Breakin’ Convention, Sadler’s Wells Review 3*
Breakin’ Convention, the annual hip hop festival, brings crews from the UK and continental Europe to Sadler’s Wells
Breakin’ Convention is a three-day jamboree of everything that falls under the loose hip hop umbrella: dancing and creative workshops, demonstrations, DJ sets, Caribbean food all vie for attention throughout the foyers of Sadler’s Wells and its sister Lilian Baylis studio.
And then there are the actual performances on both stages, primarily on Saturday and Sunday, with some acts featuring in both.
Breakin’ Convention has been going since 2004. Founded by the indefatigable MC, dancer and spoken word artist Jonzi D, who remains its Artistic Director, it claims to be the biggest hip hop festival in the world, but on Saturday’s showing I wonder if the moniker is still deserved.
Inside the main house half the stalls had been turned into a moshpit, which filled up slowly, with late arrivals filing in throughout the entirety of the first part of the show.
The vibe is definitely laid back…
The exuberant Jonzi D compered, briefly introducing each of the five acts that made up the first part of the evening.
First came BirdGang, Breakin’ Convention regulars marking their 20th anniversary with Constellation, a collage of key moments of the crew’s life from its three-men beginnings, through growth and choreography developing as architecture to the present day, in the process giving us a snapshot of the evolution of the genre.
I found their performance hugely enjoyable.
Popper Lauren Scott and her partner Omni came next with My Old Friend and I, a piece developed through a Breakin’ Convention workshop. Set principally within a perimeter, around a chair and floor lamp, it involved much syncopated pacing around by a pensive-looking Scott. An internalised and subdued piece, it didn’t set the pulse racing.
Krumper Illi Wild from Belgium followed. His vibrant and forceful piece, murkily lit by combinations of spotlights, used dance starkly to illuminate Black culture, from subjugation to rebellion and constant struggle. Wild is a stunning dancer and his piece, BeZarbi, was a highlight of the evening.
Not so Chandenie Gobardhan’s Caught Again in the Net of Rebirth. Billed as combination of Japanese Butoh theatre, South Asian bharatanatyam dance and hip hop, it was a slow and impenetrable something for a group of three men and Gobardhan herself, which didn’t earn its place in a hip hop show.
It fell to The Ruggeds to reestablish the right tone.
Breakin’ Convention, The Ruggeds © 2025 Paul Hampartsoumian
This crew from the Netherlands, also celebrating its 20th anniversary, is the real deal: hip hop without frills or highfalutin’ concepts, just all manner of b-boying, each of six dancers showing off their joyous and extraordinary prowess to each other and the audience.
And for once the audience erupted in spontaneous cheering and clapping without being urged by Jonzi D to “make noise”.
We all went out on a high; and returned after a one-hour break with great expectations. Alas, Saïdo Lehlouh’s Témoin, a dark, moody piece for his 18-strong crew from France, proved one of those works where intricate concept overrides the need to entertain.
No wonder there was a constant stream of walkouts.
The 2025 edition of Breakin’ Convention felt a little jejune by comparison with previous years. It would be a pity if the show itself were winding down even as the brand gains ground with the establishment of the Breakin’ Convention Academy.
© Teresa Guerreiro
(Banner image credit: Breakin’ Convention, BirdGang. © 2025 Paul Hampartsoumian)
Breakin’ Convention is at Sadler’s Wells 2 – 4 May 2025. Full info here. Tickets here.