Junior Bosila Banya, aka B-Boy Junior, has lived with the health effects of polio since the age of 3. But this hasn't stopped him from becoming a star on France's breakdance scene. Known for his acrobatic style, his story is one of resilience and the power of dance.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:04 Head spinning moves and gravity defying contortions,
00:08 breakdancing is a highly athletic discipline.
00:11 [MUSIC]
00:13 But how do you perform it when you have a physical disability?
00:17 [MUSIC]
00:20 I contracted poliomyelitis when I was around three years old.
00:24 I've been living with it since my early childhood.
00:26 That actually helped me create my own dance style.
00:29 It's become my source of power.
00:31 [MUSIC]
00:35 But how do you tap that power to dance when you have a weaker leg
00:39 caused by a debilitating condition and ultimately dance so well
00:43 that you go on to become one of France's biggest breakdancing stars?
00:47 [MUSIC]
00:51 Junior Bocylar Bagnat, also known as B-Boy Junior,
00:54 is a former world champion,
00:57 despite his disability.
01:00 How did he get to where he is today?
01:02 [MUSIC]
01:06 I've worked a lot on myself. I still continue to do so.
01:09 Of course, there are always things that I can't do like everyone else,
01:12 but I try and adapt. I don't look for excuses.
01:15 I've always had the strength to outdo myself.
01:17 I've managed to turn the negative in my life into a positive thing
01:20 by believing in myself.
01:22 [MUSIC]
01:23 At 43, Junior isn't slowing down.
01:26 [MUSIC]
01:28 He travels the globe teaching and performing.
01:31 [MUSIC]
01:35 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
01:41 He's now starring in a play in France called La Tendresse, or Tenderness.
01:46 It explores the relationship between young men and the concept of masculinity.
01:51 It's a combination of hip-hop and performance theater.
01:55 How does it feel to take to another stage after his success as a breaking icon?
01:59 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
02:01 I'm just adding words to my movements.
02:03 Actually, it's not really that different.
02:05 It really complements the way I express myself.
02:09 It feels like a logical step for me.
02:12 It's powerful.
02:14 The play is also about accessing movement and the body.
02:18 [MUSIC]
02:23 Junior has lived in Paris since 2005.
02:26 The city is set to host the Olympic Games in summer 2024,
02:30 where breakdancing will be included as an official discipline for the first time.
02:35 Will that help put the dance form on the map?
02:38 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
02:40 We deserve to get the same recognition as other sports on an athletic level.
02:44 We devote our lives and our bodies to the discipline.
02:47 It's hours and hours of hard work.
02:51 The movements that we make might seem impossible to some.
02:55 Some athletes from other disciplines even envy us for it.
02:58 Breakdancing definitely has a place in the Olympics.
03:03 For Junior himself, breaking didn't seem like a natural choice,
03:07 especially when he was younger.
03:09 Junior was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
03:13 He was sent to France to join his father when he was five
03:16 to get medical treatment for his polio.
03:19 But not before it caused lasting damage to his leg.
03:23 What was his life like before he became the king of breaking?
03:27 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:29 I couldn't run as fast as the others, but I was a good football goalie.
03:35 I couldn't really kick, but I could pack a good punch.
03:40 People respected me as well. I knew how to defend myself.
03:43 But of course, when you're young, some people also make fun of you.
03:47 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
03:49 Junior discovered breakdance as a young boy.
03:55 It helped him cope with his disability.
03:58 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
04:00 I tried to move like Michael Jackson.
04:02 I liked gymnastics, so I mixed that in.
04:05 Then I realized I couldn't do some moves with my leg,
04:08 so I injected some acrobatics in it.
04:12 And when I discovered breakdance and hip-hop culture,
04:16 it really increased my self-confidence.
04:20 Soon, people stopped seeing me just as Junior the little guy who limped.
04:26 They saw how I could also flourish.
04:29 Breakdancing opened up a new world for Junior.
04:34 Did it provide an escape from the limitations imposed by his disability?
04:39 [SPEAKING FRENCH]
04:41 For me, it's clear that dancing was a great tool
04:44 to get revenge against the conditions in my life,
04:48 to get revenge against my ailment,
04:51 against people who didn't believe in me.
04:55 For Junior, breaking isn't just a way to triumph despite all the odds.
05:00 It's a superpower by which he lives his life.
05:04 (upbeat music)