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Louise Thomas
Editor
Rachel Dratch interrupted Jimmy Fallon’s monologue on The Tonight Show on Monday (August 12) to show off her Olympic breakdancing moves.
The comedic actor was impersonating Australia’s Rachael Gunn, also known as Raygun, who has faced widespread mockery for her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Breakdancing made its Olympic debut, and everyone’s still talking about the competitor from Australia named Raygun,” Fallon said before proceeding to show a clip from Raygun’s performance.
“You have to wonder where Raygun is right now,” Fallon continued before being interrupted by the same music that the breakdancer used in her performance.
Dratch then emerged in full Australian Olympic costume while parodying some of Raygun’s now-infamous dance moves.
Fallon eventually joined Dratch, dropping to the floor to mock another part of the dancer’s routine.
Raygun’s performance perplexed viewers as much as the officials, who did not score her a single point in the inaugural breaking competition at the Olympics.
Her routine included hopping like a kangaroo and a move where she wriggled on the ground, which became an instant meme.
Dressed in the Team Australia tracksuit and cap rather than the typical breaking gear and street clothes, Raygun said she could not compete athletically with her younger rivals so tried to be “new, different and creative.”
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A university lecturer with a PhD in dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies, she was Australia’s first Olympic qualifier for breaking after winning the QMS Oceania Championships in Sydney.
She said competing at the Olympics was “something that I never expected” after only picking up the sport in her mid-20s.
“All my moves are original,” Raygun said of her performance. “Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry.
“Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.
“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity.
“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.
“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
Raygun was backed by Australia’s Chef de Mission, Anna Meares, who said criticism of the breakdancer was misogynistic.
“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 air time, has been really disappointing,” Meares said.
“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.”
