Breaking with Convention at the Hippodrome

Breakin’ Convention to showcase jaw-dropping hip hop at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Breakin’ Convention’s all-new international line-up is heading to Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th June as part of its groundbreaking hip hop festival.

Celebrating its twentieth anniversary, Breakin’ Convention 2023 will commence at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in April before embarking on a major UK tour, which culminates at the Hippodrome.

Hosted and curated by Breakin’ Convention’s Artistic Director Jonzi D, Breakin’ Convention 2023 showcases exceptional hip hop crews from all over the UK including top poppers, lockers, b-boys and b-girls plus showstopping international acts.

The Breakin’ Convention festival will feature live DJs, graffiti artists and freestyle dance sessions taking place all over the Hippodrome. A renowned and inclusive celebration of hip hop culture, Breakin’ Convention’s national tour will host three exceptional, international acts plus the best local crews in each location, carefully chosen by Jonzi D, local hip hop representatives and the Breakin’ Convention team.

The Hippodrome’s programme features Coady Crew, Company Apidae, Gfunk Collective, O’Driscoll Collective on Tuesday 13th June and DanceNuvo, Marshon Dance Company, Nathan Lafayette, Reckless on Wednesday 14th June. The local crews will be joined by the festival’s touring headline acts, Ghetto Funk Collective and Yvonne Smink, both from the Netherlands, and MOVER from South Korea.

Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director Jonzi D said: “Twenty years strong! We started big. We presented pioneering OG’s from the US, breaking champions from Korea, and visionaries from France. We graffitied the mezzanine. We transformed the audience at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. We didn’t stop. We grew. twenty years later, we’ve become the most globally recognised brand in hip hop dance theatre. Our artistic development programmes have nurtured hundreds of artists.

“For the first time, the festival spreads its wings to showcase artists in several London venues leading up to our bank holiday celebrations at Sadler’s Wells, providing more opportunities to engage with poetry, and text based performance. We will also spread the flava across the UK with our national tour! We’ll present world class crews from the Netherlands and Korea, and local dance crews from Brighton to Blackpool.

“20 years has flown by. Because our values have remained intact. Our goals are clear. The concept is the same as it ever was… ‘The best hip hop theatre from around the world, and around the corner’.”

Breakin’ Convention is at Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday 13th June and Wednesday 14ht June.

Tickets can be booked online at birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling the box office on 0844 338 5000.