Spectators might think the floor has springs the way Jeffrey Louis effortlessly bounces into the air, propelled only by the palms of his hands. He smoothly transitions into a series of spins and twists broken up by his quick footwork. Every move he makes corresponds to the beat of the song playing over the speakers around him.
Louis is one of 32 breakdancers – known as “breakers” -- competing at the 2024 Olympic Games.
A lifelong Houstonian, Louis doesn’t know if he would have made it to the world stage if it were not for growing up in Alief — located in the heart of Harris County Precinct 4.
“I’ve been able to just pull from the diverse cultural background that Alief has to offer,” Louis said. “Being in such a diverse city [has] helped me create my own style, my character, and just become a better dancer.”
Breaking, often called breakdancing, made its Olympic debut at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Two years after its success at the Youth Olympics, breaking was introduced as an Olympic sport for the 2024 games.
Created by Black and Latino youths in The Bronx in 1970s New York City, breaking is a uniquely American artform comprised of a mix of different dance elements. Many may only be familiar with breaking through music videos or short scenes in movies, but Louis says adding breaking to the Olympic stage will not only introduce it to more people, it will show breakers that there’s more to aspire to.
“I just don’t want breakers to think that the max or highest level of breaking you can do is to be a background dancer,” Louis said. “There’s more to it. You don’t have to just be a studio owner; you don’t have to be just a background dancer. You can create your own pathway. You can be the main act.”
Breaking will be judged differently than other sports. There are no routines and no pre-chosen music. Breakers, also known as B-boys or B-girls, will face off one-on-one in what are, essentially, improvised dance battles judged on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality.
Louis is currently the 5th ranked breaker in the world.
Breaking into breaking
Louis was first introduced to breaking at age 10 by his older brother, Kenny, who was learning breaking through a program at his middle school. As his brother learned, he taught Louis, who eventually joined the same program and earned the name B-boy Jeffro. When Louis began at Westside High School in Precinct 4, he was urged to join the school’s Inertia Dance Company, where he continued to hone his skills.
Learning to execute complex gymnastic-like moves isn’t what inspired Louis to pursue breaking — it was the ability to connect with the music and share in the collective joy and liberation that comes with breaking.
Since his early start in high school, Louis has forged breaking crews with people from all around the country. But it’s in Alief and Houston where he joined communities of breakers who not only help each other grow through movement but are also committed to helping others in return.
“Houston has the best and strongest [breaking] community in the U.S.,” Louis said. "I’ve been to the west coast, I’ve been to the east, and it’s not like Houston. I've been blessed to have a support system, and the love from my community has been able to help me grow and support the growth of so many others as well.”
Building community, leaving a legacy
After he discovered his passion for breaking, Louis knew it would always be his career. When it was time for him to attend college, he decided to pursue a bachelor’s in sports administration at the University of Houston. It was in his last class — and internship — that he found a way to merge his passion for breaking, fitness expertise, and love of community.
“I was interning at a gym,” Louis said. “The last project of that class was to add value to whatever internship you were working on. It was just a straight training gym where it was just weights. There was no calisthenics, no bodyweight training. So, I wanted to add value by incorporating a new way of fitness.”
Louis decided to take his knowledge of breaking and fitness and create something new. He simplified the complex breaking moves that people are familiar with, added some planks and squats, and created a full body workout that anyone can do.
“There was a lot of trial and error, but over time, testing it out with some of the gym-goers, it started to become something,” Louis said. “I presented [the project] at school to my professor and he was amazed by it. He was like, ‘Hey, I think you have a business going. I think you should create a business.’ So, in 2019, I actually created FitBreak.”
Louis’s FitBreak Workout is located in Precinct 4 and is open to all ages, fitness levels, and sizes. While fitness is core to Louis’s program, so is community. FitBreak hosts competitions and offers free community workout sessions open to everyone.
Louis continues to find ways to support the Alief and Houston breaking community, including lending his time to Houston reVision, a nonprofit based out of Precinct 4’s Gulfton neighborhood that aims to break the cycle of juvenile justice involvement and homelessness.
“[Houston reVision] was the home that all the breakers used to go to,” Louis said. “We all just grew together.”
As Louis makes his debut at the Paris Olympics, he hopes that breakers back home — and aspiring breakers around the world — can see how they too can have a successful career in breaking.
“I just did it for the love of breaking, Louis said. “I want to create a better pathway for other breakers. If I can be a pillar for those that want to get into breaking, that’s what I want my [legacy] to be.”
Breaking competitions at the Olympics will begin Friday, August 9 for B-girls and August 10 for B-boys. Events will be televised live on NBC, USA Network, Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, CNBC, and E!.
Harris County Precinct 4 will be following the Olympics to recognize and support the Harris County athletes. Residents can bring their friends and family to Weekley Community Center to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony on July 26 starting at 11 a.m. Follow Precinct 4’s social media to stay up to date on Jeffrey Louis’s — and other Houston area athlete’s — Olympic journeys.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TEAM USA