Breakdancing debuted as an Olympic sport at the 2024 Olympics in Paris — and a Canadian competitor won a gold medal in its first year.
The Vancouver-based Phil Wizard, born Philip Kim, took home the gold in breaking, beating France’s own Dany Dann in the final.
Breaking won’t be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but the art form that began on the streets of the Bronx as one of the four pillars of hip-hop was well represented at this year’s event. The men’s tournament, which took place on Saturday (Aug. 10), was filled with impressive moves as dancers battled each other one-on-one.
Unlike other music-based events like rhythmic gymnastics or synchronized swimming, the breakers didn’t know which songs they would be dancing to, which meant there was a heavy dose of improv. The DJ played plenty of hip-hop classics, from A Tribe Called Quest‘s “Scenario” to Method Man‘s “Judgement Day” to “Live at the Barbeque” by New York/Toronto group Main Source.
Wizard and his competitors busted out some head-spinning moves, showing off the art of breaking to the world after a competitor at the previous day’s women’s tournament made news for different reasons. After going viral for her less-than-crisp bunny hops and sprinklers, Raygun (a.k.a. Australia’s Rachael Gunn), has faced significant backlash and accusations of rigging the process to get to the Olympics.
“I didn’t realize that would open the door to so much hate,” Gunn said in a statement this week. “Which has frankly been pretty devastating. While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”
The tone was different for Wizard, who expressed his thanks on Instagram this week.
“The sheer amount of love and support from this past week has warmed my heart,” he said. “My goal winning aside was to enjoy the moment as much as possible, as it was years in the making coming down to one moment. I didn’t want to let that one moment define me ever, and I wanted to show how much love I have for this art, dance, community, sport. Looking back I can’t help but be in awe of everyone that showed up, both on and off the field. The camaraderie between all the competitors was truly beautiful, all knowing how hard it was to get here.” – Richard Trapunski
Tragically Hip Docuseries ‘No Dress Rehearsal’ Will Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival
A beloved Canadian band is shedding new light on their journey. The Tragically Hip, who are celebrating 40 years since their founding, will premiere a long-promised new Prime Video docuseries at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is directed and produced by late frontman Gord Downie‘s older brother Mike and features never-before-seen footage of the band. It tells the story of their rise to popularity — the band has nine No. 1 albums in Canada and 17 Junos, and is synonymous with Canadian music for many listeners — and the tragic loss of Downie from brain cancer in 2017.
“This project is a labour of love,” said Mike Downie in a statement. “We set out to understand what held the band together, what pushed them apart and how they captured the hearts and minds of so many fans both in Canada and around the world.”
The brand new trailer for the four-episode series features reflections from the band members on The Hip’s ups and downs as well as their final tour with Downie in 2015 after his diagnosis. The interviews are accompanied by concert footage and commentary from well-known Canadians like actor Will Arnett and broadcaster George Stroumboulopoulos. The band’s longtime manager, Jake Gold, serves as an executive producer.
After its TIFF premiere, the series will stream on Prime Video, though no date is available yet. Incidentally, the series follows another recent Prime Video documentary on a Canadian icon dealing with illness: I Am: Céline Dion.
TIFF 2024 is also set to feature appearances from musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Pharrell Williams. The festival runs Sept. 5-15. – Rosie Long Decter
PartyNextDoor Re-Enters Canadian Albums Chart Following Drake Collaboration News
A local star is back on the Canadian Albums chart this week after a headlining-grabbing performance at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage.
PartyNextDoor‘s PartyNextDoor 4 (P4) has re-entered the chart at No. 87 following that headlining show, which saw a special appearance by Party’s longtime collaborator Drake.
After playing his own set, Drake brought PartyNextDoor back to the stage before the show’s end to duet on “Come and See Me” and announce some special news: “We’ve been working on something for y’all,” he said. “When it gets a little chilly, PartyNextDoor and Drake album will be waiting right there for you.”
In the meantime, Party’s own album has seen a resurgence, re-entering the chart where it spent three previous weeks and peaked at No. 13. The album is also on the Billboard 200 albums chart at No. 152 (Canadian Albums only has 100 spots).
Also on the Canadian Albums chart this week, Punjabi artist Navaan Sandhu has debuted at No. 97 with his album, The Finest. Amritsar-born Sandhu has been racking up millions of streams with the album, and the music video for its title track, released two weeks ago, has 2.9 million views.
The chart debut is yet another indicator of Punjabi music’s popularity in the country, with artists like Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla and AP Dhillon seeing similar success on Canada’s charts over the last year.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign‘s Vultures 2 is the No. 1 album in Canada this week. – RLD
