What are breaking judges looking for?
I · Intermediate · Judging and penalties · 5 of 8Six things, grouped as body, soul and mind. Technique and variety are the physical quality. Performance and musicality are the interpretative quality. Creativity and personality are the artistic quality. Technique, performance and creativity each carry 20 per cent of a judge's decision, and the other three carry 13.333 per cent each.
How it works
- Technique, 20 per cent: athleticism, body control, dynamics and spatial control.
- Variety, 13.333 per cent: the range of moves shown, "with minimal repetition".
- Performance, 20 per cent: how a set is composed, its impact and how genuine it appears.
- Musicality, 13.333 per cent: moving with the pulse of the music, showing its instruments and its rhythms.
- Creativity, 20 per cent: progress beyond the foundation, response to the opponent and the music, and improvisation.
- Personality, 13.333 per cent: stage presence and character.
- Values that cross over: form and execution affect technique and performance. Confidence affects performance and personality. Spontaneity affects performance and creativity.
- A whole, not a checklist: the manual says the criteria "interlink with one another" and that judges must look at the full performance.
- No required moves: toprock, downrock and freezes are described as the main elements, and none is compulsory.
The glossary has technique, variety, performance, musicality, creativity and personality.
Tricky cases
Are power moves worth more than footwork?
No. The domains do not rank kinds of move. A power move counts under technique, and its effect on the other five areas depends on how it is used.
Does a breaker have to include a freeze?
No. The manual describes the elements of breaking and makes none of them compulsory.
Is copying the opponent's move to mock it counted as creativity?
It depends on the judges. "Response" to the opponent is a creativity value. Taking moves from another breaker is also what the bite penalty is for.
Are these the five criteria talked about at Paris 2024?
No. This version has six domains. Reports of the Paris 2024 judging name five criteria, which suggests a different system was used there.
Why the rule exists
A battle can be lost by a breaker with harder moves if the other dances to the music and answers what was shown. Spreading the decision over six areas, with two for each of body, soul and mind, is how the rules stop athletic difficulty from deciding everything.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| WDSF manual, version 4 | Six domains with the weights above | BRRM 4.3; BRRM 4.6 |
| Paris 2024 | Reported as five criteria: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality | C, not checked |
| Version 16 of the manual | Not read | Not checked |
From the rule book
World DanceSport Federation, Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual, version 4 (January 2023), sections 2.2, 4.2, 4.3 and 4.6 to 4.6.4. Checked 14 October 2026. This version has been superseded; check the current manual. Official document: WDSF Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual (PDF).