• by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, July 27, 2024

Despite some rain, the French brought flair to the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics: The lights, the barges, the pink pom-pomed Gaga!

Then Celine Dion powered through her performance of Edith Piaf in front of the Eiffel Tower, and tears were shed in the City of Lights.

At the same time, every two years, the international mega-event also offers something of its own can-you-top-this Olympics for advertisers. The stakes are high for mighty brands to set themselves apart in a sea of stories about pain and glory.

One unexpected standout spot comes from a much smaller brand, a healthcare institution, the historic Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx. Its film cleverly cements the medical center’s major B-borough bona fides to breaking (formerly known as breakdancing) a sport born on the streets of the South Bronx in the 1970s as part of an emerging hip-hop culture. 

A literally head-spinning form of dance, with complex athletic moves and flips set to musical beats, breaking has now become a recognized Olympic sport. Its official debut is set for this year’s Paris games, with competitions to be held on the Place de la Concorde Aug. 9 (women) and 10 (men). 

That’s an intriguing link, and I was blown away by Montefiore’s two-and-a-half-minute documentary-like film (extended internet cut) about its history. A shorter version ran during NBC’s live opening ceremony broadcast, and 30-and 60-second cuts will rotate throughout the games.

Directed by Sports Emmy award-winner Seb Edwards of Park Pictures and created by agency Mirimar, the spot is narrated by hip-hop pioneer Rahiem of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It follows the emergence of breakdancing in the ‘70s and ‘80s, with kids practicing moves in the streets and their living rooms, and teams showing off in clubs, subways, the South Bronx Projects and Loew’s Paradise Theatre. It feels genuine.

Taking us back to a convincing looking 1970s and ‘80s, Raheim says, “Uncle John used to call it the boogie down,” adding “breaking didn’t even have a name yet,” just “all that potential waiting to burst free.”

The narrative follows an opportunity-spotting boy named Reece, who sees what this new form and its wildly talented performers could bring to the community.

As he gets older, breakdancing starts attracting huge crowds and press attention, all energetically illustrated. Dancers hired from local New York breaking crews bring more authenticity, along with appearances from Grandmaster Caz and Pep– C,  a star of Team’s USA’s breaking team. The music includes “New Rap Language” by Spoonie Gee & The Treacherous Three, “Dance” by ESG, “I Shall Wear a Crown” by Pastor T.L. Barrett, and “Rockin’ It” by The Fearless Four.

 All of that is fantastic. The problem is in the ending,

 A middle-aged Reece is shown as a coach giving an actual Olympic contender a morale boost before she competes.

Then the film takes a sudden, awkward turn, making an analogy between “spotting talent” and “spotting cancer.”

“Talent is best spotted early. So is cancer,” a title card reads, and then offers the Montefiore-Einstein logo.

What?

I get that the creators wanted to keep the integrity of telling the breaking story in the film, and I’m all for it. But the link is the Bronx, where the hospital is located and breakdancing started.

Spotting cancer early seems bizarrely tacked on.

How about a separate, sister campaign about the hospital ‘s technology and its staff’s talent in finding cancer early, therefore getting the best possible outcomes for the patients? I’d like to hear some of those individual stories.

Still, Montefiore managed to stand out, no small feat among master brands.