Fatboy Slim is the latest star to defend Olympic breakdancer Raygun, praising her viral routine and comparing it to his famous ’90s music video
Fatboy Slim is the latest celebrity to show his support for Australian breakdancer Raygun after her Olympic routine caused a stir.
The unique routine involved kangaroo jumping and she writhed across the floor like a snake. Although she didn’t do well in the competition, it quickly attracted attention online.
However, Raygun also faced ridicule and wild conspiracy theories about how she made it to the Olympics, forcing her to issue a statement to respond.
Now iconic DJ and producer Fatboy Slim, 61, is the latest star to come to her defense and praise her for her efforts at the prestigious sporting event.
The famous English musician, whose real name is Norman Cook, shared a sweet message of support for the struggling breakdancer on Instagram on Friday.
He compared her unique moves to those of the dancers in the famous music video for his popular 1990s anthem Praise You, directed by filmmaker Spike Jonze.
The video showed Spike and other dancers in disguise performing as a flash mob in front of a crowded theater in Los Angeles, showing off unique dance moves as the song Praise You blared from a speaker.
Fatboy Slim is the latest celebrity to show his support for Australian breakdancer Raygun, following the huge backlash to her divisive Olympic routine.
The 36-year-old breakdancer rose to global fame after her disastrous performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which became the most talked about moment of the competition
The group’s passionate dance style won fans and helped the video win a bunch of awards, and is considered one of the best music videos of all time.
Fatboy Slim shared clips from the highly memorable music video alongside footage of Raygun’s dance, noting the similarities between the two unique dance styles.
In the caption, he showed his support for the athlete: “We would have given you a 10 out of 10, Rachael.”
Fans were quick to respond in the comments, sharing their theories that Raygun was inspired by the famous video and urging her to dance to the song.
One wrote: ‘So this is where she got her inspiration from!’, while another said: ‘She should have danced at the Olympics to praise you.’
A third commented: ‘Now I get it! Great tribute!!’ and a fourth wrote: ‘So glad she got positive feedback! Thank you.’
“We commend you Raygun!” cheered a fifth, while another said: “Absolutely AMAZING!!! That’s spot on, I just wish she had used ‘Praise You’ in her routine, she would have won gold.”
TV presenter Davina McCall said of the strong reactions Raygun received: ‘Thank you for this message… I felt a bit sorry for her.’
The music video for Praise You starred American actor Spike under the pseudonym Richard Koufey, appearing in disguise to dance with the fictional Torrance Community Dance Group.
The troupe performed a creative dance routine outside the Fox Bruin Theater in LA, to astonished onlookers, unaware that they were starring in a now-famous music video.
The unique routine involved kangaroo jumping and she writhed like a snake across the floor. While it didn’t serve her well during the competition, it quickly attracted attention online.
Fatboy Slim isn’t the first A-lister to weigh in on the Raygun routine debate. Talk show host Jimmy Fallon and singer Adele also paid attention to it.
After the university lecturer went viral with her much-discussed dance number, Adele interrupted her concert in Germany to give her opinion on the dance.
“I’m not saying anything, but I think this is the best thing the Olympics have ever seen,” Adele told her fans.
‘Has anyone seen the breakdancing lady?
‘I didn’t even know breakdancing was an Olympic sport now. That’s f***ing amazing. Really.
‘Aaron, my percussionist, pees his pants laughing just thinking about it.’
Adele then went on to say she wasn’t sure Raygun was a serious contender, with some fans comparing her moves to Mr Gee from the Australian comedy Summer Heights High.
“I’m not sure if it was a joke, but it definitely made me really happy and my friends and I laughed our heads off for almost 24 hours,” she said.
“It’s so f***ing funny and it’s my favorite event of the Olympics so far.”
Raygun became internationally famous with her performance, but also had to respond to the wild conspiracy theories that were circulating online.
In a passionate statement, she said: ‘Hello everyone, Raygun here. I want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me.
“I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I was hoping for.
‘I didn’t realize that this would also open the door to so much hate, which has honestly been quite devastating.
“Even though I went there and had fun, I took it very seriously. I worked really hard to prepare for the Olympics and I gave it my all. I really did.
Amid all the attention, Raygun was faced with a barrage of ridicule and wild conspiracy theories about how she made it to the Olympics, forcing her to hit back in a statement
‘I feel honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to have been part of breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved is simply phenomenal.
‘Regarding the allegations and misinformation going around, I would like to ask everyone to read the recent statement from AOC, as well as the posts on Ausbreaking’s Instagram page and WDSF’s Breaking for Gold page.
‘A fun fact for you: There are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought I did compared to my opponents, you can check out the comparison percentages across all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there.
‘I’m going to Europe for a few weeks for some planned rest, but I would like to urge the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the wider street dance community.
“Everyone has been through a lot because of this, so I ask that you respect their privacy. I’ll be happy to answer more questions when I get back to Australia.”
