Breakin’ Convention Festival
In Collaboration with London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre
Headline programming includes groundbreaking works from internationally renowned dance crews, a special performance by popping icon Popin’ Pete, and appearance by Hip-Hop Legend and Co-Host Biz Markie
Festival Expands to Week-long Celebration to Include:
Artist Talks, Workshops, Dance Master Class with Jon Boogz and Lil Buck, a Unique Art Exhibition Created by Internationally Celebrated Sculptor/Painter Carlos “Mare139” Rodriguez, and Much More
October 20 – 28, 2017
WHAT: The Apollo Theater presents the return of London’s Sadler’s Wells’ critically acclaimed international hip-hop dance theatre festival—Breakin’ Convention, one of the world’s greatest celebrations of hip-hop culture now in its third year. Mainstage performances will take place October 27 – 28 at 7:30 p.m., and will feature an appearance by hip hop legend Biz Markie, who will act as co-host.
Curated and hosted by nationally recognized U.K. hip-hop emcee and theater pioneer Jonzi D, Breakin’ Convention will take over the entire Apollo building and will include performances by world renowned dance companies and local crews. In addition to the mainstage performances, this year’s Festival is expanding to a week-long series of events and activities consisting of artist talks, master classes, dance workshops, freestyle sessions, an art exhibition by Carlos “Mare139” Rodriguez, and special Breakin’ Convention-themed editions of the Theater’s signature programs, Apollo Music Café and Family Workshop.
This year’s festival will also directly address several pressing issues that are part of America’s current sociopolitical landscape through performances and accompanying events, with highlights including an artist talk with dancers Jon Boogz and Lil Buck centered on dance as a tool for social justice and prison reform.
Breakin’ Convention 2017 will feature performances by: Dynamic Rockers (USA), Havoc and Klassic (USA), Popin’ Pete (USA), Rep Your Style (USA), Protocol Dance Company (UK), Salah (France), Soweto Skeleton Movers (SA), Yeah Yellow (France), Bwreakfast Club from Litefeet Nation (USA), and Passionfruit Dance Company (USA).
WHEN: Series of Events at the Apollo Theater October 20– 28, 2017
See below for complete Breakin’ Convention schedule
WHERE: Events will take place at the Apollo Theater on the Apollo Mainstage, the Apollo Soundstage, under the Apollo Marquee, and offsite.
For detailed program and ticket information visit www.apollobreakin.com
PHOTO OP: All media outlets interested in covering any of the Breakin’ Convention Festival, MUST submit requests via email to Nina Flowers at nina.flowers@apollotheater.org
ABOUT US: The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.
With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella blockbuster concert, the annual Africa Now! Festival, and the recent New York premiere of the opera Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD. The Apollo is a performing arts presenting organization that also produces festivals and large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; global festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention, international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.
Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms, and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy
The Apollo Theater’s Full Schedule of Breakin’ Convention Festival:
October 25 Columbia University’s Undergraduate Committee on Global Thought and The Apollo Theater present Fight the Power: A Global Conversation Exploring Hip-Hop and Social Consciousness
Location: Columbia University
Lenfest Center for the Arts
615 West 129th Street, New York, NY 10027
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hip-hop music and culture have reverberated far beyond their birthplace on the streets of New York. From the favelas of Brazil to the trenches of the Arab Spring rebellion, the music fuels and inspires countless millions around the globe. Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater and Columbia University’s Undergraduate Committee on Global Thought present this compelling exploration of hip-hop music’s impact on global culture and social consciousness.
Panelists include: Jonzi D (U.K.), Salah Belemqawanssa (France), Julien Saint Maximin—also known as Bee D (Yeah Yellow/France), and Lanre Malaolu (Protocol/U.K.). Moderator: Columbia faculty member Mamadou Diouf, Professor of African Studies.
Free with an RSVP. Visit apollotheater.org
Apollo Amateur Night with Special Guests Soweto Skeleton Movers
Location: Apollo Mainstage
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for Amateur Night begin at $20 and are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com
October 26 Battlefest at the Apollo
Featuring Freestyle Funk Forum
Location: Soundstage
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Battlefest is one of the biggest and most elite dance competitions in the underground hip-hop community. Dancers from all over the nation will flock to the Apollo to participate in structured one-on-one battles.
Free with an RSVP. Visit apollotheater.org
October 27 Breakin Convention – School Day Live Performance
Hosted by Jonzi D & Mayhem Poets
Featuring: Yeah Yellow, Soweto Skeleton Movers and Bwreckfast Club
Location: Mainstage
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Price: $4 per person
Apollo School Day Live is a special student performance of the 2017 Breakin’ Convention International Festival of Hip- Hop Dance Theatre featuring the Soweto Skeleton Movers from South Africa, B-Boy Crew, Yeah Yellow from France, and Harlem’s own Bwreckfast Club. Hosted by the hip-hop theatre improv trio
Mayhem Poets. Most appropriate for grades 4–12.
Generous support for School Day Live tickets provided by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.
For tickets to Apollo School Day Live and information visit www.apollotheater.org
Uptown Gets Down
Location: Under the Apollo Marquee
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
This dance party under the iconic Apollo Marquee is hosted by Jorge “Popmaster Fabel” Pabon and features some of NYC’s hottest dance crews, Floatmasters and It’s Showtime NYC. Performances by The Beatbox House NYC with live graffiti by Letters First Crew.
Free and open to the public.
Breakin Convention Mainstage Performance
Hosted by Jonzi D and Celebrity Co-Host Biz Markie
Music by DJ Boogie Blind and DJ Precision
Featuring: Dynamic Rockers (USA), Havoc and Klassic (USA), Popin’ Pete (USA), Rep Your Style (USA), Protocol (UK), Salah (France), Soweto Skeleton Movers (SA), Yeah Yellow (France)
Location: Mainstage
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for Breakin’ Convention are $28.50 – $48.50. Tickets are available at The Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531- 5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com
October 28 Family Workshop: Family Cypher and Beat Making Workshop
Hosted by Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen
Location: Apollo Soundstage
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Price: Free with registration
This 90-minute family workshop teaches elements of hip-hop and how to use your body to create unique beats. The session will feature a participatory cypher and ideas on how you can take the hip-hop experience back home. Led by Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, an all-women’s hip-hop collective. With guest artists MC LiKWUiD and the cypher collective Toni Blackman’s Rhyme Like a Girl Collective.
Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the workshop.
Apollo Family Workshops are free and pre-registration is strongly suggested. For registration information visit www.apollotheater.org
Film Screening – Get Lite
Location: Apollo Soundstage
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Free screening with post-screening talk with the film’s director, Lance Steagall. GET LITE is a documentary film featuring Litefeet dancers, known to most New Yorkers for their cries of SHOWTIME! on the subway.
Free with an RSVP. Visit apollotheater.org
Uptown Gets Down
Location: Under the Apollo Marquee
Time: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
This dance party under the iconic Apollo Marquee is hosted by Jorge “Popmaster Fabel” Pabon and features some of NYC’s hottest dance crews, Floatmasters and It’s Showtime NYC, performances by The Beatbox House NYC with live graffiti by Letters First Crew.
Free and open to the Public
Breakin Convention Mainstage Performance
Hosted by Jonzi D and Celebrity Co-Host Biz Markie
Music by DJ Boogie Blind and DJ Precision
Featuring: Bwreakfast Club from Litefeet Nation (USA), Passionfruit Dance Company (USA), Popin’ Pete (USA), Protocol (UK), Salah (France), Soweto Skeleton Movers (SA), Yeah Yellow (France)
Location: Mainstage
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Thought for the Day…