The Raygun phenomenon
Introduced by Australian Story presenter Leigh Sales.
When Australian B-girl Raygun took to the stage in the breaking at the Paris Olympics in 2024 she inadvertently became a viral sensation and cultural flashpoint.
Her unique moves spawned thousands of memes, sparked heated debate and unleashed wild conspiracy theories.
It was a devastating response for one person to shoulder and garnered sympathy and support for Raygun aka Rachael Gunn.
The intense global reaction also caught the attention of comedian Steph Broadbridge, who was inspired to write an unauthorised musical parody or 'empathetic piss-take'.
It may have seemed a very Australian response to a confounding cultural moment, but like everything with this story, it was complicated.
This episode of Australian Story aims to break it down and shed some light on the fallout from breaking's debut at the Olympics.
(Rachael Gunn declined an invitation to be involved.)
Watch 'Break It Down' at 8pm Monday June 23 on ABC TV or iview
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