In this episode of Dancing Class, pioneering hip hop artist Jonzi D shares how growing up in a creative family and discovering hip hop shaped his identity and ambitions. From early school performances to training at The Place, he reflects on navigating class and cultural barriers within the world of contemporary dance to carve his own path.
Jonzi recounts the creation of groundbreaking works like Aeroplane Man and Lyrical Theatre, which fused rap, poetry and movement, giving voice to political and social realities often absent from mainstream stages. He also discusses founding Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, an international festival that redefined how hip hop is seen in theatre and challenged entrenched notions of “high” and “low” art, Jonzi speaks about identity, community, race, and the limitless potential he found in hip hop culture.
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Jonzi D
Artistic Director of Breakin' Convention
Mixed Bill: SystemsLAB. Short works curated by Freddie Opoku-Addaie for Dance Umbrella 2019. Artists: THĒO INART, Becky Namgauds, Ffion Campbell-Davies/ tyroneisaacstuart and Jonzi D. Bernie Grant Arts Centre. 23 Nov 2019. Photo © Foteini Christofilopoulou.
Jonzi D (he/him)
Artistic Director of Breakin' Convention
London (UK)
An MC, dancer, spoken word artist and director, Jonzi D is the foremost advocate for hip hop who has changed the profile and influenced the development of the UK British hip hop dance and theatre scene over the last two decades.
Since founding Breakin’ Convention in 2004 Jonzi has triumphed in raising the profile and giving a platform to hip hop disciplines, which has gained worldwide recognition as being at the vanguard of the development of the art form. Through professional development projects Open Art Surgery and Back to the Lab, Jonzi has supported hundreds of hip hop dance and rap/poetry artists on their journey to creating theatre.
His critically acclaimed works include 1995‘s Lyrikal Fearta, 1999’s Aeroplane Man, 2006’s TAG… Just Writing My Name, 2009’s Markus the Sadist and 2013’s The Letter: To Be Or To MBE? about his choice to decline an MBE from the Queen. Jonzi’s has been featured in HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, had his short films Silence da Bitchin’ & Aeroplane Man screened on Channel 4, toured his work extensively all over the world and delivered his own TED Talk about the influence and evolution of hip hop culture.
In 2020 Jonzi directed Our Bodies Back which won ‘Best Artistic Film’ as part of the Detroit Black film festival, followed up by the sequel, AUTOCORRECT in 2022. He also wrote Here/Not Here, a short film directed by Bim Ajadi which won the ‘Best Film’ category in Deaffest 2022.
In 2023, Jonzi D was awarded a citation from Al Taylor of the 71st District – New York State Assembly in recognition of his efforts for advancing and advocating hip hop culture in the UK and abroad, and the De Valois Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Dancing Times Critic’s Circle. In 2024, Jonzi D was nominated for his artistic direction of Breakin’ Convention, cementing the festival’s two decades as a mainstay in the world of theatre and beyond.
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Dr Rachel Krische
Performer & Academic Researcher
Credit Lizzie Coombes
Dr Rachel Krische (she/her)
Performer & Academic Researcher
Leeds (UK)
With a performance career spanning over 33 years, Rachel has performed, made work, movement directed, conducted research and taught extensively in diverse, international contexts.
She has collaborated with over 30 different artists/companies such as Deborah Hay, La Ribot, Akram Khan, & Siobhan Davies. Within academic research, Rachel investigates embodied knowledge, embodied cognition, body as archive and social class in dance within art practice and education. She mentors artists and post-graduate students and is a member of advisory panels within the professional sector. Occasionally she still busts a few moves … in front of an audience.
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Dr Laura Griffiths
Senior Lecturer in Dance
Credit Lizzie Coombes
Dr Laura Griffiths (she/her)
Senior Lecturer in Dance
Leeds (UK)
Laura is Senior Lecturer in Dance at Leeds Beckett University. Her research interests cohere around the relationship between dance and archives including the role of oral narrative in documenting the past.
Recent research has investigated the role of dance content on social media as modes of social connection and as an archival method. Laura is active in advocacy for the best practice in dance teaching, access and inclusivity in Higher Education within her role as Vice Chair of Dance HE, the national representative body for academics and practitioners in Higher Education Dance Departments.
Part of Dancing Class
Blending personal narrative with bi-neural sound and creative documentation, Dancing Class is a thought-provoking podcast which places dance centre stage in the conversation around class, opportunity and cultural value.

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Credits +
Date of recording: 1 October 2025
- Dr Laura Taylor
Sound Recordist - Dr Laura Taylor
Editing - Dr Jess Blaise Ward
Audio Accompaniment - Michael Ward
Audio Accompaniement Mastering