Breakin’ Convention 2012
The Ninth International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre
Sadler’s Wells
Saturday 5 May - Bank Holiday Monday 7 May 2012
Still the only event of its kind in the UK and curated and directed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Jonzi D, Breakin’ Convention returns for its ninth year over the May bank holiday weekend, from Saturday 5 - Monday 7 May 2012.
Featuring some of the very best UK and international acts in hip hop dance, Breakin’ Convention offers audiences a range of different styles from breaking and popping to locking, b-boying and newer styles such as house dance, devised from the dance floors and born out of club culture.
There are also dozens of extra events in the mix including workshops, film screenings, DJ demos, impromptu foyer freestyle sessions and even live aerosol art from UK artist ArtJaz, Dutch contemporary artist Recal and Australian photo-realistic graffiti artist SmugOne.
Since its inception in 2004 Breakin’ Convention has showcased over 400 UK and international companies, and a total of over 3,900 performers to audiences in excess of 75,000.
Featuring in Breakin’ Convention for the first time is, ILL-Abilities, a breakdance company that challenges the misconceptions about people with disabilities. Performing with a live DJ they present their boundary breaking piece No Limits that leaves audiences in awe of their ‘ill abilities’.
Current world b-boy champions Vagabond Crew, who won both Battle of the Year and the UK B-Boy Championships last year, presents a piece influenced by the film Alien, which explores the demons that live within each of us. Featuring an all star crew with some of the best b-boys on the circuit today, Vagabond Crew is a highlight of Breakin’ Convention 2012.
From the underground ‘flexing’ scene in New York, Storyboard P comes to Breakin’ Convention and the UK for the first time. A maverick artist who has created his own ‘mutation’ style of movement, he also creates and performs in short experimental dance videos, including the video for The Bullits Close Your Eyes video, directed by world renowned photographer Marc Baptiste.
London company and Got To Dance 2012 finalists, Unity return for their sixth consecutive year with a topical piece about East London postcode wars. Also from the UK is Tony ‘Touch’ Adigun who presents the world premiere of a new group piece exploring the theme of water, developed as part of WIP (Work In Progress) at La Vilette in France and co-commissioned by Breakin’ Convention, the piece will also be performed in Paris at the WIP Festival in July. Tony also present's Avant Garde Dance on the mainstage.
Challenging the male dominated world of hip hop is Boadicea (UK) a 12 strong female crew, founded by and featuring Rhimes Lecointe, star of Street Dance 3D; performing for the first time at Breakin’ Convention. Describing themselves as a sisterhood their strong bond brings creativity, connection and power to the dance floor. Another female collective returning to Breakin’ Convention is the Myself Dance Company (UK) with Creatures of the Night.
Breakin’ Convention’s choreographic development project Back to the Lab took place in 2011. This year’s festival sees three pieces that were devised and developed during the project, Botis Seva (UK) who explores issues of mental illness and society with powerful theatrical impact; founding member of BirdGang Dance Company, Ivan Blackstock (UK) brings a comedic piece inspired by the hallucinating effects of sleep deprivation, which brings to life an ordinary wardrobe and another founding member of BirdGang Dance Company Simeon Qsyea (UK) combines spoken word and dance to ask what makes a person 'hip hop'?
The international line-up also includes French and Korean duo Clash 66, who explore relationships and the fine line between love and madness; making his UK debut B-Boy Ata (Finland) presents a piece featuring a puppet and three time hip hop locking world champion Gemini (France) presents the moody solo Te Quierro, that draws on his Spanish roots and features his unique dance style - the Lock Rock.
Completing the international line-up is the highlight of Breakin’ Convention 2010, French company Pro Phenomen who return to the festival this year with a new piece; Serial Stepperz (France) who showcase house dance like no other crew and a UK premiere from old school West Coast strutting crew PT3000 ft. Demons of the Mind (US).
Also in the UK line-up is Broken Doll, Natalie James’ personal and thought provoking solo; the UK’s finest house dancers, House that Union Jack Built featuring Turbo, Caramel, Botis, Ricardo and Jordan; a new explosive krump solo from Theo 'Godson' Oloyade, London’s finest krump dancer; a solo that explores love from Myself Dance Company founder Kloe Dean and a new piece from Spoken Movement.
Always looking out for new talent, Breakin’ Convention 2012 features some of the best youth companies including Da Bratz, the youth company of London favourite Boy Blue Entertainment perform a new piece and ZooNation presents its youth company, ZYC, featuring the next generation of dancers from the award-winning company behind Some Like It Hip Hop.