Australian B-Girl Raygun wasn’t afraid to look a little foolish on a global stage — and that’s earned her at least one famous fan.
Adele shouted out the Australian breakdancer’s viral routine while performing at her residency in Munich on Saturday, August 10.
“It’s all that me and my friends have been talking about,” Adele said of the dancer’s unconventional moves. “I think it’s the best thing that’s happened at the Olympics, the entire time.”
Adele is busy in the middle of a month-long stint at a specially built outdoor arena in the Bavarian capital, but that clearly hasn’t stopped her from taking in the Summer Olympics.
“I didn’t even know that breakdancing was even an Olympic sport these days. I think that’s f–king fantastic,” she said. “I can’t work out if it was a joke … If you haven’t seen it, please leave the show and Google it.”
The dancer, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, came under fire after losing her three Olympic breaking matches by a score of 54-0. At different points, the university lecturer appeared to do toe touches while lying on her side and danced around the floor, imitating a kangaroo.
After the contest, Gunn shared a photo to Instagram with a quote encouraging fans that they don’t need to “be afraid to be different.”
“Go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you,” she shared.
Gunn relayed a similar message to reporters after her loss. “What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative — that’s my strength, my creativity,” she said. “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?”
Team Australia head Anna Meares defended Raygun after her performance went viral.
“I love Rachael, and I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them airtime, has been really disappointing,” the chef de mission said in a press conference on Saturday. “Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm. And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has.”
