Rachel "Raygun" "Gunn, the infamous Australian breakdancer who went viral after a ridiculed performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is once again at the center of a controversy after settling a lawsuit against the creators of a musical about her.
The dispute began in late September when the promotional poster for Raygun: The Musical went public.
Highlights
- Raygun settles lawsuit with creators of parody musical after public backlash.
- Musical title changed; set to premiere as 'Breaking: The Musical' in February 2025.
- Breakdancer stated she's no longer seeking $10k in legal fees.
- Comedian issued an apology, admitting to not having contacted the dancer before creating her parody.
- Public backlash highlights issues of creative freedom and expression.
The parody, directed by comedian Steph Broadbridge and scheduled to debut on December 7, was created without the dancer's content, causing her to send a cease-and-desist letter demanding the show to be canceled, as well as $10,000 to cover legal costs.
Broadbridge initially mocked Gunn's claims of the musical "damaging" her career, jokingly stating that "she doesn't need [her] to do that."
Raygun, the infamous Australian breakdancer, has settled a legal dispute with the creators of a parody musical about her after severe backlash
Image credits: BSR Agency / Getty
Despite ultimately coming to an agreement, allowing the production to move forward under a different name and new poster, netizens took to social media to criticize the dancer for what they characterized as an attempt to strong-arm the comedian and infringe upon her freedom of expression.
"Raygun might have lawyers, but apparently not a publicist, who would have advised her to get tickets for opening night and be sure to be photographed laughing at the comedic brilliance," one reader wrote.
According to Broadbridge, the dancer's legal team also claimed that Raygun owned the rights to the "kangaroo dance" she displayed at the Olympics, a fact that was widely mocked by netizens.
"I'm sure the First Nations people would like a word about who 'owns' the kangaroo dance," one netizen said.
"If you do a dance, you don't have the rights to do that dance," another argued. "I was hoping Raygun would embrace the fun people are having, but she just sounds full of herself."
Raygun released a statement backpedaling on her $10k demand, allowing the musical to go forward under a new name and with a new poster
Image credits: stephbroadbridge
Following the backlash—which went beyond just social media, being widely covered by Australian news channels—Raygun released a statement clarifying that she ultimately had not sought any legal compensation.
"We're not seeking any costs. As I said before, it wasn't about the money, and it still isn't," Raygun said in a clip before thanking her supporters for their supportive messages—which contrasted with the attacks she claimed to have received. "It's been so negative and awful," she said.
Steph Broadbridge, on the other hand, also released a statement acknowledging that she did not contact the dancer before creating the title and poster for the musical.
She also recognized the possibility of people thinking that the actual Raygun would somehow be featured in the show due to her name being present in its promotional material.
Image credits: raygun_aus
"It was never my intention to mislead people into thinking she was involved in the production," the comedian wrote. "She is not and continues not to be attached to the project in any way."
"I am deeply sorry to learn that Raygun has faced negative backlash as a result of the media attention around the cancellation," Broadbridge continued. "The last thing I wanted was for anyone to experience hate or distress from the situation."
The new version of the musical is set to debut in February 2025 and will include revised content and new material
Broadbridge released a new poster, cheekily renaming the production to Breaking: The Musical. A Completely Legal Parody Musical, replacing Raygun's silhouette with that of an actual kangaroo.
The poster also included an updated release schedule for next year, with the first round of showings in Adelaide from February 28 to March 2, then a second round in Sydney from May 7 to May 10. Melbourne showings were also announced, but no actual dates have been released.
Fans of the comedian celebrated the announcement, with many believing that Raygun's attempts at canceling the parody actually benefited it in the long run, providing much-needed media coverage for the production.
"I'm getting the vibe that the 10k that Raygun spent on legal fees was effectively 10k in advertising for your show," one user wrote.
"Extortion." Despite the musical moving forward, netizens kept criticizing the dancer for trying to cancel it
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