Central Florida native ready to make debut as break dancing heads to Olympics for the first time

Updated: 9:52 PM EDT May 1, 2024

FRANCE. ONE WEEK FROM TODAY AND THERE IS A LOT OF HYPE AROUND THE OLYMPICS NEWEST SPORT. THEYRE CALLING IT BREAKING, BUT MOST OF US KNOW IT AS BREAK DANCING IS SO COOL. THE TOP AMERICAN IN THE SPORT HAPPENS TO BE A KISSIMMEE NATIVE. WESH 2S SANIKA DANGE FIRST INTRODUCED US TO VICTOR MONTALVO LAST YEAR. SHE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH HIM AGAIN AND NOW HES OFFICIALLY PARIS BOUND. VICTOR. ITS BEEN HIS PASSION SINCE HE WAS TEN, BUT VICTOR MONTALVO SAYS THE OLYMPICS WERE NEVER ON HIS RADAR. THAT ALL CHANGED WHEN THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE ANNOUNCED THE SPORT WOULD MAKE ITS DEBUT IN PARIS IN 2024, AND WHEN WE LAST SPOKE WITH HIM IN APRIL OF LAST YEAR, HE WAS DETERMINED TO CLINCH THE TEAM USA SPOT. IM PLANNING ON JUST GOING UP IN THE MOUNTAINS AND TRAINING LIKE JUST TRAINING, NO WI-FI, NO NOTHING. MORE THAN A YEAR LATER, HE IS OFFICIALLY HEADED TO PARIS, SITTING DOWN DURING THE U.S. OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC COMMITTEES MEDIA SUMMIT. HE SAYS HIS MAIN FOCUS IS TO SHATTER MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE SPORT. I FEEL LIKE ONE OF THE MAIN ONES ARE, UM, IS LIKE US DANCING ON THE ON, UH, WHATS IT CALLED? CARDBOARD FLOOR. ITS LIKE WE DONT DO THAT ANYMORE. THAT WAS LIKE BACK IN THE 80S. HIS FATHER AND HIS FATHERS TWIN BROTHER. TWO PILLARS IN HIS JOURNEY HERE. STILL HIS BIGGEST INSPIRATION TO THIS DAY. I REMEMBER, LIKE YESTERDAY WHEN MY DAD INTRODUCED ME TO BREAKING. I WAS, UH, IT WAS ME, MY COUSIN AND MY BROTHER, UH, BEAT STREET JUST CAME ON ON TV AND MY DAD WAS LIKE, YO, WE USED TO DO THAT BACK IN THE DAYS, AND MY COUSIN WAS LIKE, NO, YOU GUYS DIDNT LIKE YOURE LYING. MY DAD AND MY UNCLE LITERALLY GOING TO THEIR ROOM, PUT ON SOME HOODIES AND THEY JUST START BUSTING OUT WINDMILLS. HEADSPINS. AND WERE ALL LIKE, SHOCKED AND, UM, EVER SINCE THAT DAY, LIKE, WE WOULD JUST PUT ON BEAT STREET, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY, AND WE WOULD JUST, LIKE, MIMIC THE MOVEMENTS OF THE DANCERS IN MANY WAYS. MONTALVO SAYS HIS DAD IS NOW LIVING THROUGH HIM. HIS FATHER ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A BREAKING WORLD CHAMP. HE SACRIFICED A LOT FOR MY BREAKING CAREER. AND, UM, YEAH, IT JUST, LIKE, ALL WORKED OUT, LIKE, LOOK AT ME NOW IM PART OF TEAM USA. BREAKING IS IN THE OLYMPICS. IM LIKE, THE FIRST AMERICAN BREAKER TO GO TO THE OLYMPICS. SO IT, LIKE ALL WORKED OUT, IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. HIS FATHER, NOT THE ONLY ONE IN HIS CORNER. AS HE GETS READY TO HEAD TO THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES THIS YEAR. ALL OF CENTRAL FLORIDA CHEERING HIM ON IN JUST A MATTER OF DAYS. LOOK OUT FOR SUPER AMAZING EXPLOSIVE MOVES, BUT ALSO SO UM, DISTINCTIVE, YOU KNOW, CHARACTERS, YOU KNOW, BREAKING IS ALL ABOUT HAVING STYLE YOUR YOUR OWN IDENTITY AND YOUR OWN CREATIVITY, YOUR OWN ORIGINALITY. SO YOULL HAVE A LOT OF FUN WATCHING BREAKIN

Central Florida native ready to make debut as break dancing heads to Olympics for the first time

Updated: 9:52 PM EDT May 1, 2024

There's a lot of hype around the Olympics' newest sport. It's called breaking, but most of us know it as break dancing. The top American in the sport, Victor Montalvo, happens to be a Kissimmee native. He will be in Paris to compete this summer. "I'm just so excited for everyone to watch breaking and finally understand what it is," Montalvo said.It has been his passion since he was 10, but Montalvo says the Olympics were never on his radar. That all changed when the International Olympic Committee announced the sport would make its debut in Paris in 2024. In April of last year, Montalvo was determined to clinch his Team USA spot. "I'm planning to just go up to the mountains and training, just training. No Wi-Fi, no nothing," Montalvo said. Now, he is officially headed to the 2024 Olympics.He says his main focus is to shatter misconceptions of the sport. "I feel like one of the main ones are like us dancing on the cardboard floor. We don't do that anymore. That was, like, back in the '80s," Montalvo said. Montalvo says his father and twin brother are some of his biggest inspirations to this day. In many ways, Montalvo says his dad is now living through him. His father always wanted to be a breaking world champion. "He sacrificed a lot for my breaking career. It just all worked out. Look at me now, I'm part of Team USA, breaking is in the Olympics, the first American breaker to go to the Olympics. It all worked out. It was all worth it," Montalvo said. His father is not the only one in his corner as he gets ready to head to the games this year. All of Central Florida is cheering him on. "Look out for super amazing, explosive moves but also distinctive characters," Montalvo said. "Breaking is all about having style, your own identity, your own creativity, your own originality, so we will have a lot of fun watching breaking."

There's a lot of hype around the Olympics' newest sport. It's called breaking, but most of us know it as break dancing.

The top American in the sport, Victor Montalvo, happens to be a Kissimmee native. He will be in Paris to compete this summer.

"I'm just so excited for everyone to watch breaking and finally understand what it is," Montalvo said.

It has been his passion since he was 10, but Montalvo says the Olympics were never on his radar. That all changed when the International Olympic Committee announced the sport would make its debut in Paris in 2024.

In April of last year, Montalvo was determined to clinch his Team USA spot.

"I'm planning to just go up to the mountains and training, just training. No Wi-Fi, no nothing," Montalvo said.

Now, he is officially headed to the 2024 Olympics.

He says his main focus is to shatter misconceptions of the sport.

"I feel like one of the main ones are like us dancing on the cardboard floor. We don't do that anymore. That was, like, back in the '80s," Montalvo said.

Montalvo says his father and twin brother are some of his biggest inspirations to this day. In many ways, Montalvo says his dad is now living through him. His father always wanted to be a breaking world champion.

"He sacrificed a lot for my breaking career. It just all worked out. Look at me now, I'm part of Team USA, breaking is in the Olympics, the first American breaker to go to the Olympics. It all worked out. It was all worth it," Montalvo said.

His father is not the only one in his corner as he gets ready to head to the games this year. All of Central Florida is cheering him on.

"Look out for super amazing, explosive moves but also distinctive characters," Montalvo said. "Breaking is all about having style, your own identity, your own creativity, your own originality, so we will have a lot of fun watching breaking."

Excerpt from:

Victor Montalvo represents U.S. in breaking Olympics debut - WESH 2 Orlando