Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn has explained her decision to shut down a Raygun-inspired musical in Sydney last week.
“We were totally blindsighted by this and unfortunately the blowback was quick,” she said in a video posted to social media.
”People had assumed that we had developed it, that we had approved it and it damaged many relationships both personal and professional.
“This is why my management team and legal team had to work so quickly to shut the musical down.
”It was really unfortunate the show had to be cancelled so close to the launch, I know the artist would have put a lot of work into it and that really sucks, but had we known about it sooner, there could have been a different outcome.”
Gunn said she strived to support creativity and has loved the way her performance at the Olympics sparked ”so many different artistic interpretations”.
“There were so many fantastic memes that were clever and funny and creative, I have a whole folder of them on my phone, so not being able to take a joke is not what the issue is here,” she said.
“This has also never been about the money, I have been contacted to go on just about every reality TV show out there and I’ve declined big money because I’m not about that.”
During the video, Gunn confirmed she has trademarked her name and “my now-famous kangaroo silhouette pose”.
“It’s been used in just about every piece of Raygun merch out there, which I’m not profiting from by the way,” the breakdancer said.
“The reason we did that was because we were notified that there were applications from other parties trying to trademark my name and image for commercial purposes.”
She also denied the kangaroo dance was inspired by Aboriginal culture.
“In terms of the kangaroo dance, I did not trademark it or claim any trademark ownership of the kangaroo dance and it in no way mimics Aboriginal dance,” Gunn said.
“It was instead inspired by the Australian Olympic mascot, BK the boxing kangaroo, I wanted to represent and celebrate that spirit.
“I know that this misinformation about the kangaroo dance has upset many members of the Indigenous community, I’m sorry for that and I’m really sorry that this hasn’t been corrected sooner.
“I have the utmost respect for Indigenous Australians who are part of the oldest, continuous living culture on the planet.”
