Before Breaking makes its debut as an Olympic dance sport at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, athletes from around the world will compete for gold, silver and bronze in Breaking at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham this July.

The Breaking competition will be held at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, the former pig-iron-producing blast furnace that closed in 1971 after almost a century of operation. Since then, the shed at Sloss Furnaces has hosted countless musical and cultural events.

Heart-pounding music will blast from the furnaces during the competition as athletes face off in one-on-one dance battles that showcase their nimble footwork, coordination, fitness and acrobatic moves.

“I think my style is pretty dynamic. However, it seems that the one thing people talk about and notice the most about the way that I dance is that I’m always smiling,” said Sunny Choi, a break dancer originally from Cookeville, Tennessee, and a top finisher at the World DanceSport Federation’s 2021 Breaking Championship. “Breaking, particularly in battles, tends to be very aggressive and confrontational, so it’s not very common that you have dancers on stage who are smiling.”

Breaking will not be the only dance sport at The World Games 2022. The sports program includes three other dance disciplines: Latin, Rock ‘n’ Roll and Standard.

In the Latin genre, there are five dances: samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble and jive. Standard also features five dances: waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep. As the name suggests, Rock ‘n’ Roll dance tends to be fast-paced and includes jumps, throws and flips.

All the disciplines require stamina, agility, strength, coordination, balance and mental resilience – in a word, athleticism.

“Let there be no doubt, these are world-class athletes who will be competing in Birmingham. You must be an elite dancer and undergo years of rigorous training to compete at this level,” said Nick Sellers, CEO of The World Games 2022.

Among the dance athletes scheduled to compete at TWG 2022 are Anna Matus and Gabriele Goffredo, representing Moldova.

The married couple have won 79 dance sport events in their competitive career, currently hold six world championship titles and will be looking for their third consecutive World Games gold medal when they compete in Birmingham. The pair won gold in Latin dance at The World Games 2013 in Cali, Colombia, and The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland.

The Latin, Standard and Rock ‘n’ Roll competitions will take place in the newly renovated Legacy Arena of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.