Breakin’ Convention International Festival of Hip Hop Dance Theatre

Choreographer and cultural innovator Ivan Michael Blackstock explores themes of life, death and rebirth in this Olivier Awarding-winning show. Wandering between dreams and reality, TRAPLORD takes audiences on a new heroic journey to self-actualisation. Using dance, theatre and spoken word to explore raw themes of mental health and masculinity, TRAPLORD is an invitation to question the stereotyping of Black men in contemporary western society – portraying an attempt to escape from a mental state of being condemned before having lived.

TRAPLORD premiered at 180 Studios, London and won the 2023 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.

“Traplord is loud, audacious, edgy, surprisingly sensitive and worth seeing” ★★★★ - The Times

“It’s a truly impressive piece, a confident mixture of speech, theatre, music and dance, tied together” ★★★★ - The Guardian

“Technically brilliant and conceptually unique exploration of Blackness and masculinity” ★★★★ - The Stage

ILL-Abilities is an International Breakdance Crew comprised of differently-abled dancers, all of whom have overcome extraordinary challenges to become some of the best dancers in the world.

This crew originated from an idea by Montreal-based dancer/motivational speaker Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli to create an all-star team of some of the world’s best differently-abled dancers. 

ILL-Abilities was officially formed in 2007, with four founding members Lazyegz, Tommy Guns, Kujo, and Checho whose goal was to compete and perform internationally showing the world that anything is possible.  They are more than just a b-boy crew- they are a global movement that inspires and educates, championing that there are no limits. 

Femme Fatale is a group of 3 female international dancers: Marie Poppins, Lily Frias and Dassy Lee. They are based in Los Angeles, but are originally from different countries: France, Mexico and Korea. They moved to the United States to pursue their dreams as professional dancers and Choreographers.

They are mostly known for their strong abilities in Popping, Animation, Robot and a high level of musicality with a feminine touch. Their mix of cultural background and unique individual styles is what makes an original and a powerful female collective. They use their femininity as a strength, their technique as a weapon, and their passion as a power.

They are putting their style of dance in the commercial world, their goal is to be role models for women and inspire the future dance generation all over the world. They joined their strengths to create “Rising in Motion”, a thrilling theatre show empowering women, showcasing the different emotions and aspects of a strong woman’s journey in search for her dream and self- love.

As a group, Femme Fatale performed for Bebe Rexha, Cirque du Soleil, Red Bull, Marc Jacobs and they have worked individually with artists and brands such as Madonna, Clavin Harris, Justin Bieber, Gap and Timberland. They have been starred in major dance TV shows: So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Best Dance Crew.