Breakin’ Convention 2008
Sadler’s Wells celebrated hip hop dance theatre festival, returns to celebrate its fifth birthday across May Bank Holiday 2008
Now firmly established as a must-see event in the dance calendar, Breakin’ Convention unites the crème of the world’s poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls for a jam-packed three days of performances, workshops, film screenings, DJ demonstrations and graffiti exhibitions. Taking place from Saturday 3 to Bank Holiday Monday 5 May 2008, the fifth annual Breakin’ Convention, curated and directed by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Jonzi D, includes headline artists from Brazil, Austria and Korea.
Sadler’s Wells has received additional funding from Arts Council England for the three year period 2008 to 2011 to support the development of Breakin’ Convention. Plans for the festival’s growth include: national touring; partnerships with regional venues and dance agencies to create a network of Breakin’ Convention Hubs to develop work with local hip hop dance, music and visual artists; producing year-round professional development courses for UK hip hop dance theatre companies, choreographers and artists and commissioning new work.
Breakin’ Convention 08 sees the UK debut of Brazilian company Membros who top the bill on Saturday 3 May 2008 with Febre (Fever). Performing for the first time in the UK, Membros’ striking company of dancers present a powerful physical narrative portraying the damage from brutal social apartheid and corruption within inner-city Brazil. Fusing hip hop and physical theatre, the piece includes strong, hard-hitting images as their movements purposefully depict the destruction brought about through violence and drugs. Jonzi D comments; “Membros are an important inclusion in this year’s festival because we’ve never programmed a piece that is so explicit in addressing social-ills. The company vividly articulate issues rarely portrayed through dance theatre, but are affecting communities around the world. We’re very proud to be able to include Membros in Breakin’ Convention 2008.”
Austria’s Nobulus return to the festival with Out of the Shadow on Sunday 4 May. A highlight of Breakin’ Convention 07, Nobulus (formally known as Moving Shadows) took the crowd by storm with their cautionary tale which this year they perform in full. Described by The Times as “loaded with freshness and verve”, Nobulus’ young company of dancers inventively illustrate the evolution of man, cleverly weaving in a strong message about war. Korea’s finest b-boys Project Soul close the festival on bank-holiday Monday 5 May. Presenting dancer and choreographer MyoSung, Project Soul perform a brand-new work, set to wow audiences once again.
Tony GoGo and the GoGo Brothers make their European debut at the festival on Saturday 3 May. One of the first people to ever perform locking, Tony GoGo performed on the hit 1970’s American dance show Soul Train and was a member of the Original Lockers, a dynamic and influential dance group together until the late 1970s. Originally from LA but now living in Japan, Tony GoGo takes to the stage with his sons, the GoGo Brothers, in what promises to be an unmissable performance from one of hip hop’s originators.
Farid’O from France makes their UK debut with Saleté (Dirt) as part of the Lilian Baylis Theatre programme on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 May. Using spoken word throughout, combined with dramatic physical theatre and ariel rope work, Farid’O poetically present the dark story of Sad, an Iranian refugee living in Germany.
Continued…
The full line-up of over 20 companies including confirmation of participating UK artists, workshops and additional events on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 May 2008 will be announced shortly. Please visit www.breakinconvention.com for the most up to date details.
“Hip-Hop to make your jaw drop” The Evening Standard
