On Sept. 13, local time, as the music suddenly erupted at the Groove Session international breaking competition in Switzerland, 11-year-old Zhang Zhixun from Yibin stepped into the center of the arena. Executing precise beats, he performed high-difficulty moves such as headspins, back spins, and freezes with fluid mastery. After several rounds of intense battles, he stood out among numerous top-tier international dancers and, together with his partner, claimed the championship in the "mixed adult‑junior 2V2" category.

Zhang Zhixun

Zhang Zhixun is a sixth-grade student at Nanguang School, Yibin, and is known in the street dance community by his nickname "Kid Brother San Ge". On Sept. 17, shortly after returning from the competition, he was interviewed at his school. The boy before the interviewer appeared shy and reticent, making it difficult to associate him with the commanding champion dancer on the competitive stage. However, once the topic turned to street dance, his eyes instantly lit up with brilliance.

"When I first started dancing, I was very clumsy; my hands and feet were uncoordinated, my movements were jerky, and I felt quite ridiculous," Zhang recalled. At the age of five, after seeing a street dance performance at a shopping mall, he thought it looked "very cool" and pestered his mother to let him learn. Only after committing to training did he realize that it was far from as easy as it appeared.
I practiced hard at home every day, asking my parents to help me find videos and correct my movements."

He spent more than two years solely on building his foundation before beginning to compete in various tournaments. His track record over the past two years has been impressive: in August last year, he won the junior solo battle championship at the "Ta Yun Jue" Breaking Open in Yunnan; in September, he took second place at the Groove Session in Switzerland; and in October, he claimed the title at the Battle Pro competition in France. Returning to the Groove Session in Switzerland this year, he finally succeeded in ascending to the champion's podium.

Zhang Zhixun (first from left)

Behind these dazzling achievements lies day-after-day of grueling training. Finishing school at 3 p.m. daily, Zhang heads straight to the dance studio and stays until around 10 p.m. Excluding dinner breaks, he trains for an average of six hours a day. "Whenever I felt like giving up, the encouragement from my coach, my mom, and my peers kept me going," Zhang said.

"Many people regard him as a naturally gifted dancer, but I prefer not to describe him with the word 'talent', as it obscures the immense effort behind his success." said team leader Peng Lijuan. She cited the breaking move "Air Flare" as an example: while a talented individual might master it in two or three months, and an average person in six months, Zhang practiced for a full year and a half to two years before he could consistently complete one rotation.

"He works incredibly hard, is willing to put in extra thought, and has a solid foundation." Peng noted. She added that although Zhang is introverted and used to cry when facing setbacks during his early training, he would quickly adjust his emotions after crying and immediately resume practice once he had calmed down.

Off the dance floor, Zhang is a grounded, reserved, and diligent student. According to his homeroom teacher, Lu Jiajia, he is kind and studious; despite maintaining high-intensity training year-round, he has never neglected his academics, earning A grades in several subjects.

"We share a consensus with his parents and the school: we hope he can balance his academic studies while maintaining his strength in street dance," Peng stated. She believes that excelling in both areas requires significantly more effort than his peers. "How far he can go in the future depends on how well he balances the two. Our original intention is for him to continue honing his specialty and striving for better results, provided he completes his education."

Breaking made its debut at the Summer Games during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Zhang Zhixun has a clear goal for the future: “I want to compete in the Olympics and win glory for my country..”

【本篇文字部分内容由 AI 辅助写作，特此声明。Please note: the text in this article was created with the help of AI.】