With two years until the Paris Olympics, Japanese breakdancers are hoping the street dance genre's inclusion in the world's largest multisport event can boost its popularity and increase recognition of Japan's status as a global powerhouse.

Japan's breakdancing community has been stepping up preparations for the quadrennial games' return to the French capital, aiming to ride the wave of success from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where Japanese athletes achieved a record medal haul.

In "breaking," as the discipline is widely known, dancers improvise to music played by a DJ, pulling off stylized footwork and body-bending acrobatics such as head spins and leg-spread windmills.