Courtnaé Paul’s Dance Dreams Reach New Heights After Redbull BC One Crowning

The rhythmic thumping of shoes against the pavement echoes through the streets of Durban, where Courtnaé Paul first discovered her passion for the gritty, acrobatic dance style known as Breaking. Today, that relentless heartbeat has propelled the 24-year-old B-Girl to the pinnacle of her craft – crowned the 2024 Redbull BC One South African champion and now feverishly preparing for the pre-qualifiers of Breaking’s historic Olympic debut in Paris.

Paul’s seemingly improbable ascent from the streets of Durban’s township scene to the cusp of sports’ biggest stage is a captivating saga of unwavering passion, redefining expectations, and the perseverance to transform long-shot dreams into reality.

“I remember my first big breakthrough like it was yesterday,” Paul recalls vividly. At just 18 years old, she received a life-changing opportunity – her first sponsorship to compete at a dance battle in Johannesburg. “They booked my flights, but I didn’t even have accommodation sorted. I remember boarding that flight alone and just crying my eyes out from the overwhelming emotion of it all.”

That pivotal first competition, despite the uncertainty surrounding it, proved to be a turning point that launched Paul into the upper stratosphere of the global Breaking scene. In her mind, it was the highlight that set the wheels in motion for everything that has followed.

In the years since that formative Johannesburg trip, Paul has toured nearly 30 countries, showcasing her immense talents on prestigious stages and choreographing for major musical acts. She’s graced the bright lights of New York’s hippest clubs and dazzled discerning crowds from London to Los Angeles.

But looming largest on the horizon is the grandest stage of all – the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Breaking will make its hugely anticipated debut as an official medal event. The Olympic qualifiers represent a chance for Paul and her contemporaries to elevate their urban artform to unprecedented global heights.

“I think one of the biggest challenges we face, especially on this continent, is how isolated we are from the Breaking hotbeds,” Paul explains. “Most of the dancers I’m competing against have access to world-class facilities and trainers. They get to battle against elite talent every single week. For me, I’m lucky if I get that high-level competition experience five times in an entire year.”

The disparities in training opportunities and resources are vast. While many of her rivals have the luxury of working with private coaches and specialized Breaking gyms, Paul has had to be incredibly resourceful. In addition to seeking out affordable gym memberships, she frequently travels to the UK to work with one of her coaches based there – the physical and financial tolls are immense.

When she’s not traversing the globe, Paul commits to a brutally intense weekly regimen in Durban, designed to keep her skills and physical conditioning at peak levels. It includes two 3-hour Breaking practice sessions, 3 hours of strength and conditioning workouts, gym training, rehabilitation sessions and more.

The grind is relentless, but Paul has been molded by a lifetime of grinding just to have a chance to chase her ultimate dream.

“When you come from a place where people don’t expect you to achieve anything, to even make it out of the township, everyone tries to shut you out and deter you from the very beginning,” she says soberly. “The odds are stacked against you at every turn.”

For so many years, South Africa’s support structures for sports – particularly niche disciplines like Breaking – were nearly non-existent. Funding and training facilities were scarce, aspiring stars like Paul were forced to finance their own growth and development from the meager resources available.

Even today, with Breaking’s Olympic inauguration raising its global profile, Paul still faces an uphill climb to receive the full backing and institutional support afforded to more mainstream sports.

“Sporting codes like Breaking still don’t receive the necessary funding and resources here,” she laments. “South Africa has such a long way to go in that regard for arts, culture, and developing elite athletes in disciplines that have been overlooked for so long.”

Yet if her journey to this point has proven anything, it’s that doubters and disadvantages are excellent motivators for Courtnaé Paul. Despite the multitude of obstacles strewn along the path, she has remained laser-focused and undeterred in her pursuit of Breaking’s biggest stage.

“At the end of the day, the life I get to live while pursuing my biggest passion and making a career out of it, that is the ultimate highlight for me,” Paul states emphatically. “I can name all the different countries I’ve traveled to, all the major shows I’ve been part of choreographing. But none of that comes close to the pure joy and fulfillment of waking up every single day to dance, perform, and inspire others through this craft I fell in love with on the streets of Durban.”

With her recent Redbull BC One national championship adding another crowning achievement, the possibility of Olympic glory is tangible for Courtnaé Paul. The dancing flames of desire that first ignited in those Durban streets have been stoked into an unstoppable inferno, carrying her towards the grandest platform Breaking has ever graced. No matter the obstacles, you can be sure the rhythmic thumping of Paul’s shoes will never stop resonating through the pavement.