Ejercicio Option B - II · Inglés PAU País Vasco Extraordinaria 2021

OPTION B

BREAKDANCING BECOMES AN OLYMPIC SPORT

In December 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that breakdancing will be included at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. This is part of the Olympics’ long-term strategy to get more young people interested in the Games. The plan also includes adding skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. In addition, there will be mixed-gender teams in some events, which means that we will see men and women competing together in several sports such as swimming, judo, table tennis and triathlon.

The IOC president, Thomas Bach, explained that their priority has been to introduce sports that are particularly popular among the younger generation and celebrated the addition of the new sports and the mixed-gender events that will make the Summer Games “more gender balanced, more youthful and more urban.”

Professional breakdancer B-boy Victor argued that although ‘breaking’ --which is the preferred term among its followers, rather than ‘breakdancing’-- is a style of dance, it will work very well as a sport. “It is essentially competitive,” he explained, “and many of its acrobatic movements are very energetic and show clear connections to gymnastics, martial arts and other Olympic disciplines.”

The breakdancing we know today started in New York City in the 1970s as a way for rival street bands of kids from different neighbourhoods to solve disputes through dancing ‘battles’. Dancers from each band would show off their moves, and the one with the most innovative and complex movements was the winner.

Nowadays, breakdancing competitions typically consist of one-on-one ‘battles’, with three rounds each, in which one competitor ‘breaks’ for about 30 to 45 seconds, and the other responds. Some combinations of movements can be practised, but a lot of them are improvised. A group of judges then picks a winner to advance to the next round.

While many people are happy about its inclusion at the Olympics, some have expressed concerns that the authenticity of breakdancing will be lost. There is a fear that Olympic judges might value technical difficulty over other qualities that make breakdancing unique, such as passion, creativity and quick reactions.

Though it will be new to the Olympics, breakdancing has been at the centre of international events for more than a decade. One of the most important competitions is the World Breaking Battle.

II.- Are these statements True or False? Justify your answers based on information from the text, rewriting the original sentences in your own words or quoting properly. (Choose 2 out of the 3 statements) (2 marks)

1.

People who follow this style of dance prefer to call it ‘breakdancing’ instead of ‘breaking’.

TRUE

FALSE

2.

In a breakdancing round, all movements are prepared in advance.

TRUE

FALSE

3.

There have been international breakdancing competitions for more than ten years.

TRUE

FALSE