Birmingham Hippodrome Hosts Breakin' Convention 2014 Today

Birmingham Hippodrome will welcome the return of international festival of hip-hop dance theatre, Breakin' Convention - a roof-raising two days of jaw-dropping performances by home grown West Midlands talent alongside world renowned hip-hop artists today and tomorrow, 20 & 21 May. Part of International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014.

Hosted by Hip Hop Guru Jonzi D, an Associate Artist at Sadlers Wells, local dance crews will take to the Birmingham Hippodrome stage to showcase Birmingham's wealth of hip-hop talent alongside professional artists over two nights.

On Tuesday, the local line-up is set to include self-taught all male crew, Antics who were among the finalists in Sky's Got to Dance; Staffordshire'sCompany Elite featuring dancers aged between 9 and 20 plus a duo of performers Marius and Andrei who have developed their work through variousBirmingham Hippodrome projects including Jonzi D's Open Art Surgery last Summer.

Wednesday night will see more home grown highlights including the return of 15 dancers from Birmingham's Dance Nuvo who have performed at the festival in 2007, 2009 and 2012 and Nottingham's NuProjeks with a crew of 8 performers aged 10-30. Wednesday's line-up is completed by the incredible Youtube sensation B-Girl Terra from Fallings Park in Wolverhampton. At just 6 years old B-Girl Terra has now gained over 6 million Youtube views after her show-stopping performance at the Pro Chelles international dancing competition in Paris and has been invited to perform on huge popular entertainment programmes including America's Ellen Degeneres show; watch her incredible performance here. B-Girl Terra is joined on the night by her nine year old sister who performs under the name Eddie and their b-boy crew Soul Mavericks.

Sharing the stage with Birmingham's best are renowned hip hop artists from across the globe. Returning after a rave reception in 2012, ILL-Abilities are a company of dancers from across the continents with varying disabilities as they challenge the misconceptions and supposed limits around disability.Wanted Posse head across the channel from France fresh from multi-award winning performances and being hailed as one of the country's leading and longest running hip hop dance companies. The UK's Ukweli Roach rounds up the professional line up; having trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), Ukweli brings his unique brand of hip hop storytelling to the festival.

The action at Breakin' Convention doesn't just happen on stage, it spills out into Birmingham Hippodrome's foyer and public spaces with a collection of pre-show events from 5.30pm with freestyle sessions, live DJ demos, workshops from top international artists and a hip hop marketplace. A full schedule of events will be announced soon.

Breakin' Convention runs at Birmingham Hippodrome Tuesday 20 & Wednesday 21 May. Performance times: Foyer events from 5.30pm, show begins 7.30pm. Tickets: £9.50 in advance (plus 50p transaction fee), £15 on the door (plus 5% transaction fee). Call 0844 338 5000 or visitbirminghamhippodrome.com. Transaction charge applies (excl. cash sales in person) plus £1 postage. Phone calls from 5p per minute. Prices and discounting subject to change.

Breakin' Convention is part of International Dance Festival Birmingham 2014. Founded in 2008 the Festival is co-produced by Birmingham Hippodrome and DanceXchange and brings a spectacular range of international dance and performances to venues and outdoor sites across the region.www.idfb.co.uk

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