Manizha Talash
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Afghan |
Born | 2002 (age 21–22) |
Home town | Kabul, Afghanistan |
Sport | |
Sport | Breakdancing |
Manizha Talash (born 2002) is an Afghan breakdancer. She qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics as a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.
Biography
Talash was born in 2002 and grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan.[1] She first discovered breakdancing at age 17 through a Facebook video.[2] She said that "When I saw a video online of a man just spinning over his head ... I immediately told myself: 'That's what I want to do with my life!'"[3] She was able to get in contact with the man in the video and joined a breakdancing club in Kabul, called Superiors Crew, where she was one of 56 members and the only girl.[2][3]
Talash was described by media sources as "Afghanistan's first female breakdancer," and she faced challenges as dancing is viewed negatively by many in Afghanistan.[3][4][5] She continued breakdancing despite receiving opposition from her family and a number of death threats; her club was the target of bombings three times, with two going off and causing multiple deaths.[2][3][6] The third was an attempted suicide bombing that was stopped by the police.[2] Afterwards, the club was ordered to close for being a "major threat".[3] Despite the difficulties, when asked whether she ever considered stopping, she replied: "I love breaking too much for that!"[1]
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021 and outlawed dancing for being "un-Islamic", Talash crossed over to Pakistan, where she lived for one year.[2][3] She then moved to Spain as a refugee with six other members of her breakdancing club.[3] In 2024, through a friend, she was discovered by the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and was selected for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which featured the debut of breakdancing.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b "Manizha Talash". Olympics.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Zaccardi, Nick (11 June 2024). "Refugee Olympic Team athlete Manizha Talash on leaving Afghanistan to pursue breaking". NBC Sports.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kallas, Fernando (11 June 2024). "Afghanistan's first female breakdancer ready for Olympic dream". Reuters.
- ^ "Refugee Olympic Team to send message of hope at Paris Games". United Nations. 2 May 2024.
- ^ Goitia, Fernando (3 August 2021). "El terror de la primera 'break dancer' afgana" [The terror of the first Afghan break dancer]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish).
- ^ "Afghanistan's first female breakdancer sets sights on Paris Olympics". The Business Standard. Reuters. 28 January 2021.