Rachel Dratch Flops and Hops as Olympic Breakdancer Raygun on ‘Tonight Show’
By Mankaprr Conteh
While the Olympics were full of standout moments, none quite compared to Rachel “Raygun” Gunn’s performance during the breaking competition. The Australian breakdancer broke the internet after her zero-point earning routine, which didn’t win over the judges but certainly won over viewers’ hearts. The star (sorta-kinda) made a surprise appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday night, with Saturday Night Live alum Rachel Dratch giving her best Raygun impression, decked in a replica of her Olympic uniform and flopping across the floor like fish out of water.
Dratch appeared after Fallon nodded to Raygun’s performance in his opening monologue, playing a clip of her moves as well, which includes a slightly (we cannot stress “slightly” enough) better version of the aforementioned fish-flop and some kangaroo hops. “You have to wonder where Raygun is right now,” Fallon said before he was interrupted by the same music Raygun danced to. Dratch then took the stage and only communicated through her moves. When she motioned to Fallon to join her, he did, with form closer to the real Raygun’s. (He did look a bit athletic!)
If you’re wondering how Raygun made it to the Olympic stage, it’s a fair question: The 36-year-old Gunn is a college professor who holds a music degree and a Ph.D. in cultural studies. She researches breaking, street dance, hip-hop, and gender at Macquarie University in Sydney and did, somehow, win the Oceania breaking championships to qualify for the Olympics.