Photos by @junmichaelpark @seoulphotographer / In April, I photographed @bboyhongten, one of the most decorated South Korean b-boys, and his crew @flowxl.crew for @royalacademyofdance’s magazine Dance Gazette.

Breakdancing is set to make its debut at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games. Over the past two decades, South Korea’s breakdancers have dominated in international events against American and European competitors and been considered as being among the best of the world. However, in Korea, where creative paths such as breaking and photography are not considered viable, these pioneers have yet to receive proper recognition.

Titled “Breaking the Mould”, David Lee’s piece for Dance Gazette cleverly indicates how these b-boys and b-girls are trying to change Koreans’ perception of street culture. One of them may even break their way to an Olympic medal for the motherland that has not championed these dancers.

Many thanks to Dance Gazette’s editor David Jays for this fun assignment. More images of the FlowXL Crew are searchable and available on my photo archive.

(Text editing by M.)