The Breakin’ Convention festival kicked off with Jazz re:freshed on Friday 28th April followed by 3 days of hip hop dance theatre, presented dance by companies and crews from around the world.
The opening day included: Antoinette Gomis, Roy (The Ruggeds), Nandi Bhebhe and a special UK jazz dance revue featuring Gary Nurse and Jerry IDJ of The IDJ Dancers.
Accompanied by lyricists Natalie Stewart of Floetry, Floetic Lara and Jonzi D.
This was followed by 3 days of breathtaking performances and jam-packed with activity that included Boy Blue Entertainment (UK), Cheerito (Russia), Soweto Skeleton Movers (South Africa), Storm Dogz, The Locksmiths (UK) Fine City Crew freestyling, Graffiti Photography Exhibition, Family chill out room and Training Ground – to learn the freshest moves from the teachers. There was so much to do for everyone of all ages from hard-core hip-hop dance fans to those who just wanted to be treated to first class entertainment.
As Artistic Director since 2004 for Breakin’ Convention, Jonzi D has pioneered bringing the art form to the mainstream and creating a platform for hip-hop disciplines, gaining worldwide recognition. His professional development projects Open Art Surgery and Back To The Lab, has supported hundreds of hip hop dance and rap/poetry artists on their journey to creating theatre.
In 2015 he featured on TedEX Warwick and spoke at European Commission forum on creativity and diversity. ‘The Breakin’ Convention festival’ continues to tour the UK. and will be in the following cities until 2nd June, Edinburgh, Nottingham, Norwich, Southampton, Salford, Leicester, Blackpool, Brighton and ending in Birmingham. For more info: http://breakinconvention.com/touring #HipHop #JonziD #Dance
