves covering internet subcultures, TikTok trends, sex and relationships and fashion as much as she loves scouring shopping aisles for the best non-sticky lip gloss and tracking down the perfect pencil for a faux freckle.
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