Breakin' Convention is an international
hip-hop theatre festival based in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England that was founded in 2004 and is produced annually by
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a London performing arts venue, located in Rosebery Avenue, Islington. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site. Sadler's Wells grew out of a late 17th-century pleasure garden and was opened as a theatre buil ...
theatre.
It has been under the artistic direction of playwright and dancer Jonzi D
since its inception. Since May 2008 Breakin' Convention has expanded its activity beyond the three-day festival to include tours across the
UK, developing new theatre work with local hip-hop artists, and to produce year-round professional development courses for UK-based hip-hop choreographers, artists, and dance/theatre companies.
Festival origin
Early in 2004, Jonzi D and recently appointed Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler's Wells,
Alistair Spalding, proposed the idea of a hip hop festival that took over the entire venue celebrating
hip hop culture
Hip-hop culture is an art movement that emerged in New York City, in the borough of The Bronx; Primarily within the black community. Hip Hop as an art form and culture has been heavily influenced by both male and female artists. It is charac ...
with an emphasis on dance. Jonzi D was appointed as an Associate Artist at the theatre in March 2005 and founded Still Brock Productions (later: Jonzi D Productions) to focus on education and professional development of
hip hop dance
Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in ...
in the UK. Breakin' Convention brought over early pioneers of the culture including The Electric Boogaloos, Tommy The Clown and Vagabond Crew, and introduced future award-winning companies such as ZooNation and Boy Blue Entertainment.
In 2023, Jonzi D won The De Valois Award for Outstanding Contribution (
The Critics' Circle
The Critics' Circle is the national professional body of British critics for books, drama, film, music, dance, visual arts and architecture. It was established in 1913 as a successor to the defunct Society of Dramatic Critics, formed in 1906. The ...
National Dance Awards
The National Dance Awards are presented annually in the United Kingdom by The Critics' Circle, and are awarded to recognise excellence in professional dance. They are widely regarded as the most prestigious award presented for dance in the UK, a ...
).
Breakin' Convention is supported by
Arts Council England
Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council o ...
.
See also
*
List of hip hop music festivals
The following is an incomplete list of hip-hop festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on hip hop music or other elements of hip-hop culture. Hip-hop, also called rap music,Encyclopædia Britannica article on rap, retrieved frobri ...
*
Hip hop culture
Hip-hop culture is an art movement that emerged in New York City, in the borough of The Bronx; Primarily within the black community. Hip Hop as an art form and culture has been heavily influenced by both male and female artists. It is charac ...
*
Battle of the Year
Battle of the Year, commonly referred to as BOTY, is an annual international breakdancing competition that began in 1990. It has been regarded as the premier b-boying competition in the world
and has been referred to as the "World Cup of B-Boying ...
*
The Notorious IBE
References
External links
Breakin' Conventionofficial website
Sadler's Wellsofficial website
2MF magazine feature
Theatre festivals in England
Festivals in London
Dance festivals in the United Kingdom
Hip-hop music festivals
Music festivals established in 2004
Hip-hop theatre festivals
Music festivals in England
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