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Rachael Gunn

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This article is about the Australian dancer. For the television show, see Rachel Gunn, R.N.

Rachael Gunn
Born
Rachael Louise Gunn

(1987-09-02) 2 September 1987 (age 36)
Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia
Other namesRaygun
Academic background
EducationMacquarie University (BA, PhD)
ThesisDeterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl's Experience of B-boying (2017)
Doctoral advisorDiane Hughes
Academic work
DisciplineCultural studies
InstitutionsMacquarie University
Main interests
Websitewww.instagram.com/raygun_aus/

Rachael Louise Gunn (born 2 September 1987), known competitively as Raygun, is an Australian academic and competitive breakdancer. She is a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University Faculty of Arts.

Gunn gained media attention after competing in breaking at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the sport's debut at the Games. She received a score of zero in battles against three opponents and did not progress past the first round. After her performance, Gunn became the subject of widespread criticism, online abuse and a disinformation campaign. A petition on the website Change.org was set up to call for an investigation into Gunn's position on the Australian Olympic Team, and was later reported by the Australian Olympic Committee for containing misinformation and defamatory content. Change.org subsequently removed the petition.

Early life and education

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Rachael Louise Gunn[1] was born on 2 September 1987[2] in Hornsby, New South Wales.[3] She danced as a child, and was trained in ballroom, tap, and jazz styles.[3][4]

Gunn attended Barker College[5] before enrolling at Macquarie University, where she completed a bachelor's degree in contemporary music in 2009 and a PhD in cultural studies in 2017.[6] Her PhD thesis, titled Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl's Experience of B-boying, explored "the intersection of gender and Sydney's breaking culture".[3][7][1]

Dance career

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Before breakdancing, Gunn practised jazz, tap, and ballroom dancing, and competed in the latter.[8] Her boyfriend, later husband, had been breakdancing for 10 years and encouraged her to try it.[2] She began breakdancing in the early 2010s, when she was in her mid-twenties.[3][4] Gunn paused competitive breakdancing career to complete her PhD, returning to competitions in 2018.[4]

Gunn performs under the nickname Raygun, which is sometimes prefixed with the descriptor b-girl.[6] She is coached by her husband, Samuel Free,[9] and says that she trains three to four hours a day.[10]

Gunn ranked 2nd in the Open B-girl Ranking in 2022[11] and topped the ranking in 2023 in Australia[12] as well as winning or coming in the top three at many Australian breaking events over the past five to ten years.[13] She represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in Paris (2021), Seoul (2022), and Leuven (2023).[6][3] In 2023, she won the Oceania Breaking Championships, securing her spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics according to the qualifying rules.[3][4]

2024 Olympics

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In the breaking event at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Gunn did not receive any points from the judges in each of her three round-robin battles against her opponents, losing 18–0 in all three rounds.[14][a][16] She was eliminated at the round-robin stage after being beaten by Logistx (US), Syssy (France), and Nicka (Lithuania).[17][18] As her performance and outfit did not match her competitors' street style, Gunn was subject to widespread criticism online.[19][20] In response, Gunn shared a quote on Instagram: "don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you".[21] She said she could not compete athletically with her younger rivals,[22] and said she instead wanted to "move differently, be artistic and creative. ... I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way".[8]

Team Australia's Chef de Mission, Anna Meares, later issued a statement supporting Gunn and condemning what she called "trolls and keyboard warriors".[23] Martin Gilian, the Head Olympic breaking judge, said that Raygun had done exactly what breaking is supposed to be about: "originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region", which he said she achieved with her kangaroo hop.[24] He added that the breaking community stood behind her. The World DanceSport Federation also offered the support of their safeguarding officer in case Gunn was experiencing mental health problems due to the media attention.[25][26][27]

In the aftermath of the event, false rumours spread that Gunn's husband, Free, was a national coach involved in the Australian team selection and a judge in the Oceania Breaking Championships through which Gunn qualified. However, the Oceania qualifier did not have Free nor any other Australians on its judging panel, used the same rules as the Paris games, and was open to everyone.[28]

An anonymous petition on Change.org, calling for an investigation into the conduct of Gunn, Anna Meares, and the selection process, garnered thousands of signatures. This petition aimed to hold Gunn accountable for "unethical conduct" at the games, also accusing Raygun of "manipulating the selection process" while calling for a public apology from both Gunn and Meares.[29][30] The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) chief executive Matt Carroll demanded the petition be withdrawn, saying it amounted to "bullying and harassment and is defamatory" and that the AOC was especially offended by the insult to Meares. It stated that the Australian selection was made by 9 independent international judges, and that Gunn was nominated legitimately by DanceSport Australia to the AOC for selection. Gunn is not any kind of officeholder with AUSBreaking nor DanceSport, and no athlete appealed against her selection.[31][32] Thousands had signed the petition[33] before it was withdrawn by Change.org on 15 August, 2024.[34]

On the same day, Gunn posted a video on social media talking of the effect that the trolling expressed on social media had had on her and her family, and asked media to stop harassing her family, friends, and the Australian and broader breaking community. She said she had taken her entry seriously and worked hard to prepare.[34]

Academic career

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Gunn is a lecturer at Macquarie University Faculty of Arts in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature.[6][3] Her research focuses on breaking, street dance, hip-hop, youth culture, and gender in politics. She is a member of the Macquarie University Performance and Expertise Research Centre.

Personal life

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Gunn met her husband, fellow breakdancer Free, at university in 2008.[9]

Publications

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  • Gunn, Rachael (3 March 2016). "The 'systems of relay' in doing cultural studies: experimenting with the 'Body without Organs' in b-girling practice". Continuum. 30 (2): 183–194. doi:10.1080/10304312.2016.1143194. ISSN 1030-4312.
  • Gunn, Rachael (2019). "Nocturnal Paradox: How Breakdancing Reveals the Potentials of the Night". In Stahl, Geoff; Bottà, Giacomo (eds.). Nocturnes: Popular Music and the Night. Pop Music, Culture and Identity. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 147–162. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-99786-5_10. ISBN 978-3-319-99786-5. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  • Gunn, Rachael (18 August 2022). "Where the #bgirls at? politics of (in)visibility in breaking culture". Feminist Media Studies. 22 (6): 1447–1462. doi:10.1080/14680777.2021.1890182. ISSN 1468-0777.

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ A note on judging: "A panel of nine judges score each battle and every round based on five criteria: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality. Each category accounts for 20% of the final score. Judges use a digital slider to score battles. The slider shifts in real-time toward the breaker who is outperforming the opposing dancer in a specific category". Each round leaves one of the dancers victorious.[15] For a fuller explanation of how points are allocated, see here, here or the official Breaking Results book.

References

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  1. ^ a b Rachael Louise Gunn (2017), Deterritorializing gender in Sydney's breakdancing scene: a B-girl's experience of B-boying (catalogue entry), Macquarie University. Department of Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies, retrieved 13 August 2024
  2. ^ a b "RAYGUN". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Rachael Gunn". Australian Olympic Committee. 24 February 2024. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Snape, Jack (20 April 2024). "Breaker Rachael Gunn: 'We are essentially being used to up the Olympic ratings'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ^ The Barker, Issue 67, August 2005, p.24. Download here Archived 13 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ a b c d "Rachael Gunn". Macquarie University. Archived from the original on 7 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ Gunn, Rachael Louise (2017). Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl's Experience of B-boying (PhD thesis). Macquarie University. doi:10.25949/19433291.v1. hdl:1959.14/1275136.
  8. ^ a b Gunn, Rachael (9 August 2024). "Meet Raygun, the Australian academic who made history in Olympic breaking". SBS News (Interview). Interviewed by Wedesweiler, Madeleine. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b Rocca, Jane (3 July 2024). "She is 36, has a PhD and is heading to the Olympics to compete in breakdancing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ^ Gebilagin, Lizza (11 March 2024). "How Rachael Gunn is breakdancing her way to the Paris Olympics". Body and Soul.
  11. ^ "Open Bgirl Ranking 2022 Australia" (PDF). 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Open Bgirl Ranking 2023 Australia" (PDF). 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  13. ^ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (12 August 2024). "How did Raygun qualify for the Olympics? Is she really the best Australia has to offer?". ABC News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Raygun: Judge defends breaking routine that scored zero points at Paris Olympics". Sky News. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  15. ^ Olmedo, Alonzo (11 August 2024). "How does Olympic breaking work? Format, rules, judging and more". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  16. ^ "In Australia, Raygun's zero in Olympic breaking is a perfect score". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Raygun Events and Medals, Paris Olympics 2024". olympics.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  18. ^ Pu, Jason (10 August 2024). "Raygun, The Australian Breakdancer In The Olympics: Explained". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  19. ^ Forward, Devon (11 August 2024). "Olympic Breakdancer Raygun Sends a Bold Message to Her Fashion Critics". Parade. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  20. ^ Stewart, Dodai; Minsberg, Talya (9 August 2024). "The Australian Professor Who Turned Breaking on Its Head". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  21. ^ "'Australia's first Olympic breaker 'Raygun' vows to keep being herself after online hate'". The Guardian. 10 August 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Raygun hits back at online hate as breaking moves at the Olympics go viral". The Independent. 10 August 2024. Archived from the original on 10 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Australia exec upset by trolling of breaker Raygun". ESPN.com. 10 August 2024. Archived from the original on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  24. ^ "Top breakdancing judge praises Raygun's kangaroo move as singer Adele weighs in". SBS News. 12 August 2024. Archived from the original on 12 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  25. ^ Maguire, Ken (11 August 2024). "Breaking community defends b-girl Raygun and is hopeful for return to Olympic program". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  26. ^ "Breaking community shows support for viral b-girl Raygun, says she was trying to be original". KUSA. 9 August 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Paris 2024: Officials support Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn" (video). BBC Sport. 12 August 2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  28. ^ Wark, Tom (13 August 2024). "No, Raygun's Olympic selection not an inside job". Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  29. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (14 August 2024). "Thousands Sign Petition Claiming Olympic Breakdancer RayGun Should Be Held Accountable for Unethical Conduct". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  30. ^ Bonner, Mehera (14 August 2024). "Thousands Reportedly Sign Petition to Hold Raygun Accountable for "Unethical Conduct"". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  31. ^ "Rachael Gunn: AOC defends Aussie breakdancer Raygun against 'disgraceful' online petition". 9news.com.au. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  32. ^ Michaels, Jake (15 August 2024). "Aussie officials condemn petition against Raygun". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Thousands Reportedly Sign Petition to Hold Raygun Accountable for "Unethical Conduct"". Yahoo! News. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Raygun: Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn calls Olympic performance backlash "devastating"". BBC Sport. 15 August 2024. Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
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