The First Breakdancing Shoes in the Brand's History: A Complete Look at "Nike Jam"

This summer at the Paris Olympics, breakdancing will debut as a new sport. Nike has released dedicated breakdancing shoes known as "Nike Jam." According to Nike, "Nike Jam" was born after six years of development at NSRL (Nike Sports Research Lab). What kind of technology is hidden in these special breakdancing shoes?

Researching Not Only Breakdancing Movements but Also Culture

Breakdancing originated in the early 1970s in the South Bronx, New York, USA. Amidst violent gang conflicts that sometimes led to fatalities, a gang leader who was also a DJ proposed "battling with music instead of violence." This led to the birth of the dance battle format known today.
 
Breakdancing involves a DJ providing music and an MC acting as the host, while breakers (dancers) improvise their dances to the music, competing in creativity. Breakdancing can be categorized into four main elements: TOPROCK, FOOTWORK, POWER MOVE, and FREEZE.
 
"Toprock is dancing while standing, footwork refers to quick foot movements and steps performed while crouching, power moves are acrobatic moves like windmills done on the back and shoulders or head spins, and freeze is stopping the movement in sync with the music. We spent six years analyzing these unique breakdancing performances and studying the history and culture of breakdancing," said an EKIN (a Nike representative responsible for conveying the technology, innovation, and development stories of Nike products).