Hosted and curated by UK hip hop theatre legend and Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director Jonzi D, 2023’s Festival celebrates 20 years of hip hop innovation and excellence, showcasing the best local talents, top poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls, and global headline acts. Sadler’s Wells will be transformed, with performances from live DJs, bespoke graffiti workshops, and freestyle sessions taking place across the building, from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 April.
As a curtain raiser to a weekend of festivities, Breakin’ Convention presents Ladies First in the Lilian Baylis Studio on Friday 28 April. Hosted by Dionne Read, this cabaret-style evening of entertainment will feature live piano from Nikki Yeoh and accompanying band, spoken word from Kat Francois, acrobatics from Natalie James and comedy from Sharifa Butterfly. At the end of the performances, Werk The Floor Collective will open up the dance floor to everyone and start the Festival in style.
On Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April from 6pm, Sadler’s Wells Theatre will play host to a wide range of international headline acts with live performances from Les Twins, Rubix and Sarah from Criminalz (France), MOVER (South Korea), Ghetto Funk Collective (Netherlands), Ill-Abilities (Brazil), Company Nicolas Huchard (France), Far From the Norm (UK), Threading Theater (Netherlands/UK), Boy Blue (UK), Lauren Scott (UK), Gully South Block (UK) and Max Revell (UK).
Breakin’ Convention and Sadler’s Wells today announce that UK choreographer Kloe Dean will headline Breakin’ Convention on Sunday 30 April, presenting new work inspired by and featuring music from her long-time creative partner, British rapper and Mercury Prize Winner Little Simz. Kloe Dean has worked in hip hop, funk and street dance styles for over 15 years, and has choreographed music videos for the likes of Ghetts, Little Mix and Cleo Sol. Dean choreographed Little Simz’s live performances of Introvert and Woman for the Brit Awards 2022.
Prior to the headline acts, over the weekend, audiences can join in with waacking, threading and hip hop workshops in the rehearsal studios, led by artists including Justin de Jager, MutekiRena and Les Twins as well as a conditioning workshop in association with One Dance UK.
From 4.30pm on Saturday and Sunday, in the Lilian Baylis Studio, Breakin’ Convention presents hip hop’s answer to ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ in Freestyle Funk Forum – an hour of improvised theatre.
During the interval, the theatre’s foyers come alive with beat box performances with resident DJs, while The Training Ground provides an opportunity to test out the freshest dance moves with movement instructors. On the First Circle, audiences can learn to tag in the Graff Zone, as well as in the Yard. More takes place in the Lilian Baylis Studio then, featuring Broken Pen & Ryan Soultribe, South Africa’s Lerato Sekonya with breaking techniques and Dorine Mugisha’s waacking.
About the headline acts
Les Twins are the international dance sensation from France. The duo has toured the world with megastars Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg. Since first performing at Breakin’ Convention in 2015, Les Twins have won the million-dollar prize on NBC’s World of Dance. For this year’s festival they are joined by original crew member Ruben "Rubix" Noel from Criminalz.
Kloe Dean is a leading UK choreographer who has worked in hip hop, funk and street dance styles for over 15 years, and has choreographed music videos for the likes of Ghetts, Little Mix and Cleo Sol. She choreographed Little Simz’s live performances of Introvert and Woman for the Brit Awards 2022.
South Korean crew MOVER presents Merry Go Round, which premiered in South Korea in October 2022. Aged 21 to 38, six dancers – b-girl Steel8, b-boys Rocket, Tazo, Mario, Sknuf and Pocket, who competed in the 2019 WDSF World Breaking Championship in China – perform their high-energy, signature power moves.
Ghetto Funk Collective is a dance company hailing from The Netherlands, that specialises in locking. The group came together through their mutual love for funk music and culture. Inspired by the 1970s era, the crew keeps the timeless spirit of funk powerful, with each of the eight performers showcasing exceptional dance moves.
Ill-Abilities is an international breakdancing crew comprised of eight disabled dancers from around the world. Rather than seeing disability as a limitation, the crew focuses on their positive or “ill” abilities. B-boy Redo has taken part in national and international breaking competitions, becoming a household name within the dance community. B-boy Samuka from Brazil had a leg amputation at 14 and since has grown to become one of the top breakers, showcasing incredible break dancing skills across international events.
Born in 1988, Nicolas Huchard started dancing at the age of six before focusing on choreography after turning twenty-five. He has collaborated with Christine and the Queens and Madonna as both dancer and choreographer. For Breakin’ Convention, Nicolas Huchard works with a French dance collective made up of five Black women - Séréna Freira, Julie Laventure, Leila Miretti, Stéphie Téhoué and Mayvis William to present ‘La Diva aux Pieds Nus’.
Far From The Norm is a UK-based dance company led by Olivier award-winning choreographer Botis Seva, which creates social and political work though hip hop theatre and experimental movement.
Dutch artist Justin de Jager from Threading Theater presents a new piece for three UK dancers. Starting as a breaker, de Jager has been fascinated by “threading” in hip hop, where a dancer creates an opening by connecting several body parts and then passing through that opening with yet another body part. He keeps pushing the concept’s limits to develop his ideas in award-winning productions.
Founded in London in 2001, Boy Blue, the award-winning brainchild of producer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and choreographer Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE, encapsulates the pulse of the city it was born in. The company won an Olivier Award for their production, Pied Piper, and contributed choreography to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
Max Revell, 2019 winner of BBC Young Dancer, presents Floatin’ Suitcase and Backwards Man as seen on Young Dancer. South London-based Krump collective Gully South Block and BBC Young Dancer 2022 contestant Lauren Scott also join the line-up.
For the first time, Breakin’ Convention presents performances by Echo, its own newly formed Youth Dance Company. The group is formed of young dancers aged 10 to 21. They are trained by choreographer Kelsey ‘Hydro’ Miller of award-winning hip hop dance company Boy Blue, and who also created EASTablishment in 2022.
Following the performances at Sadler’s Wells, Breakin’ Convention will embark on a national tour, taking the celebrations beyond the capital in nine venues across the UK from Wednesday 17 May to Wednesday 14 June.
Wednesday 17 May Poole Lighthouse 7.45pm
Saturday 20 May Canterbury The Marlowe 7pm
Tuesday 23 May Plymouth Theatre Royal 7.30pm
Wednesday 24 May Plymouth Theatre Royal 7.30pm
Saturday 27 May Norwich Theatre Royal 2.30pm / 7.30pm
Wednesday 31 May Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 2.30pm / 7.30pm
Saturday 3 June Brighton Brighton Dome 2.30pm / 7.30pm
Wednesday 7 June South Shields The Customs House 7.30pm
Saturday 10 June Blackpool The Grand 7pm
Tuesday 13 June Birmingham Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm
Wednesday 14 June Birmingham Birmingham Hippodrome 7.30pm
