霹雳舞是2024年巴黎奥运会中增添的一项新赛事。这种舞蹈形式极具创意，而且对舞者的体力要求也很高。舞者需要完成一系列高难度的动作，比如在倒立时定格、头顶地板旋转。但有些人担心，如果将霹雳舞变成一项以赢得奖牌为目的的运动，则可能会抑制舞者的创意。本文围绕霹雳舞的奥运首秀展开讨论。
词汇：breakdancing 霹雳舞
Have you heard of these dance moves? The lego leg? A clock blender? Helicopter? Don't worry. By the end of the summer, you may know all these words! Paris is preparing to host the Olympic and Paralympic games, and a new sport will be making its debut.
Breaking is also known as breakdancing. The dance sport is characterised by stylised footwork, acrobatic movements and freezing, where the B-boy or B-girl stops all movement, often upside down and balancing on one hand. From power moves like windmills and head spins, breakdancers really push the limits of physicality and creativity.
It was in the streets of the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s that breaking emerged as a revolutionary dance form, deeply rooted in hip-hop culture. It's come a long way from there to the world stage in Paris. Athletes from around the world will showcase their skills in one-on-one battles, where each dancer has 60 seconds to impress the judges with their improvisation and proficiency in six criteria: creativity, versatility, performance skills, personality, technique and musicality.
However, as breaking moves from a lifestyle to a competitive sport, some fear it risks losing its spontaneity and creativity. Thorsten Sufke, President of the Berlin Dance Sport Association, emphasises that breaking is an expression of urban culture, representing the raw energy of the streets, while B-Boy Carl Ferdinand Beccard expresses concerns that the Olympic format may suppress the artistic freedom of breaking, reducing it to a checklist of predefined moves.
Whichever way you look at it, you can expect thrilling dance performances never before seen at an Olympics this summer.
词汇表
breaking 霹雳舞
stylised 风格化的
acrobatic 杂技般的
freezing 定格动作
B-boy 男霹雳舞者
B-girl 女霹雳舞者
windmill “风车” 动作
head spin 头转动作
push the limit 突破极限
root 在…扎根
hip-hop 嘻哈
showcase 展示
battle 对抗赛
improvisation 即兴表演
proficiency 水平，能力
versatility 多样性
musicality 音乐性
spontaneity 自发性
predefined 预先明确的，预先设定的
move 动作
测验与练习
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What is freezing?
2. Where did the sport of breaking first start?
3. What criteria will dancers be judged on?
4. True or false? Thorsten Sufke thinks breaking is a reflection of street culture.
5. Why does Beccard think breaking at the Olympics might restrict creativity?
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. The two runners are head-to-head and _______ for first place.
breaking freezing rooting battling
2. I don't know how anyone can do a _______. It must hurt!
versatility spontaneity improvisation head spin
3. I love all kinds of music including classical, reggae and _______.
hip-hop predefined stylised acrobatic
4. Wow! Look at the costumes of those _______. They look so cool.
windmills head spins B-girls moves
5. I'm watching a lot of English TV to improve my language _______.
musicality proficiency energy checklist
答案
1. 阅读课文并回答问题。
1. What is freezing?
It means the B-boy or B-girl stops all movement, often upside down and balancing on one hand.
2. Where did the sport of breaking first start?
The sport of breaking first started in the streets of the Bronx in New York.
3. What criteria will dancers be judged on?
The six criteria dancers will be judged on are creativity, versatility, performance skills, personality, technique and musicality.
4. True or false? Thorsten Sufke thinks breaking is a reflection of street culture.
True. Thorsten Sufke emphasises that breaking is an expression of urban culture, representing the raw energy of the streets.
5. Why does Beccard think breaking at the Olympics might restrict creativity?
Beccard expresses concerns that the Olympic format may reduce the sport to a checklist of predefined moves.
2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。
1. The two runners are head-to-head and battling for first place.
2. I don't know how anyone can do a head spin. It must hurt!
3. I love all kinds of music including classical, reggae and hip-hop.
4. Wow! Look at the costumes of those B-girls. They look so cool.
5. I'm watching a lot of English TV to improve my language proficiency.