Breakin’ Convention, Sadler’s Wells, dance review

Over 11 years, the Sadler’s Wells festival Breakin’ Convention has celebrated and helped to broaden the hip hop dance landscape.

The dance battles, headspins and scissor-legged gymnastics are all there, alongside new approaches to storytelling and theatre.

Held over the Bank Holiday weekend, with a UK tour to follow, the festival has a hugely varied line-up. Debating his identity, US-based dancer Tom Tsai ties himself in brilliant knots, verbally and physically. Los Angeles crew Street Kingdom, pioneers of krumping, deliver a blast of old-school swagger. Powerfully muscled and full of testosterone, they twitch and seethe with crackling energy.

IN-SI-DE The Cirque, from the Czech Republic, are creepy hip hop clowns, all deadpan reactions and light-footed mischief. The French CIE Phorm provide bending, flickering moves, coming close to optical illusion. ILL-Abilities, an international crew of b-boys with disabilities, whizz through virtuoso steps – though their staging needs refreshing.

There are huge cheers for the home crews, too. BirdGang’s Kendra J Horsburgh slinks through lithe poses before sprouting glittery wings, which she flaps from her rippling shoulderblades. With massed ranks of dancers in armoured jerkins, Avant Garde Dance suggest a different kind of battle, as much warrior horde as hip hop crew.

At Sadler’s Wells until 5 May. Box office 0844 412 4300. Touring until 7 June. Tour dates from www.breakinconvention.com