Meet The Breakin’ Convention Team
Breakin' Convention's work is made possible thanks to a unique and dedicated team of talented people whose backgrounds and expertise continue to push frontiers and further the future of hip hop theatre in the UK and beyond. We might be a small team, but we are mighty!
Jonzi D
Artistic Director
Artistic Director Jonzi D is the founder, ambassador, mentor, host and driving force behind Breakin' Convention.
He shapes every aspect of our work with his creative input, from curating our festival and events to steering our education and professional development programmes.
Michelle Norton
Director of Breakin’ Convention
Michelle’s career at Breakin’ Convention began the day that Breakin’ Convention started in 2004. With a background in performing and arts management, she progressed from festival volunteer to projects coordinator, to finally leading the organisation. Michelle balances working hard with working out as a qualified personal trainer. Michelle is the embodiment of Breakin’ Convention, having worked the festival inside and out from its genesis.
michelle@breakinconvention.com
Contact Michelle for:
Productions
Collaborations
London festival
Artist performance enquiries
Emma Ponsford
Producer
Another stalwart of Breakin’ Convention, Emma has been here since the beginnings of Breakin’ Convention, working as General Manager until 2015. Since then, she has worked remotely from Northumberland and is responsible for Breakin’ Convention’s ever expanding programme of national and international projects, from festivals to localised artist support, bringing this incredible festival to a city near you.
Contact Emma for:
National and international festival enquiries
Shay Rafati
Learning Projects Manager
Shay D is a rapper, poet and event promoter who has been providing a platform for artist for over a decade. Working with the leading practitioners in the field of hip hop education, Shay is at the forefront of Breakin’ Convention’s push for developing the confidence and skills of young people and accrediting hip hop theatre as a recognised qualification, working towards our hip hop academy.
As an artist, Shay D champions women in music and works actively in balancing out the female voice in rap music.
Contact Shay for
Education enquiries
Workshops
Dave Barros
Digital Communications Officer
Coming from a journalism and dance background, Dave looks after anything and everything digital for Breakin’ Convention, whether filming, photographing, editing or writing engaging copy to entice you to come and see our shows and festivals.
If it can be created with a MacBook it’s likely Dave was behind it. Dave is a key proponent in making Breakin’ Convention digital first, from capturing key content, editing and uploading footage to creating posters, programmes and social media posts.
Contact Dave for:
Social media and newsletters
Footage or photography requests
Leroy Kanyowa
Breakin’ Convention Assistant
Leroy is a performer with a background of six years in events and has managed to have artists such as Yxng Bane, Tion Wayne and 23 as performers at his platforms. Having developed a unique performance style through self-training, in 2021 he enrolled to be a hip hop theatre apprentice with Just Us Dance Theatre, later recruited to tour their production Born to Protest, which was part of the Breakin' Convention Netherlands 2021 tour.
Education enquiries
Niquelle LaTouche
Head of Academy Breakin’ Convention
Niquelle is an artist-educator invested in creating spaces of creative collaboration and togetherness. She is the founder of Niquelle LaTouche Arts (2014) and It Takes a Village Collective (2020) which are hubs for empathy building, challenging normative ideas and encouraging proactive social change.
Niquelle is a trained fine artist, experienced poet and choreographer and an English specialist spanning supplementary, language schools and mainstream secondary education. She is an advocate for cross-disciplinary practice and champions the development of pedagogy, curriculum, and more inclusive and equitable resources which empowers, raises attainment and shifts cultures. As the Head of Academy Breakin’ Convention, Niquelle is excited to guide a new generation of polymaths to understand the importance of care, equip them with skills to make undeniable art and make students aware of their responsibility as future leaders.
Kim Chi Le
Assistant Producer
Kim Chi trained in hip hop styles in Finland and contemporary dance at Trinity Laban as well as a background in arts management who is passionate about supporting artists and the community. She has over a decade of experience in teaching dance and have coached Finnish hip hop crews for Finnish National Championships and played a pivotal role in bringing Open Your Mind Festival to the UK (world’s leading experimental festival), as part of the London team as an Assistant Producer.
Beyond Breakin’ Convention, Kim Chi has an interest in photography and film-making, performing and teaching dance, and recently, computer programming.
Contact Kim Chi for:
Artists liaisons
Professional development project enquiries
Natalie Thompson
Marketing Coordinator
Natalie has been heavily invested in performing arts and hip hop dance from a young age, navigating her passion for performing into a career of promoting dance to all. Through her work she is keen on highlighting the importance of dance, connecting with communities, and helping to give dance the platform it deserves. She has a vast experience of engaging a variety of audiences in dance having worked with a range of theatres, festivals, and organisations across the UK including the renowned Breakin’ Convention Festival. Natalie graduated from the University of East London with a first-class BA (Hons) in Dance: Urban Practice, and a strong enthusiasm for hip hop theatre. As the Marketing Officer of ABC, Natalie is responsible for all outward facing comms along with supporting on the recruitment of the academy, targeting passionate hip hop heads and future leaders of the arts.
Contact Natalie for:
Marketing and press enquiries
Karine Goudout
Hip Hop Academy Consultant
Originally joining the Breakin’ Convention team as a volunteer in 2014, Karine is now Breakin’ Convention coordinator, overseeing the many logistics behind running an international organisation like Breakin’ Convention.
Karine has completed her masters and balances her career with completing her PhD, and is pivotal in the role of the upcoming hip hop theatre curriculum.
karine@breakinconvention.com - please note as of August 2022, Karine left Breakin’ Convention
Academy Staff
These staff aren't part of the core Breakin' Convention team, but are responsible for externally planning and steering the future of our hip hop academy.