Young Dancers Will Battle it Out in Hip-Hop Competition at the Old Town Hall, Stratford This Month

On 27 January 2024 young dancers from around London and Essex will take to the stage at the Old Town Hall, Stratford to participate in Battle, a high-energy hip-hop dance event and competition organised by Step into Dance.

A celebration of 50 years of hip-hop, Battle will include an introductory workshop, an energetic 'breaking' activity at lunchtime, a performance by RAD's youth dance company, SYNC, and the highly anticipated battle that will take place in front of a live audience.

Battle is an annual celebration of hip-hop dance organised by Step into Dance, the UK's largest inclusive dance programme run by the Royal Academy of Dance and funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation. The event provides the opportunity for young dancers on the Step into Dance programme to come together and share their passion for dance, all the while battling it out in front of their friends and a rapturous audience.

Young dancers are able to put their skills to the test in solo, duo, and crew battles for the chance to be named champions. They can also take part in workshops in commercial and breaking, rounds of knock out battles, and showcases.

An event that celebrates the joy of dance and bringing everyone together, Battle further enables young dancers to develop skills such as collaboration, creativity, discipline and expressing their individuality, which they can take forward in every direction life takes them.

This year's Battle marks a huge milestone for hip-hop dance and the dance style 'breaking', which for the first time will be a sport in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Gemma Juma, Jack Petchey Foundation's CEO, said of the collaboration: "The Jack Petchey Foundation is once again proud to be working with the Royal Academy of Dance on this uplifting event. In 2024 our Foundation celebrates twenty-five years since being established, and we have supported the Step into Dance programme for seventeen of those years. It's a programme that continues to go from strength to strength. Battle is a great example of how it provides an opportunity for young people from across London and Essex to develop their dance skills and support their physical and mental well-being. The enthusiasm and talent on display each year at this celebration of hip-hop is incredible and I'm sure this year will be no different."