It’s almost that time of year again, when the annual award-winning hip-hop dance festival Breakin’ Convention ignites the capital. Last week, details of this year’s event were released and will be as follows. The festival takes over the whole of Sadler’s Wells and the Lilian Baylis Studio, from Saturday 5 – Monday 7 May. Renowned for showcasing high calibre and diverse representations of hip hop dance theatre from across the globe, Breakin’ Convention 2018 takes this even further via an innovative collaboration with Jazz re:freshed, the prestigious live jazz organisation, which also celebrates its 15th anniversary. To honour this auspicious anniversary Breakin’ Convention’s Artistic Director, UK hip hop theatre pioneer and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist, Jonzi D, has created an extended programme looking back over the festival’s achievements, as well as looking forward to the future and possibilities of hip hop dance and culture.
The line-up includes Olivier Award-winning Boy Blue Entertainment; lockers, The Locksmiths from London; Netherlands-based b-boy crew The Ruggeds; French hip hop freestyle dancer Mufasa; and Jonzi D himself, premiering new work to a score composed by Jazz re:freshed Sonic Orchestra’s Musical Director Jason Yarde. This partnership develops on from the success of the 2017 festival, which saw Breakin’ Convention and Jazz re:freshed present an evening of live jazz, dance theatre and poetry in the Lilian Baylis Studio, to launch the weekend’s events.
Supported by Red 1 Arts and Sadler’s Wells’ 20 landmark commissions to mark the 20th anniversary of the theatre, the specially commissioned Jazz re:freshed Sonic Orchestra brings together for the first time 15 establish and up and coming musicians across jazz, hip-hop and beyond, providing original soundscapes to accompany five newly commissioned works from dancers to mark both festivals’ illustrious histories.
All in all, it promises to be another exciting and successful event this year. To purchase your tickets for Breakin’ Convention, visit the Sadler’s Wells website here.
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