Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 22 May 2012

EDEN COURT held its first ever break-dancing event last night as part of Breakin’ Convention; one of the biggest international festivals of hip-hop theatre.

HOSTED by veterans of the British hip hop scene, Jonzi D and Tony Thrills, the show included performances by both internationally acclaimed artists and local groups.

Vagabond Crew's Alien

On entering Eden Court, it seemed that the festival had overtaken not only the Empire Theatre, but the entire venue. The foyer was filled with tracksuit clad break-dancers, and dance mats were placed throughout the building to make way for appearances from local dance groups who couldn’t be slotted into the main performance.  As part of the festival, the day had also included pre-show talks on the history of hip hop theatre with Jonzi, who is also Breakin’ Convention’s artistic director.

Opening the evening’s show was North Highland group Rush Dance, made up of young people aged six to sixteen from Caithness and Sutherland. Formed in 2010 by former Scottish b-boy champion Willie Miller, Rush Dance is the most northerly street dance school in Scotland. Despite their relative youth as a group, the quality of dance was exceptional, and their set was met by resounding applause from the audience.

Following Rush Dance were Glaswegian group the Flyin’ Jalapenos, who told the story of their groups emergence on the Scottish break-dancing scene over the past ten years, from their first meetings at a local hip hop shop, to their materialization as an established company, with workshops, their own studio space, and appearances at T in the Park. This set also included an appearance from one of their younger ‘crew’ members, who is one of many mentored by the group in their efforts to the foster the next generation of Scottish break-dancers.

The second half was opened by all-girl group Rockabeat, fronted by founder and choreographer Christina ‘Xena’ Gusthart. Their set was sharp and perfectly executed, with a touch of tongue-in-cheek retro references to complement their 80s funk soundtrack. The addition of beat-boxer Bigg Taj created an interesting experiment to see how the two disciplines could work together.

Clash 66 followed with a performance that challenged and pushed the boundaries of street dance by taking it into the realm of contemporary theatre, while still retaining the genre’s integrity. France’s Sébastien Ramirez and Korean Honji have been working together to create their unique interpretations of break-dancing for several years, and the chemistry between the two performers made for a transfixing set. Honji’s 10 years of ballet training were showcased in her fluid, refined movements, which put an entirely different perspective on break-dancing, which is so often characterised by jagged, athletic movement.

The convention was closed by world-champion break-dancers Vagabond Crew, performing their signature piece Alien.  If Clash 66 pushed the boundaries of hip hop dance, then Vagabond Crew broke them into pieces and backflipped over them. Alien, an ambitious piece that explores the contrasting themes of hope and fatalism, life and death, is performed with electrifying intensity to the Saw soundtrack.  Choreographed by Mohamed Belarbi, Alien displays how versatile break-dancing can be as a genre, and the ways it can be developed. There is a sense, as the Vagabond Crew took their triumphant final bow and launched into freestyle with the other performers, that Breakin’ Convention is just the tip of the iceberg.

© Rowan Macfie, 2012

Links

• Breakin’ Convention