Australian dance director Leah Clark breaks ranks and turns on Raygun
Breaking pioneer Leah Clark has dramatically stepped out of line and spoken out about viral breakdancer Raygun.
Rachael Gunn has sparked a wild storm since her appearance at the Olympics and now says she is “devastated” by all the hate directed at her.
The 36-year-old lost three fights in her Olympic breakdancing debut, but inevitably made the sport famous with her controversial performance.
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7NEWS reporter Grace Fitzgibbon said: “While Olympians continue to publicly support Raygun, cracks are beginning to appear within the breaking community, with members of the sport’s governing body wondering what the 36-year-old was thinking.”
These early signs of cracks were uncovered by Clark, treasurer of AusBreaking in Queensland.
“To be honest, I was personally a little disappointed with some of their decisions,” Clark told Triple J.
“I wondered why maybe some coaches didn’t step in to see what she was doing.”
The kangaroo jumps and rolling around on the floor were ridiculed all over the world.
“It really affected us. Some of our B-girls were crying because of it,” Clark, who also runs a dance school in Brisbane, told the Guardian.
“How do I go to work now and try to get our sponsors and grants to break programs (for a sport) that has just been ridiculed? And how can we represent our country in other world-level events when Australia has been ridiculed? … This actually affects us on a much bigger scale than just memes.”
US comedian Jimmy Fallon publicly made fun of her on his world-famous “Tonight Show” with the help of an impersonator.
And a News Corp journalist wrote: “On a field where the other competitors looked young and fresh, we were the old-fashioned mum… And yes, she used the sprinkler.”
A controversial petition – which has since been withdrawn but had over 45,000 signatures – also asked why “outstanding female breakdancers such as G Clef and Holy Molly… were unfairly overlooked at the Games”.
That petition – launched by “Someone Who Hates Corruption” – called for a “public apology” from Gunn and Australia’s Chef de Mission Anna Meares “for misleading the Australian public, attempting to manipulate the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes.”
Raygun, who will spend the next few weeks in Europe, has hit back at her critics.
“I didn’t realize that this would also open the door to so much hate, which was, frankly, quite devastating,” she said in a video message.
“I went out there and had fun, I took it very seriously.
“I worked my ass off preparing for the Olympics and really did my best.
“I am honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of Breaking’s Olympic debut.”
She also urged everyone to stop harassing her family, friends and the Australian breakdancing and street dancing community in general.
“Everyone has been through a lot because of this, so I ask that you continue to respect their privacy,” she said.
