Ruggeds. photo: Paul Hampartsoumian
If you had not felt the hype or seen the activity around the city or via social media about Breakin’ Convention touring to Nottingham, then you must have been in a different city or county. This was not the first time that this convention was visiting Nottingham, however, it was the debut tour stop to this excited venue.
Having arrived and set-up with lots of local promotions for many weeks prior, all that was left was to don a festive wristband and feel the full force of the local and international artists breaking down the conventions of hip hop dance theatre.
The atmosphere was hot and friendly. There was a sense of ownership by the communities making up the buzzing audience, which was partly due to the colourful backdrop adorning the pillars with tour branding and a graffiti wall. To celebrate this in style, there was a two-hour pre-show activity schedule that gave local amateur and professional artists and businesses a platform to show off their talent and wares in the foyer spaces. Music label and promoters, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, provided a range of entertainment, DJs and musicians to either cipher, take to the a mini dancefloor to bust a move or spin some tunes.
art: Small Kid
From cupcakes, merchandise and local clothing accessories to a pop-up exhibition curated by The Anti-Gallery (TAG), you could get your fill before entering the auditorium proper. TAG had gone to town to provide a nostalgic and challenging feel to their exhibition which included an alternative take on graffiti artists such as Skribz, Onga from Tokyo and OG Illustrations tribute to Phife, who recently passed away, from A Tribe Called Quest. There were also photos charting b-boys of old, including an image of a young Courtney Rose, who is the founder of Take One Recording Studios.
Take One opened the auditorium show with choreography by Willis Rose of the girls troupe who performed a strong piece, which reminded me of discussions surrounding Bey’s Lemonade. Only one dancer seemed to confuse the audience, with a piece whose narrative began playfully at first, but then changed drastically in tone. Maybe Hal Meyer’s choreography was an attempt to shock by displaying a broken convention, or perhaps there was a lack of time to explore how best to artistically approach the sensitive issues covered within this dance narrative, which did not suit the audience profile. Nevertheless, the tone was quickly recovered by Nottingham’s BeatBots with a contemporary take on hip hop incorporating some flow techniques. This crew provided some slick, smooth choreography which set the audience to lean forward. Iron Skulls, from Barcelona, made a fast-paced entrance with a dystopian narrative, beginning with members coming through the aisles with torches and gas masks and ending with the some of the dancers crawling over the audience. Yes, you had to be there...
Antoinette Gomis. photo: Belinda Lawley
After the interval, our two hosts continued to hype up the crowds and we were treated to two international show pieces which were breath-taking. Images, a piece inspired by the words of Nina Simone, was choreographed by lead street dancer and model, Antoinette Gomis of France, and was golden popcorn on a hot stage. Her movements, stage lighting and costume change had gravitas, befitting the author of the lyrics. I was captivated alongside the audience and the applause was humbling. The finale was a playful, boisterous return to the fuller roots of hip hop dance by The Ruggeds crew. Hailing from the Netherlands, they testified to the audience who, satisfied, cooed and nodded their heads and acknowledged that the conventions of hip hop are never lost, just evolving. I could see some of the ‘elder’ hip hop heads admiring the old school moves combined with a flourish of amazing lighting sequences that brought us to our seat's edge.
Our master of ceremonies for the evening were local hip-hop legend ‘Frisco aka Duncan Mitchell and Breakin’ Convention founder, Jonzi D. For Jonzi, his baby of a show, now a long term project of Sadlers Wells, had grown up and was running in the right direction, working with the next generation and paying homage to past hip hop culture-breakers. Breaking down how we see conventional dance and the stereotypes of hip hop.
Breakin’ Convention Tour 2016, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Tuesday 17 - Wednesday 18 May 2016.
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