Impressive Break Dancing on offer at Nottingham's annual festival
The annual Breakin’ Convention is a two day hip hop dance festival at the Royal Concert Hall, kicked off at 7.30pm on the Saturday. However, if you wanted to make a full evening of it, you could enjoy seeing various dance groups perform in the bar area from around 5pm.
The main lineup started with an amazing set from Take 1 Dance. Dancers moving across the stage to a fusion of hip-hop music, a mix of jazz, Latin music and a well-known tune. I can’t name any of the dance moves, but the set was full of energy, fast-moving and every part of the stage was used by its ten-plus dancers.
It was a great way to start the show.
Next, we were entertained by another group of ten-plus dancers with a completely different style and a shorter set, which was entertaining nonetheless. They were received equally well by the audience, who showed their appreciation with loud applause.
Femme Fatale, three female dancers from Mexico, France and Croatia, took to the stage with grace, showing strength and poise while delivering a set full of moves I could not name but recognised as aspects of the traditional Ethiopian dance. At the end of the set, the audience again showed their appreciation with loud applause and cheers.
The great thing about Breakin’ Convention is that it features performers from local and international dance companies. This time, Jah Digga (local MC) shared his moving poem, Broken Blokes, which includes personal experiences, including the effects of alopecia.
In my opinion, the most moving set during the first half of the show was ILL-Abilities (two men from the Netherlands and Brazil). The audience was captured by their performance. The performers were nothing that I had seen before. They used every part of the stage in one way or another.
ILL-Abilities describe themselves as ‘differently abled’, and their motto is no limits, no excuses and this is what we saw. Their moves were captivating, showing that everyone is capable of doing anything if you are determined to put the work in. The set was inspirational and challenging at the same time, and it may change people’s perceptions of others who do not look, think, move, or behave the same way they do.
This time, the audience showed their appreciation with a standing ovation and cheering that lasted a few minutes.
The second half was a complete shift as the headliners (Olivier Award-winning) Traplord took to the stage. Before they performed, we were warned about the suitability for children under 12, as it would include elements deemed inappropriate for them. The warning was of their being racialised language, suicide and simulated gun use and described as showing the minds of black men in East London.
The set was dark, with performers wearing dark clothing broken up with lights of various sizes that were moved across the stage and auditorium. It showed the darkness of life caught up in gang activities, etc., but ended with light, showing support and help for those who wanted it. It was moving.
When Breakin’ Convention returns to Nottingham, as it does most years, if you haven’t seen the show before, I recommend that you do.
Breakin' Convention performed at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall on 16-17 May 2026.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
