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We’re Excited About Boy Blue Presents “Pied Piper” at the Barbican, and Zoonation’s “Into The Hoods” at the Southbank Centre

Christmas has arrived early for fans of hip hop dance as the two leading street dance theatre productions from Boy Blue Entertainment and Zoonation are making a return. Whether you want a fun evening out watching watching Into The Hoods, or would prefer the darker tale of misled youth in Pied Piper, this winter you’ll be spoilt for choice.

The question is whose side are you on? We’ve seen both of them during their last run, so put the two side-by-side to help you decide.

Section:

Hip hop theatre (under construction)

Boy Blue Entertainment Present: Pied Piper

“A hip hop revolution”

10 December - 3 January at the Barbican - Buy tickets

Review is now up - read

Boy Blue Entertainment: Pied Piper

Boy Blue Entertainment are back with the third run of their Olivier Award winning dance masterpiece, Pied Piper, starring choreographer and company co-founder Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy as the Piper.

Pied Piper is the hip-hop retelling of Robert Browning’s classic poem, The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Boy Blue have traded in the rats and the quiet town of Hamelin from Browning’s classic for hooded youths, or Asbos, that plague the streets of an unnamed urban setting ruled by clown-like Governors.

It is a satirical reflection on today’s current tabloid headlines that claim that every youth wearing a hoodie must be in a gang, out to steal your possessions and stab you for good measure.

The Governors employ the help of the Piper who must clear the the town of the Asbos and restore peace to the neighbourhood.

Pied Piper’s soundtrack was produced in house by music producer and Boy Blue co-founder Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, giving it a dark and raw atmosphere with a rough London sound that fits perfectly to Kenrick Sandy’s choreography.

We're excited about Pied Piper because it promises to be an entertaining look into how we see street life. A must see for any one interested in dance, music, theatre or even classic literature

The hype

Announcing their return to the scene after touring the UK earlier in the year, Boy Blue kicked off with a Pipers versus Asbos showcase in October.

At Cargo in Shoreditch, members of the cast battled for a supremacy in a dance off between the Pipers and the Asbos, with the Pipers proving they were ready for December’s show, defeating the bad guys.

See this if:

You want to see a gritty portrayal of street life
You like grimey, dark music
You liked the movie Kidulthood

Also worth checking out:

On Thursday 17th December, Mikey J and guests will be taking part in the Barbican Lates evening in the Shadow Grotto.

Elsewhere in the building will be graffiti artists competing in Secret Wars battles. If you’ve ever seen a live graffiti battle, you won’t want to miss it.

Click here for more information.

Zoonation: Into The Hoods

“A London Fairytale”

16 December - 10 January, Southbank Centre - Buy tickets Review is now up - read

Into The Hoods

Comprising of your favourite mainstream hip hop songs, Zoonation's Into The Hoods is the lighter, family friendly alternative to Pied Piper from Katie Prince’s Fringe Award winning company.

The showing of Into The Hoods at the Southbank this December marks the second run of Zoonations “London fairytale” in a London theatre.

Like Pied Piper, Into The hoods is also based on a classical story, Stephen Sondheim's musical Into The Woods, which intertwined plots from several popular children’s stories.

Blending a loose interpretation of the storyline with comic references to Into The Woods’, Into The Hoods is set in the modern day where two children end up lost on the Ruff Endz Estate.

Their only hope of returning home is if they find gifts for the Landlord’s daughter. Along the way they meet a cast of characters including DJ Spinderella, Rap-on-Zel and Jaxx from the basement.

Into The Hoods also has an impressive stage set, which projects videos and scenery onto the stage wall, mixing live action and prerecorded footage together.

We’re excited about Into The Hoods because with its family friendly characters, cheesy moments and fairy tale storylines, its like an urban Christmas pantomime!

The hype:

In August, Zoonation in partnership with the Southbank Centre filled London's riverside with hundreds of volunteers taking part in Dancemob, choreographed by Katie Prince.

The idea was similar to popular flash mob scenarios such as those done by Swedish dance group Bounce, but simple enough for anyone to learn.

See this if:

You want a fun evening you can take your family to
You like mainstream music
You liked the movie Step Up

Also worth checking out:

DJ Walde, musical director of Into the Hoods will be curating a season of free performance for one hour before each show. Emcees, DJs, dancers and musicians can showcase their talent in The Front Room at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

The first B.Supreme club night will also be held on the Spirit Level of the Royal Festival Hall on Friday 18th December priced at £6.

Click here for more information.