Hip-hop theater
Encyclopedia
Hip-hop theater is a form of theater that presents contemporary stories from the perspective of the hip-hop generation through the use of one or more of the four elements of hip-hop culture—b-boying
, graffiti writing, MCing
(rapping), and DJing
. Other cultural markers of hip-hop such as spoken word
, beatboxing
, and hip-hop dance can be included as well although they are not always present. What is most important is the language of the theatrical piece and the plot's relevance to the world. Danny Hoch, founder of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, further defines it as such: "Hip-hop theatre must fit into the realm of theatrical performance, and it must be by, about and for the hip-hop generation, participants in hip-hop culture, or both."
Hip-hop theater productions appear in a wide range of platforms from single performances, to week-long festivals, to traveling repertory companies. Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an award winning spoken word artist and dancer who has been commissioned several times to create and direct single hip-hop theater works. British
choreographer Jonzi D is the artistic director of the London
based Breakin' Convention, a week long hip-hop theater festival. Rennie Harris
, Mourad Merzouk, and Victor Quijada are artistic directors who run hip-hop theater companies in the U.S., France
, and Canada
respectively. The Rock Steady Crew
, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians pioneered this theatrical genre which started in the United States
.
"So! What Happens Now?" and 1995's "Jam on the Groove" which were both co-authored, co-directed, and co-choreographed by Jorge "Popmaster Fabel" Pabon and performed by the Rock Steady Crew
, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians. Aside from the pioneers in New York
was Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris' Puremovement (RHPM) hip-hop theater company which Harris founded in 1992 in Philadelphia. The company has toured all over the world showcasing its original works such as "March of the Antmen", "P-Funk", "Endangered Species", "Facing Mekka", and "Rome & Jewels". RHPM also organizes the annual Illadelph Legends Festival which brings together the pioneers
—the people who were b-boying
, locking
, and popping
in the '70s when these styles were developed—and renowned practitioners of hip-hop dance to teach master classes, give lecture demonstrations, and participate in panel discussions.
based Impact Dance and American based all female company Decadance Theater. Compagnie Käfig is a French hip-hop theater company of mostly Algeria
n descent founded in 1995 by Mourad Merzouki. Their performances mix standard b-boying
, locking
, and popping
with capoeira
, mime, and gymnastics. They use the same fusion in music by mixing rap music with classical music
and Andalusian guitar
. While on tour in the U.S. they performed at Jacob's Pillow
in Massachusetts
(2001) and at the Joyce Theater
in New York (2002).
Groovaloo is a hip-hop theater company based out of Los Angeles
that was founded by Bradley "Shooz" Rapier. It started out in 1999 as a dance crew, The Groovaloos, and progressed into a stage show that is a series of stories based on the true life experiences of the dancers. Company members include Edmundo "Poe One" Loayza, Rynan "Kid Rainen" Paguio from JabbaWockeeZ
, and Teresa "Rag Doll" Espinosa from Beat Freaks
.
RUBBERBANDance Group (RBDG) was founded in 2002 in Montreal
by Los Angeles
native Victor Quijada. Quijada first started dancing as a b-boy in Baldwin Park, CA
. He studied modern dance
in high school and after graduating went on to become a professional dancer under Twyla Tharp
and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. He started RBDG dance company
after leaving the Montreal ballet. The New York Times has called the style of dance his company performs "post hip-hop" because it's a fusion of hip-hop dance and ballet
.
's social-economical struggles. Joseph directed the play while Harris served as the choreographer. In 2008 he created "the break/s" which is a play based on the book Can't Stop Won't Stop
by Jeff Chang
.
Other solo hip-hop theater artists include Sarah Jones who headlined the first Hip-Hop Theater Festival and award winning playwright Will "Power" Wylie who collaborated with Danny Hock on his one-man play "Flow". There are also other stand alone hip-hop stage productions such as "Breaking the Cypher" and "Monsters of Hip Hop: The Show", a Broadway
style production created every year for the most talented participants of the Monsters of Hip Hop dance convention.
B-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
, graffiti writing, MCing
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
(rapping), and DJing
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
. Other cultural markers of hip-hop such as spoken word
Performance poetry
Performance poetry is poetry that is specifically composed for or during a performance before an audience. During the 1980s, the term came into popular usage to describe poetry written or composed for performance rather than print distribution.-History:...
, beatboxing
Beatboxing
Beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice. It may also involve singing, vocal imitation of turntablism, and the simulation of horns, strings, and other musical instruments...
, and hip-hop dance can be included as well although they are not always present. What is most important is the language of the theatrical piece and the plot's relevance to the world. Danny Hoch, founder of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, further defines it as such: "Hip-hop theatre must fit into the realm of theatrical performance, and it must be by, about and for the hip-hop generation, participants in hip-hop culture, or both."
Hip-hop theater productions appear in a wide range of platforms from single performances, to week-long festivals, to traveling repertory companies. Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an award winning spoken word artist and dancer who has been commissioned several times to create and direct single hip-hop theater works. British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
choreographer Jonzi D is the artistic director of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based Breakin' Convention, a week long hip-hop theater festival. Rennie Harris
Rennie Harris
Rennie Harris is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director and professor of Hip-hop dance. Harris formed the first and longest running hip-hop dance touring company, Rennie Harris Puremovement in 1992...
, Mourad Merzouk, and Victor Quijada are artistic directors who run hip-hop theater companies in the U.S., France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
respectively. The Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...
, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians pioneered this theatrical genre which started in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Though hip-hop culture has managed to establish itself on film, on television, in fashion, in music, and in the dance industry, it has not gained the same momentum in theater. Stage productions are few in number but growing. The first hip-hop stage shows were 1990's off Broadway musicalMusical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
"So! What Happens Now?" and 1995's "Jam on the Groove" which were both co-authored, co-directed, and co-choreographed by Jorge "Popmaster Fabel" Pabon and performed by the Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew
Rock Steady Crew is a b-boying crew and hip hop group that was established in the Bronx, New York City in 1977. The group was initially formed by b-boys named Jimmy D and Jojo. In subsequent years, Rock Steady Crew became a franchise name for groups in other locations. The Manhattan branch was...
, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians. Aside from the pioneers in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris' Puremovement (RHPM) hip-hop theater company which Harris founded in 1992 in Philadelphia. The company has toured all over the world showcasing its original works such as "March of the Antmen", "P-Funk", "Endangered Species", "Facing Mekka", and "Rome & Jewels". RHPM also organizes the annual Illadelph Legends Festival which brings together the pioneers
Innovator
An innovator in a general sense, is a person or an organization who is one of the first to introduce into reality something better than before. That often opens up a new area for others and achieves an innovation.-History:...
—the people who were b-boying
B-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
, locking
Locking (dance)
Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same...
, and popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
in the '70s when these styles were developed—and renowned practitioners of hip-hop dance to teach master classes, give lecture demonstrations, and participate in panel discussions.
Repertory companies
Other hip-hop theater companies that have been founded since the early 90s such as BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based Impact Dance and American based all female company Decadance Theater. Compagnie Käfig is a French hip-hop theater company of mostly Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n descent founded in 1995 by Mourad Merzouki. Their performances mix standard b-boying
B-boying
B-boying, often called "breakdancing", is a popular style of street dance that was created and developed as part of hip-hop culture among African Americans and Latino youths in New York City. The dance consists of four primary elements: toprock, downrock, power moves and freezes...
, locking
Locking (dance)
Locking is a style of funk dance, which is today also associated with hip hop. The name is based on the concept of locking movements, which basically means freezing from a fast movement and "locking" in a certain position, holding that position for a short while and then continuing in the same...
, and popping
Popping
Popping is a street dance and one of the original funk styles that came from California during the 1960s-70s. It is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a pop or a hit...
with capoeira
Capoeira
Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...
, mime, and gymnastics. They use the same fusion in music by mixing rap music with classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and Andalusian guitar
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
. While on tour in the U.S. they performed at Jacob's Pillow
Jacob's Pillow
Jacob’s Pillow Dance is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for the oldest internationally acclaimed summer dance festival in the United States. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
(2001) and at the Joyce Theater
Joyce Theater
The Joyce Theater is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea area of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The Joyce Theater Foundation, the organization founded in 1982 that operates the theater, also owns the Joyce SoHo dance center located in a former firehouse on Mercer...
in New York (2002).
Groovaloo is a hip-hop theater company based out of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
that was founded by Bradley "Shooz" Rapier. It started out in 1999 as a dance crew, The Groovaloos, and progressed into a stage show that is a series of stories based on the true life experiences of the dancers. Company members include Edmundo "Poe One" Loayza, Rynan "Kid Rainen" Paguio from JabbaWockeeZ
JabbaWockeeZ
Jabbawockeez is a Bay-Area-based Urban dance group formed initially by members Kevin " KB" Brewer, Phil "Swagger Boy" Tayag, & Joe "Punkee" Larot under the name "3 Muskee". They were the winners of season 1 of the show America's Best Dance Crew...
, and Teresa "Rag Doll" Espinosa from Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks
Beat Freaks is an all-female breaking dance crew from Los Angeles, California. Each of its nine members had achieved individual success dancing before the creation of the group in 2003. The Beat Freaks were featured on MTV's America's Best Dance Crew and finished the show as runners-up.- Overview...
.
RUBBERBANDance Group (RBDG) was founded in 2002 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
by Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
native Victor Quijada. Quijada first started dancing as a b-boy in Baldwin Park, CA
Baldwin Park, California
Baldwin Park is a city located in the central San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 75,390, down from 75,837 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. He studied modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
in high school and after graduating went on to become a professional dancer under Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp
Twyla Tharp is an American dancer and choreographer, who lives and works in New York City.-Early years:Tharp was born in 1941 on a farm in Portland, Indiana, and was named after Twila Thornburg, the "Pig Princess" of the 89th Annual Muncie Fair in Indiana.she spend hours working on it to help her...
and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. He started RBDG dance company
Dance company
A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a spectacle or entertainment.-Members:*Artistic Director*Choreographers*Dancers*Board of Directors*Education administrator...
after leaving the Montreal ballet. The New York Times has called the style of dance his company performs "post hip-hop" because it's a fusion of hip-hop dance and ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
.
Independent performances
Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an award winning spoken-word poet who frequently directs stand alone hip-hop theater plays. Some of his works include "Word Becomes Flesh", "De/Cipher" and "No Man's Land". He collaborated with Rennie Harris in 2007 to create "Scourge", a play about HaitiHaiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
's social-economical struggles. Joseph directed the play while Harris served as the choreographer. In 2008 he created "the break/s" which is a play based on the book Can't Stop Won't Stop
Can't Stop Won't Stop
Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation is a book by Jeff Chang chronicling the early hip hop scene.The book features portraits of DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D, and Ice Cube, among others, and is based on numerous interviews with graffiti artists, gang members, DJs,...
by Jeff Chang
Jeff Chang (journalist)
Jeff Chang is an American journalist and music critic on hip hop music and culture. His 2005 book, Can't Stop Won't Stop, which chronicles the early hip hop scene, won an American Book Award in 2005...
.
Other solo hip-hop theater artists include Sarah Jones who headlined the first Hip-Hop Theater Festival and award winning playwright Will "Power" Wylie who collaborated with Danny Hock on his one-man play "Flow". There are also other stand alone hip-hop stage productions such as "Breaking the Cypher" and "Monsters of Hip Hop: The Show", a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
style production created every year for the most talented participants of the Monsters of Hip Hop dance convention.
Festivals
- Rencontres de la Villette is a two week hip-hop theater festival started in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1996. Unlike the other theater companies mentioned, Recontres de la Villette was started with the help of government subsidiesSubsidyA subsidy is an assistance paid to a business or economic sector. Most subsidies are made by the government to producers or distributors in an industry to prevent the decline of that industry or an increase in the prices of its products or simply to encourage it to hire more labor A subsidy (also...
from the Ministry of Culture to promote the artsThe artsThe arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
. - Hip-Hop Theater Festival was founded in 2000 in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by playwright and actor Danny HochDanny HochDanny Hoch is an American writer, director and performance artist. He has acted in larger roles in independent and art house movies and had a few small roles in mainstream Hollywood films, with increasing exposure as in 2007's We Own the Night...
. The week long festival starts in D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and tours annually to New York, San Francisco, and ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. - Breakin' ConventionBreakin' ConventionBreakin’ Convention is an international hip-hop theatre festival based in London, England that was founded in 2004 and is produced annually by Sadler's Wells Theatre. It has been under the artistic direction of playwright and dancer Jonzi D since its inception. Since May 2008 Breakin’ Convention...
was started in 2004 by playwright and dancer Jonzi D and is housed annually at Sadler's Wells TheatreSadler's Wells TheatreSadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive...
in London. Every year starts off with a three day festival in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. After the London festival the convention tours to other cities in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
External links
- Will Power, Telling Stories through 'Hip Hop Theatre' podcast at NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
.org