Sadler’s Wells’ hip hop dance project Breakin' Convention is one of the world's leading hip hop dance organisations delivering a dynamic programme of events, performances and projects and working with some of the world's finest hip hop artists.
It presents Breakin’ Convention, an annual festival of hip hop dance theatre, at Sadler’s Wells from 3-5 May 2014, ahead of a UK tour.
The hip hop community boasts many talented emerging film-makers, but opportunities to train, develop and receive mentorship are limited. Unpaid work and internships are financially unsustainable for most, which makes progression within the industry difficult.
Breakin’ Convention aims to plug this gap by offering training and mentorship coupled with paid, creative film-making briefs. Through providing access to quality equipment and mentors, tailored training programmes and bridging relationships with other film production companies, BCTV is not only an opportunity for film-makers to make dynamic content but a gateway to the larger industry.
In May and June 2014, Breakin’ Convention will tour to Doncaster, Kings Lynn, Inverness, Birmingham, Whitley Bay, Brighton, Bristol, Blackpool and Bournemouth, supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Programme and Dance Consortium.
Emerging film-makers from each town on the tour are working closely with Breakin’ Convention, film-maker and mentor Ben Dowden and their local theatres to tell unique stories and to create stylised, original content for BCTV.
The project is part of Sadler’s Wells’s work with each regional partner in the tour to ensure a strong legacy beyond the tour. In addition to BCTV, this will include engaging local urban cultural ambassadors who will provide the link between the venue and the local hip hop dance, graffiti, rap and DJ communities.
Breakin’ Convention Project Manager Peter Maniam says: “Working with some of the UK’s emerging film makers in partnership with the Breakin’ Convention UK tour showcases the length and breadth of what we do as a hip hop organisation and will highlight some of our lesser-known projects to a much wider audience.”
BCTV features everything from live performances to interviews, short documentaries, video diaries and conceptual videos and provides an insight into the world of hip hop dance culture.
Launch content for the channel includes 16 Bars in A Bar, working with spoken word artists, poets and MCs performing exclusive verses to camera set in a pub location, Pro-files, featuring interviews with the originators of London’s emerging dance scene from the 70s to the present day and a behind-the-scenes mini-documentary exploring Breakin’ Convention’s artistic development course Back to the Lab.