Breakin’ Convention Festival returns to Sadler’s Wells

Created and emceed by UK hip hop maker and Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director Jonzi D, Breakin’ Convention Festival returns to Sadler’s Wells in Islington to celebrate hip hop culture in all its forms over the Early May Bank Holiday. 

The Festival showcases international acts from the USA, South Korea and France, as well as performances from local and national talents on Sadler’s Wells stages. Performances, activities for children of all ages, live DJs sessions, dance and bespoke graffiti workshops, freestyle sessions and shows take over the entire building.  

Jonzi D was nominated for an Olivier Awards for outstanding achievement in dance for his artistic direction of Breakin’ Convention 2023, which marked the 20 years’ anniversary of the Festival.
 
From 6pm on Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 May, audiences will be able to see performances from some of the world’s leading hip hop acts including Femme Fatale (USA), Sons of Wind (France) and Jinjo crew (South Korea); CREATE4 (Netherlands) and Ekleido (UK); Ivan Michael Blackstock’s company TRAPLORD (UK), Boy Blue (UK), When Time Was New (UK), Gully South Block (GSB) (UK), Company DHW (UK), Sasha Mahfouz Shadid (UK) and ShaolinOrShao (UK) – plus a solo by Jamal Sterrett (UK). During the interval, Cie Kilaï(France) performs in the Lilian Baylis Studio.  
 
The Festival’s programme displays a wide variety of hip hop styles including breaking, popping, krumping, threading, funk and bruk up.  
 
2024 is a significant year for breaking as it becomes an official Olympic sport for the first time at the Paris Olympics this summer. Academy Breakin’ Convention will open at Sadler’s Wells East, offering a full-time further education programme for 16 to 19-year-olds that includes training in all aspects of hip hop – the first of its kind. Academy Breakin’ Convention will have a stall at the Festival on both days, where audiences can find out more about the course, and will host auditions on Sunday 5 May. Find out more information here. 

Breakin’ Convention represents the origins and evolution of hip hop culture from around the world and around the corner. Through its international Festivals and tours and professional development programmes, Breakin’ Convention is at the vanguard of the global development of hip hop theatre artists.  

Supporting the artistic vision, hip hop theatre pioneer Jonzi D founded Breakin’ Convention, supported by Sadler’s Wells in 2004. Breakin’ Convention is now part of Sadler’s Wells and produces its annual Festival there. Since its inception, Breakin’ Convention has been pivotal to the development of the global hip hop theatre scene, touring nationally since 2007 and internationally since 2013. Breakin’ Convention has now reached live audiences of over 100,000.     
 
Breakin’ Convention is committed to the development of hip hop theatre artists by providing a variety of participatory opportunities. These include professional development programmes for choreographers, dancers and emcees, projects for young people and educational activities in schools as well as bespoke special events. Visit www.breakinconvention.com to learn more.     

Tickets for this year’s Festival are on sale now from £15 at www.sadlerswells.com 

Breakin’ Convention, Photo Courtesy Sadler’s Wells