Breakin’ Convention review: A bold, eclectic celebration of hip-hop dance theatre

Dancers from Peru, the Czech Republic and more make this a truly open and international festival

Breakin’ Convention (Belinda Lawley)

Breakin’ Convention is back, and it’s on triumphant form: eclectic, curious, embracing the world. Now in its 19th year, the festival celebrates the range of hip-hop dance theatre, from bravura displays to fierce storytelling. It’s a show that spills across the building and beyond. You’ll see workshops and art exhibitions, kids dancing and drawing in the foyers, an afterparty at the O2, and a free outdoor Park Jam on the final day. 

After two years of pandemic restrictions, this festival feels particularly open and international. Dancers from Peru and the Czech Republic take bold and distinctive approaches, unpacking politics or twisting their bodies into surreal imagery. The show is curated and hosted by Jonzi D, who nods to local British politics, offers context, and brings a sense of celebration to the whole show. He’s matched by an exuberant yet sensitive sign language interpreter Jacqui Beckford.

Beckford offers sympathetic support to the searing Our Bodies Back, originally created as a dance film during lockdown. Poet jessica Care moore retells the story of a young Black mother who died by suicide, reframing her story with anger and compassion. Dancer Axelle “Ebony” Munezero twines herself around the words, to music played live by saxophonist Soweto Kinch.