Hip-hop dance company Boy Blue Entertainment is set to take over the Barbican Centre next year, with a new triple bill Blak Whyte Gray – a Barbican co-production and co-commission. As a Barbican Artistic Associate, Boy Blue Entertainment will present the world premiere in January. It will focus on issues of young people on a large scale, in the current socio-political climate.
Elsewhere in the theatre, the company will host a panel discussion on the future of the art form, highlight the next generation of UK hip-hop theatre and dance pioneers, there will be freestyle events and performances by emerging artists, a B.S.I Jam: Boy Blue After Party and a Weekend Lab, with the company’s co-founders Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante.
Blak Whyte Gray will run from 12–21 January, looking at a world in flux. The artists of Boy Blue give expression to experiences of contemporary life, fuelled by an emotional energy. The production focuses on the physicality of hip-hop dance styles with rhythms and moves evoking Africa. This will reveal a different side to the company’s personality, with lighting by Olivier Award-nominated Lee Curran and costumes by Ryan Dawson Laight. Following the Barbican run, Blak Whyte Gray tours to HOME in Manchester in February.
A platform will be created for innovative artists to showcase their talent, and the Hip-Hop Matters panel discussion will bring together Boy Blue and the Blak Whyte Gray creative team to discuss the issues explored in the production. The weekend lab will form a practical workshop exploring the working processes behind Blak Whyte Gray, suitable for students in higher education and training, emerging artists and professionals, aged 16+.
The Barbican therefore pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. Its creative learning programme forms a large part of this world-class arts and learning organisation, with over 1.5 million people passing through the Barbican’s doors annually.