International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theater Heads to the Queen City

Breakin’ Convention, an international hip hop dance festival created by London’s Sadler’s Wells, will come to Charlotte’s Levine Center for the Arts this October.

“We launched Breakin’ Convention in London 12 years ago, riding a wave of interest in hip hop as an artistic form that could be as compelling on stage as more traditional dance forms such as ballet,” said Sadler’s Wells CEO and Artistic Director Alistair Spalding. “The festival has returned annually, choosing new artists and touring throughout the UK. We are delighted to bring Breakin’ Convention to Charlotte’s Levine Center for the Arts for the first time following huge success at Harlem’s Apollo Theater in 2013.”

The two-day festival will feature hip hop artists from around the world, as well as artists from Charlotte’s own neighborhoods and the surrounding region. Along with ticketed performances in the Knight Theater on Friday and Saturday evenings, Oct. 9 and 10,  Breakin’ Convention will offer many free activities and daytime performances on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Levine Center for the Arts  grounds and Knight Theater.

“We are thrilled to be hosting Breakin’ Convention this fall,” said Blumenthal President Tom Gabbard. “This is only the second time this incredible event has traveled to the United States and this will mark the first time it’s appeared in the Southeast. It’s going to be an incredible experience that brings all the energy and excitement of hip hop dance onto the stage, showcasing it as the dynamic art that is it. We are honored to be bringing the festival here from London.”

Breakin' Convention is produced and presented annually at Sadler's Wells London since 2004. The festival comprises stage performances of the very best in hip hop dance theater from around the world, and around the corner. Breakin' Convention is a true celebration of hip hop culture. It’s regarded as one of the defining new stories of dance in the UK in the past decade and is the only event of its kind worldwide.

Alongside the international and national acts, an integral part of the Breakin’ Convention program are the local acts. These dance crews and artists will come from the Charlotte area. The aim is to unearth emerging artists and give them a unique opportunity to perform at a major venue and be inspired by the other artists with whom they are performing alongside.

Jonzi D, the Artistic Director of Breakin' Convention and Jonzi D Projects, has been actively involved in British hip hop culture, rapping and b-boying since its genesis in the early eighties. Since graduating from the London Contemporary Dance School, Jonzi has been committed to the development of hip hop theatre, creating Lyrikal Fearta in 1995, and Aeroplane Man in 1999. He was an Associate Artist at The Place Theatre and has performed and created dance theatre pieces all over Europe, North America, Russia, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Cuba, Uganda, and Southern Africa. He is currently a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist. Jonzi D has also taken part in the Def Poetry Jam. Recent works include TAG... Just Writing My Name and Markus The Sadist, featuring Bashy, Lyrikal Fearta: Redux and The Letter. As an emcee Jonzi has worked with The Roots, Steve Williamson, MC Mell'o', Wordsworth, Hymphatic Thabs, and toured Europe with Jeru Da Damaja and Gangstarr in the early nineties.

“Jonzi D is the visionary who has driven this project from its inception, and is our guide for the launch in Charlotte,” explained Gabbard. “Jonzi has great taste, and is working to place hip hop dance in the art zone that a company like Alvin Ailey resides. Using the hip hop dance vocabulary to tell narrative stories is a new concept here in the states, and Jonzi is one of those international visionaries who is pushing it in that direction. He also understands the power that art has to transform lives and build community.”

“Breakin’ Convenion has had a seismic effect on not only the hip hop community across the UK, but also the contemporary dance theatre community that has begun to question what it means to do modern dance,” said Jonzi D. “Breakin’ Convention is a platform designed to give awareness and value to the advance made within hip hop dance. Blumenthal has acknowledged the skill within their local community through their excellent spoken word development for over ten years. I’m excited to see the hip hop movement in Charlotte and the local areas representing hip hop theater this fall.” 

For more information about Breakin’ Convention, visit BlumenthalArts.org/InvadingCLT.

To hear from Jonzi D on how to get involved in Charlotte, visit BreakinConvention.com/touring/clt and watch the video!

ABOUT BLUMENTHAL PERFORMING ARTS
Blumenthal Performing Arts serves the Carolinas as a leading cultural, entertainment and education provider. For more information, call (704) 372-1000 or visit BlumenthalArts.org. Blumenthal Performing Arts receives operating support from the Arts & Science Council and North Carolina Arts Council. Blumenthal Performing Arts is also supported by PNC Bank, sponsor of the PNC Broadway Lights.

ABOUT BREAKIN’ CONVENTION
Breakin’ Convention is committed to celebrating, elevating and supporting hip hop dance theatre. Spearheaded by Jonzi D, the company works with the most respected, innovative and inspirational hip hop artists in the industry. Through its world-renowned international festival, professional development, youth projects and educational programme, Breakin’ Convention seeks to position hip hop dance alongside more historically established artforms. Breakin’ Convention is a resident company at Sadler’s Wells and Jonzi D is based at the theatre.

ABOUT SADLER’S WELLS
Sadler's Wells is a world leader in contemporary dance, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its international award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour the world. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 appointed world class Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates.
Located in Islington in north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells.