View source for Breakin' Convention

{{Short description|London hip-hop festival}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox film festival
| name              = Breakin' Convention
| image             = JonziD.jpg
| image_alt         = 
| image_size        = 
| caption           = Jonzi D at Breakin' Convention 2006.
| location          = [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]], <br />[[London]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| founded           = 2004
| founders          = 
| artistic_director = 
| editor_in_chief   = 
| selector          = 
| play_type         = [[hip-hop theater|hip-hop theatre]]
| date              = every year in May
| website           = http://www.breakinconvention.com
}}
'''Breakin' Convention''' is an international [[hip-hop theater|hip-hop theatre]] festival based in [[London]], England that was founded in 2004 and is produced annually by [[Sadler's Wells]] theatre.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|last=Winship|first=Lyndsey  |date=2024-04-23|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/apr/23/graffiti-breakin-convention-hip-hop-dance-festival |title=‘We have to have graffiti!’ How we made the Breakin’ Convention hip-hop dance festival| website=[[The Guardian]]| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/NbbHB |archive-date=2024-09-11|access-date=2024-09-11 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Work |url=https://www.breakinconvention.com/about |access-date=2022-12-10 |website=Breakin' Convention |language=en-GB}}</ref> It has been under the artistic direction of playwright and dancer Jonzi D<ref name="auto"/> since its inception. Since May 2008 Breakin' Convention has expanded its activity beyond the three-day festival to include tours across the [[United Kingdom|UK]], developing new theatre work with local hip-hop artists, and to produce year-round professional development courses for UK-based hip-hop choreographers, artists, and dance/theatre companies.{{fact|date=September 2024}}

==Festival origin==
Early in 2004, Jonzi D and recently appointed Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler's Wells, [[Alistair Spalding]], proposed the idea of a hip hop festival that took over the entire venue celebrating [[hip hop culture]] with an emphasis on dance. Jonzi D was appointed as an Associate Artist at the theatre in March 2005 and founded Still Brock Productions (later: Jonzi D Productions) to focus on education and professional development of [[hip hop dance]] in the UK. Breakin' Convention brought over early pioneers of the culture including The Electric Boogaloos, Tommy The Clown and Vagabond Crew, and introduced future award-winning companies such as ZooNation and Boy Blue Entertainment.{{fact|date=September 2024}}

In 2023, Jonzi D won The De Valois Award for Outstanding Contribution ([[The Critics' Circle]] [[National Dance Awards]]).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Critics' Circle|first=The Royal Ballet  |date=2023-06-06|url=https://www.tlbc.org.uk/articles/national-dance-awards-2023|title=NATIONAL DANCE AWARDS 2023| website=[[The Royal Ballet]][[The Critics' Circle| Critic's Circle]]| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/iftVQ|archive-date=2024-09-11|access-date=2024-09-11 }}</ref>

Breakin' Convention is supported by [[Arts Council England]].{{fact|date=September 2024}}

==See also==
{{Commons category|Breakin' Convention}}
*[[List of hip hop music festivals]]
*[[Hip hop culture]]
*[[Battle of the Year]]
*[[The Notorious IBE]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.breakinconvention.com Breakin' Convention] official website
*[http://www.sadlerswells.com Sadler's Wells] official website
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090925093131/http://toomuchflavour.co.uk/breakinconvention.html Breakin' Convention 2009] 2MF magazine feature
{{Hip hop festival}}

[[Category:Theatre festivals in England]]
[[Category:Festivals in London]]
[[Category:Dance festivals in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Hip-hop music festivals]]
[[Category:Music festivals established in 2004]]
[[Category:Hip-hop theatre festivals]]
[[Category:Music festivals in England]]


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