As we guide young dancers through Breaking the Walls, we want them to encounter real stories from the front lines of elite breaking. That’s why we’re screening the International Olympic Committee’s new docu-series “B-Boys and B-Girls Take the Spotlight | Breaking Life, Road to Paris 2024.” Across four short films—following three women and one man—it unpacks the mental routines, setbacks and small victories that rarely make the highlight reels. Italy’s own Antilai Sandrini, the only Italian breaker featured, shows us pre-dawn conditioning, long travel days, and candid self-doubt, offering our participants a relatable blueprint for turning vulnerability into creative power.

The documentaries dwell on self-talk, emotional-regulation drills and the importance of identity outside competition—precisely the themes our Inner Growth Labs have been exploring since February. On the night, we’ll open with a short introduction to breaking’s Olympic debut, screen all four films (about 60 minutes total), then invite an open-mic debrief on fear, focus and goal-setting before offering sign-ups for one-to-one coaching with our project psychologists. By the end, every BtW dancer should leave knowing that even champions battle nerves, having seen mental-health strategies in action rather than theory, and armed with fresh journaling prompts for the months ahead.

Written by the Breaking the Walls editorial team – 10 March 2025