Australian breakdancer Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn has suffered another setback following her infamous performance at the Paris Olympics, losing her job at one of the nation's top universities.
Loss of Academic Position
Gunn, who shot to global prominence as Raygun when she represented Australia in the debut Olympic breakdancing event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, was employed as a media and popular culture lecturer at Sydney's Macquarie University. However, she was reportedly included in the educator's latest round of redundancies, according to the Australian Financial Review (AFR).
A Macquarie University spokesman declined to comment on the confidential employment arrangements involving individual staff, stating, 'This is our standard practice for legal and privacy reasons.'
University Cost-Cutting Measures
The AFR reports that lower international student numbers have led universities across Australia to seek cost-saving measures, with Macquarie's arts department being the latest target in a round of redundancies. Gunn's departure is part of this broader trend affecting higher education institutions.
According to Gunn's LinkedIn profile, she worked at the university for more than a decade, where she completed a PhD on the gender politics of Sydney's breaking culture in 2017. Her research career focused on the cultural politics of breaking and street dancing, including a study on the experience of street dancers performing in public spaces for the City of Sydney council.
Public Criticism and New Ventures
Following Gunn's Olympic performance, Senator Gerard Rennick criticised the use of taxpayer funds on what he deemed unproductive academic courses. 'Just how many obscure and pointless courses do universities offer that are subsidised by the taxpayer?' he said in a Facebook post. 'It also goes to show just because you have a PhD in something doesn't mean you are any good at it.'
Earlier this year, Gunn leveraged her fame to start a new venture on Cameo, where she charges fans almost $70 for a personalised video message. The website enables users to purchase personalised messages from celebrities, actors, and athletes from around the world.
Gunn's Olympic performance, which scored zero points and featured moves imitating hopping kangaroos, wriggling snakes, and the sprinkler, went viral and made her the subject of memes globally. Despite the controversy, she has continued to pursue opportunities in the public eye.
