Hip-Hop Dance Festival Breakin’ Convention Returns to Brighton Dome

“A noisy, family-friendly party with a real sense of community… Simply one of the most vibrant nights out in dance” - The Guardian

Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, critically acclaimed hip-hop dance theatre powerhouse Breakin’ Convention returns to Brighton Dome on 3 June for two performances. Ahead of breaking’s entry into the Olympics next year, showstopping international dance acts will take to the stage alongside six exceptional hip-hop crews from Brighton and East Sussex.

Following a triumphant, 5-star (The Guardian) run at Sadler’s Wells, Breakin’ Convention founder, MC and dancer Jonzi D has curated a line-up including South Korean creative crew MOVER, who will demonstrate their versatility with a soundtrack of traditional Korean music and live beatboxing. The Netherlands’ Yvonne Smink brings her highly original, hip-hop take on the art of pole dancing and Ghetto Funk Collective, a group of dancers, musicians and DJs, will pay homage to James Brown in a funk-fuelled locking masterpiece.

Local acts include hip-hop and contemporary dance specialists BPM Dance Academy; the high-energy Project Female Dance Company; multi-award-winning dance school Streetfunk; dance crew Visual Artists; Brighton Marina Studios teacher Will Timpson and street dance school Urban City Dance. In Brighton Dome’s Foyer, audiences can take part in a range of free activities before each performance: Worthing music project AudioActive will run MC-ing workshops, while local artist and muralist Sinna One teaches graffiti skills. Aspiring rappers, poets and singers can demonstrate their skills at an open mic and Brighton-based DJ Onasis will also perform.

Brighton Dome has collaborated with Breakin’ Convention since 2012, continuing a programme of year-round events connecting artists and local communities. This year, local Breakin’ Convention rep and Streetfunk founder JP Omari will bring creative projects such as graffiti workshops into local communities in central and east Brighton. To support greater inclusivity, Brighton Dome also recently hosted a one-day workshop with Jacqui Beckford, Breakin’ Convention’s British Sign Language interpreter, to teach others how to work confidently in this domain. This initiative offered a unique opportunity for BSL interpreters to learn to embody the language and culture of hip-hop, with a view to interpreting for Breakin’ Convention events and beyond.

Since it began in 2004, Breakin’ Convention has been at the forefront of the global development of hip-hop theatre, staging internationally renowned festivals, youth projects and an education programme. As well as profiling the world’s best hip-hop performers, it nurtures UK-based talent and teaches the foundations of hip-hop dance.

Tickets for the performances on 3 June are priced from £12.50 to £20, while the Foyer activities are free to attend. For more details and to book, visit brightondome.org