Developing new hip hop dance theatre: Breakin’ Convention’s Emerge+See

Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth
October 22, 2022

Breakin’ Convention is best known for the fantastically vibrant and energetic evenings of the best in hip hop dance theatre from around the world and the UK presented at Sadler’s Wells, and on national and international tours. But there is far more to it than that. It has an established programme of professional development projects and supports grass roots hip hop cultural activity across the UK.

Following the success of Open Art Surgery and Back to the Lab, the latest project is Emerge+See, part of Breakin’ Out, a three-year programme of national hip hop dance theatre activity funded by Arts Council England. It all takes place in four editions across the UK, the aim being to support hip hop dance artists to develop a new or existing idea into work for the stage.

The first step is a week-long online Emerge+See surgery, where seeds of ideas are developed into short works in progress. Artists work in studios local to them, mentored remotely via Zoom by experienced hip hop dance and theatre practitioners.

On the Saturday at the end of the week, the works and ideas in progress get an online performance via Zoom and Facebook Live, with the watching audience invited to give feedback. At the South and South West edition sharing, this clearly proved valuable. Not having been told the idea behind pieces, immediate reactions sometimes supported the artists’ intentions, but sometimes surprised.

The commissioned artists then spend more time in the studio developing and extending their work into a 15 to 20-minute piece, with mentoring now done both in-person and remotely, leading up to a live performance in a theatre in the region. Plenty of other support is given too, including towards dancers’ fees, studio and production costs, marketing, and provision of a lighting designer for the final show.

Following Piece Play, a curtain-raiser by local youth group Dance For All, choreographed by Oscar Mavris-Morrison, the South and South West performance at Bournemouth saw five choreographers present works developed under the mentorship of Jonzi D, Jane Sekonya and mO’Sean. As usual with Breakin’ Convention, it was a very varied evening, sometimes quite thought-provoking. While all of the pieces still clearly have potential for further refinement, and possibly extension, it was seriously impressive to see just how far the ideas and pieces had progressed in the few short weeks since the online sharing.

The first section of The Sound of Shapes, presented by the identically titled Bristol collective, sees Sebastián Morales Castillo, Dean Kenna, Katsumi Murakami in a freestyle exploration and response to drummer and composer Oli Mason’s live accompaniment. As they spin and dance as if in a tumble dryer, it feels conversational. Best is the second part, though, when one of the trio lays centre-stage as if asleep, the others dancing around him. Suddenly, there is depth and meaning. The strong suggestion we are seeing into dreams or memories is emphasised when he wakes. As he holds his head, it all takes on a rather menacing feel, the voices, noises, inescapable, it seems.

Paradigms of a Paradox by Thirty 10 Arts is an exploration of human behaviour and the concept of being by director and choreographer Munya Muchati. A development of a previous piece performed at Brighton Fringe 2022, it has a bit of a post-apocalyptic feel to it, accentuated by us hearing “Ctrl-Alt-Delete. All information will be lost,” in the accompanying soundtrack.

The programme note muses on whether, in a world with so many options and choices, are we truly free. By being caught up in the past or planning for the future, do we forget to live in the present? And, perhaps most pertinent to the piece, by constantly seeking meaning, do we lose the point? Certainly, meaning in the piece is hard to find, but what there is, is some superb choreography, excellently structured. While always strong, the dance and dancers equally appear to have an underlying fragility. Support for each other is a recurring theme. Soft moments contrast neatly with the expected sharpness, although links between the two dynamics are always clear.

There is no doubt about meaning in Ellie Bishop-Williams’ Kingdom of Woman, a personal response to the ongoing regression of women’s rights. “There is no space left for a woman to just be or become” is just one of several powerful comments in the voiceover. As it explores a sort of futuristic feminist utopia, great use is made of projections that give multiple images of herself. At times, Bishop-Williams comes together with them in duets or small group dances that combine the real and the virtual.

Every1 Knows Nothing by Matthew Harding, performed by Urban Interface Dance UK immediately oozes atmosphere as smoke hangs in the air and ominous chords are heard. It takes its cues from another important contemporary issue: the spread of knowledge and attitudes in the age of technology and social media.

The movement vocabulary and structure are always interesting. Not only is excellent use made of the ensemble in varying patterns and unison, but short sections see individuals become the focus of attention. A final section raises the issue of do we believe what we read or hear in the news, or do we keep asking questions? Having ripped and shredded a newspaper as if its content was total garbage, it ends with one dancer trying to piece it back together, suggesting that just maybe there is something there and we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss.

In the online Saturday session, Harding said that he likes a void but one filled with emotion. That’s a bit of a contradiction in terms, but I think I know what he meant, and I think he got there.

The evening closed out on something more light-hearted: Moved by Joshua Hoffman, performed by himself and long-time friend Nathan Schofield. In long white coat and initially sat at a desk with keyboards, Schofield is the scientist-conductor. A few feet away on the floor, Hoffman is his subject, responding to the sounds and rhythms provided as a mental and physical impulse. It’s not a huge leap to see him as a puppet, the sounds his strings.

While the connection between sound and movement, and musician and mover, is very clear, and at times amusing, things get really interesting when the pair start to interact physically. In a surprise move, Hoffman also increasingly brings juggling into the piece. All told, great fun from a very engaging pair.

It would be great to think that the five works could continue to be developed. Unfortunately, and as much as he would like to, Jonzi D says that Breakin’ Convention is unable to help take the artists further. “After over 15 years, Emerge+See is our first paid professional development course. I’ve always wanted to help artists make longer pieces, but I’ve not got the producing power (funding) to do so.” Hopefully, this is where regional dance agencies, admittedly themselves not flush with cash, might be able to help. Good news is that he hopes some of the Emerge+See pieces will appear in Breakin’ Convention 2023, either at Sadler’s Wells or on its tour.

Breakin’ Convention 2023 is at Sadler’s Wells on April 29 & 30, 2023 (on sale now). Details of the UK tour will be announced later on www.breakinconvention.com.