Jo-Ann Hamilton caught up with Jonzi D to discuss the upcoming Breakin Convention 2009 at Sadlers Wells, hip hop theatre, his opinions and artistic expression.

Jonzi D

Jonzi D has been actively involved in British Hip Hop culture, rapping and b-boying in clubs and on the street since its genesis in the early eighties. Since graduating from the London Contemporary Dance School, Jonzi has been committed to the development of Hip Hop theatre, creating Lyrikal Fearta in 1995, and Aeroplane Man in 1999. He was an Associate Artist at The Place Theatre and has performed and created dance theatre pieces all over Europe, North America, Israel, New Zealand, Cuba and Southern Africa.

What exactly is hip hop theatre as a genre? Hip hop theatre as a genre is quite simply the techniques and artistic disciplines that come from hip hop culture, so that's breakin, poppin, locking, street dance, graffiti art, mcing/poetry, djing, beat making and beat boxing. All of these are used in a theatrical context in the hip hop theatre genre. If you take the theatre for example, theatres have set design and creative wise I have made sets and things like doors, just the set generally. DJ polo has made my music for me by using turn table manipulation. The dancers I work with tend to be breakers and what I like to do is use those skills to create theatre. For example, if we are trying to show someone who is feeling broken, to be able to do music like this -moves his chest in a broken way-helps us understand that sensation of brokenness, so we are using the technique in a theatrical way.

Why did you decide to create Jonzi D, your own company? Jonzi D is a vehicle for one, my work and two, for education. One of the things I am really sensitive about is the way in which hip hop culture is perceived and fortunately because we are here at Sadlers Wells people are starting to see hip hop as a true art form.

Because Sadlers Wells is more mainstream? What do you mean by mainstream? It is more popular. Yes, but hip hop is more popular than the stuff that occurs here. Yes, hip hop is definitely global but Sadlers Wells reaches a wider dance and theatre audience. I still think that a lot of stuff that happens in these buildings is not showing what people are into who live near these buildings. There are a lot of people who live around here that do not come into these buildings. I think with theatre generally, there is a social hierarchy that these types of buildings try to protect.

You think they are more elitist? Yes. So, you think that by being here you make it less elitist and more approachable? Yes, it is more approachable for people who are within the elite circles and for those people who maybe now feel that there culture, hip hop culture, is valued for being in a space like this. There are loads of people that live around here that do not come into this building because there is nothing here for them. Or do they think that there is nothing here for them? If there was they would come.

Do you think people in the hip hop community come to these places? I do not think they do but in the last six years they have been. This is because hip hop theatre as a genre is here.

Do you think that it is somewhat patronising to think that people who come from hip hop culture can only appreciate hip hop theatre as opposed to just appreciating diverse types of theatre and art and cultural expressions? To put bluntly "those people like that." I understand where your question is coming from but the bottom line is pride, I am so proud of hip hop culture, it is brilliant and I think everyone should know about hip hop culture.

Hip hop came from the Bronx, from the children of working class families, lower economic strata in the fabric of American society. So, it has started there but not remained there, going back to what I mentioned in my last question in terms of not being limited but expanding. Yes, but everything artistic that comes out of the lower economic strata in America becomes global and I do not know if we can say the same in reverse. I do not think we can say everyone wants ballet. Hip hop theatre is not about ghettoising what we do it is about recognising that everybody is going to love hip hop culture. If you look at the history of America and black culture there everything that comes out of the black community becomes popular. For example, look at Jazz, it is everywhere in the mainstream, look at where Jazz came from and now it is popular, which is why I asked you what you meant by mainstream.

Yes, Jazz came from the deep South in the USA from black culture and hip hop is huge globally like Jazz and in the future may be even bigger. Yes, so this is what I mean when I say everything that came out of the poorer black communities in the US in now global and people cannot get enough of it. If you go to a jazz club now and see the people who are there it has changed significantly.

On your website it says you want to raise the awareness of hip hop culture to inspire and inform, can you expand on that? I think that firstly, knowledge is endless, so to say that I need to talk to the hip hop community is not true, everybody can be inspired and informed, there is no end or I know all of that and I know all of this. At the same time there are people who know nothing about hip hop culture, its history or the way it has changed. Some people think hip hop is booty shaking and bitches, but that is just one side so we want to show the history and the culture.

Yes because there is Common and others of his ilk. Exactly, so, we want to show all the elements of the culture so people can have a much more rounder understanding of what it is.

As an artist where does your creativity come from? Every specific idea has a specific impulse as to where it came from but to generalise I would say life, politics and community. So many of the characters in my work are people I know. The work I do reflects what is real for me. I made a couple of pieces, one called Looney Tunes which is a critique about how TV is used as a baby sitter and the effect it has on children who sit in front of the TV all day and all of their information comes from there. Another one I am doing is called Marcus the Sadist which is about how the media portrays hip hop. As a hip hop head for most of my life I do not know rappers that carry guns. I do not know rappers that have got mad bitches. I do not know rappers that wear really expensive chains. So, the idea that this is what rappers do is not real for me, so I show a different side of my reality of hip hop through this production.

What is more important to you in your productions passion or technique? I would have to say that it is balance and that I need both because without technique you cannot present your art with articulation and without passion then you are boring.

Do all of your productions have meaning? Should every production have meaning? Every single one, yes, everyone has meaning, even if that meaning does not matter to an individual. Yes, they should all have meaning, whether that meaning is abstract or narrative whatever it is, it has to mean something.

Do you think if it does not have meaning then it is not art? I do not think I have ever seen something that does not have meaning.

How did Breakin Convention come about? As a result of my touring around the world and doing lyrical theatre I felt a bit isolated in England as there was no one else doing hip hop theatre at the time and when I toured I realised that there were loads of people in Europe, France particularly, and America that were exploring this idea of hip hop theatre. I had a conversation with Alistair Spalding when he was at the Royal Festival Hall, before becoming artistic director at Sadlers Wells. It has a lot to do with Alistair's ability to let me do what I want. Particularly in theatre where people are sensitive and to have some young black dude from East London come in the theatre and say rip this and gut that and he said yes! This is why it has been so successful and I have not had to compromise anything.

What was it like touring all over the world doing hip hop theatre? How were you received? The feedback was fantastic, we went to a small city in France and we had some problems there because we were not rapping in French and they did not understand but overall it was great!

Did all of that great feedback make you think I need to do something? I need to take it to the next level? Well, I kept thinking how could there not be a genre in the theatre called hip hop? It is a matter of progression. If there is loads of jazz in the theatre how can there not be hip hop. It was more obvious to me in the 90's I kept saying it makes no sense with all the skills that we have that it is not in the theatre.

There are still many who do not take hip hop, the music and the culture seriously, why do you think that is? This is due to a lack of knowledge and a lack of media vehicles that present the culture in a positive light. Also, it is not for everyone, so if you do not like it then cool. Some people do not like it because all they hear is aggression and anger, violence, bitch talking and gratuitous sexual images, so I can understand if people do not like that but it is such a shame, that this is all people are hearing.

If you were not performing what would you be doing? I would be directing. I love the live theatre productions and I love films because once you have done it, it still exists.

Finish this sentence for me. I wish would performers would...Think craft first and any aspirations to be a millionaire should wait until they have sorted out their craft first. I feel really strongly about that because there are loads of people out there who want to be paid and they are not all that. That is celebrity though, what you mentioned, not art. Exactly!

What do you want itzcaribbean visitors to know about you? I want them to know that if they come to see anything I am involved in they will be informed and inspired.

Please click here for more information on Jonzi D official website and Breakin' Convention