JONZI D

DOWNTIME - interviews with dance artists & arts leaders, talking about dance & the arts

Jonzi D is the founder and Artistic Director of Jonzi D Projects and Breakin’ Convention the international Hip Hop festival he founded in 2004 with Sadlers Wells. A dancer, spoken word artist and director, he is the foremost advocate for hiphop theatre who has changed the profile and influenced the development of the UK British hip-hop dance and theatre scene over the last two decades. He has been actively involved in British hip hop culture, rapping and b-boying since its genesis.

As well as making his own work, with shows such as The Letter in 2013, which he made about his decision to turn down an MBE, and TAg … Just writing in my name 2006, and the more recent film We Want Our Bodies Back he is passionate, as we will hear, about supporting the work of other artists, and the development of Hip Hop theatre as a whole.

In fact his most recent role is as Artistic Director of The brand new Hip Hop Theatre Academy – which opens at the new Sadlers Wells East venue in 2023.

Lou spoke to Jonzi in May 2022, and they talked about the changes he has seen across the years of Breakin Convention; his hopes for the new Sadler's Wells Hip Hop Academy and the philosophy of 'Each one teach one' – that informs his own life, and the Hip Hop sector more widely.