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Team London Bridge and Fiya House present POPCITY UK Ugly Duck, 49 Tanner Street London Bridge, SE1 3PL Sat 5 Jan 2019, 11am – 7pm From £8 @teamlondonbdg #londonbridge #popcityuk #fiyahouse
Renowned international dance competition Popcity UK brings together world-renowned dance artists and the UK hip hop and Popping community with 450 UK-based dancers, international judges, guest performers and live DJs in the first hip hop event of the year at London Bridge. Winners will have the chance to represent the UK at the Popcity Finals in East Asia in December 2019. Activities leading up to the competition, which takes place on Saturday 5 January 2019 include taster sessions in Southwark schools for pupils aged 7+ years and inspirational workshops by London’s pioneers of hip hop throughout autumn 2018. The main battle event will also be streamed using Instagram Live. Popcity UK is presented by Fiya House, commissioned by Team London Bridge, funded by Arts Council England, and supported by Ugly Duck and Southwark Council.
Popcity UK is an event for emerging and established hip hop dancers of all ages from across the UK to come together to train, share knowledge and compete in London Bridge. It is open to anyone who is interested in watching or taking part in Street Dance forms. Under the creative vision of Dickson Mbi, Brooke Milliner and Shawn Aimey from the prestigious Popping Crew Fiya House, the programme creates a platform for the UK hip hop scene to grow, and to gain greater international visibility. Popcity is unique; led by hip hop artists for hip hop artists, with the community at its core.
Ellie Beedham, Director of Arts, Team London Bridge, said ”Team London Bridge is proud to support emerging talent by partnering with hip hop artists FiyaHouse. Together we will bring the International Popcity competition, which runs annually in cities across East Asia to London Bridge. Part of a cultural programme of work that heralds London Bridge as a main stage for the capital.”
Fiya House travel across the globe to compete in prestigious hip hop and Popping competitions representing the UK and often come home victorious. Recent wins for Fiya House include: KOD UK Prelim 2018, Juste Debout UK Prelim 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018. Fiya House co-director Dickson Mbi is not only highly respected within the hip hop sector, he has also gained public notoriety for his practice as a contemporary dancer working with the likes of Russell Maliphant and Akram Khan. He has been nominated for numerous major awards including ‘Best Achievement in Dance’ at the UK Theatre Awards 2017 and most recently for the ‘Southbank Sky Arts Breakthrough Award’.
In person or via live-stream, audiences of the battle will have the opportunity to watch world-class dancers compete in Popping, hip hop, Afrobeats and Under-16s categories and come up close to hip hop culture.
Dickson Mbi, Fiya House co-director, said “Fiya House has been running classes and events for the hip hop community since 2012. For Popcity 2019 we’re hosting some of the best dancers from across the UK and around the world to make it our biggest event yet. We’re excited to have the support of Arts Council England and Team London Bridge for the first time and want to invite everyone to come down and experience what Fiya House and Popcity is all about.”
ENDS
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NOTES TO EDITORS
POPPING Popping is a form of street dance and is one of the original funk styles to come out of California in the early 1970s. Started by Boogaloo Sam, the dance is based on the technique of quickly contracting and relaxing muscles to cause a jerk in the dancer's body, referred to as a “pop” or a “hit”. This is done continuously to the rhythm of a song, in combination with various movements, to appear as though the beat is controlling the dancer’s body. Boogaloo Sam went on to create The Electric Boogaloo Lockers, later known as The Electric Boogaloos, who gained popularity through their pivotal performance on Soul Train in1979.
Closely-related illusory dance styles and techniques are often integrated into Popping, to create a more varied performance. These dance styles include The Robot, Waving and Tutting. Popping is distinct from Breaking and Locking, with which it is often confused. In-keeping with its origins, Popping is often performed in battles and club settings, where participants try to outperform each other in front of a crowd. This creates space for improvisation and freestyle movements that are seldom seen in shows and performances, and usually include interaction with other dancers and spectators.
LISTINGS
Team London Bridge and Fiya House present POPCITY UK Ugly Duck, 49 Tanner Street, London Bridge, SE1 3PL Sat 5 Jan 2019, 11am – 7pm From £8 (group discounts available) @teamlondonbdg #londonbridge #popcityuk #fiyahouse Fiya House is excited to present Popcity UK vol.4. On Saturday 5 January 2019, this renowned international dance competition arrives at London Bridge. Popcity UK is a space for emerging and established hip hop dancers of all ages from across the country to come together to train, share knowledge and to compete. It is open to anyone who is interested in watching or taking part in Street Dance. Popcity will see 450 UK dancers unite for the first hip hop event of the year. Featuring international judges, guest performers and live DJs, the battle will create an authentic hip hop experience with artists from around the globe and around the corner. Winners will have the chance to represent the UK at the Popcity Finals in East Asia, in December 2019. Tickets available from here: http://www.popcityuk4.eventbrite.co.uk
Online Prices Competitors: £10 Spectators: £10 Groups of 10 or more: £8
On the Door Prices Competitors: £12 Spectators: £12
Schedule 11:00-12:00 Registration 12:00-16:00 Pre-selection for all categories 16:00-16:30 Break 16:30-18:00 Battles 18:00-18:30 Judge Demos 18:30-19:00 Finals
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BATTLE CATEGORIES AND JUDGES
Popping (1 vs. 1) EVO (China) Cintia Golitin (France) Mr Steen (Denmark)
Hip Hop (1 vs. 1) Billy BizNizz (UK) Icee Forzesound (France)
Afrobeats (2 vs. 2) Olu Alatise of Project G (UK) Homebros (UK) WhiitosLoco (France)
Under 16s All Styles (1 vs.1) Olu Alatise of Project G (UK) Cintia Golitin (France) Icee Forzesound (France)
The live DJs are: DJ Fayme (Germany) Josh Costanzo (UK) DJ Junia (UK)
Winners Prizes Popping – flight to East Asia to represent UK in the Finals, Dec 2019 Hip Hop – £200 Afrobeats - £200 (£100 each) U16 All Styles - £100
JUDGES AND HOSTS
Dickson Mbi, Creative Director and co-host Dickson is the Co-Director of renowned Popping Crew ‘Fiya House’. He is responsible for the artistic vision of the Popcity programme, including bringing in key artists from his own contacts as workshop leaders and judges. He will be responsible for the international guests whilst they are in the UK and will also co-host the battle event in January 2019.
Shawn Aimey, Event Lead and co-host Shawn is a key member of renowned Popping Crew ‘Fiya House’. He will co-ordinate the workshop and battle events on the day and will be jointly responsible for the international guests whilst they are in the UK. Shawn will also co-host the battle event in January 2019.
EVO (aka Hu Hongjun), International Judge Evo is a founding member of world-renowned Caster Crew in China and delivers Popcity China events each year. He is in demand across the globe teaching workshops, judging battles and performing. Evo will be a Popping judge for the battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
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Michael Elmacin (aka Icee Forzesound), International Judge Icee is the founder of renowned hip hop crew Forzesound and has over 25 years experience as a competitor, judge, choreographer and teacher. Icee will be a U16s and hip hop judge for the battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
Valentin Gautier (aka WhiitosLoco), International Judge WhiitosLoco is a viral YouTube and Instagram star, who has gained popularity for his work within Afrobeats in Paris, France. He also performs and judges at events across Europe. WhiitosLoco will be an Afrobeats judge for the battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
Cintia Golitin, International Judge Cintia is recognised as one of the world’s leading female Popper’s, having won numerous competitions in Europe and beyond. She will be a Popping Judge for the battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
Steen Koerner, International judge Mr Steen is an internationally renowned dance artist from Denmark specialising in Popping, and was awarded the hip hop Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004. He will be a Popping Judge for the battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
Olu Alatise (aka Ms. Lulu), Judge Olu is Artistic Director of London-based Project G (Project Growth) and Project G Youth, an initiative to train and support women and young girls in Afrobeats and hip hop styles. Olu will be a judge for the U16s and Afrobeats battles in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
Kurtis Agyekum and George Dukz (aka Kurty Swift and Uncle TC of Homebros), Judges Kurtis and George are founding member of internationally renowned UK-based Afrobeats group Homebros. They are also members of Boy Blue Entertainment and Rugged Estate, two of the UK’s leading hip hop and Krump companies. Kurtis and George will be judges for the Afrobeats battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
William Ntinih (aka Billy BizNizz), Judge Billy BizNizz is one of the UK’s hip hop pioneers active since 1982 as a B-Boy and later as a DJ. He will be a hip hop judge for the battle in January 2019 and will give a demonstration of the style.
ABOUT TEAM LONDON BRIDGE Team London Bridge manages the London Bridge Business Improvement District (BID) and provides services to its community of 400 businesses and 50,000 local employees. Launched in 2018, London Bridge Culture Strategy aims to increase visitors to the area to 15m by 2025 and make the area a ‘main stage’ for London. www.atlondonbridge.com.
ABOUT FIYA HOUSE Fiya House is a world-renowned collective of dance artists based in London, and has been a positive and consistent presence in the UK Popping Community since 2012. The collective aims to provide a platform for dancers to showcase their talent, network with other like-minded artists, and promote growth for the UK hip hop scene. To inspire the next generation of dancers, Fiya House not only delivers not-for-profit weekly training sessions in London, but also invites international pioneers to teach workshops and judge events throughout the year. Fiya House provides intensive training to upskill dancers of all levels in a positive, social environment. This is a pass-it-on system of support and development for young creatives, offered through Fiya House’s affordable weekly sessions. The battle event in 2019 provides a platform for dancers to showcase their talent, network with likeminded artists and promote growth for the scene in the only event of its kind, with a chance to represent the UK at the Chinese finals. www.fiya-house.com
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ABOUT UGLY DUCK Ugly Duck revitalises underused space. We take over vacant buildings, we provide unique locations to the film and events industries and reinvest all earnings back into creative and community projects. In 2019 Ugly Duck are proud to support emerging international Hip-Hop dancers by welcoming Popcity UK to our Tanner Street location.
IMAGES
Images from last year’s Popcity Vol.3 January 2018 images are available from here: https://we.tl/t-XlcYsOOSeu Please credit: Josh Rumbold, Light Leak Studios.
For press information, images and interviews please contact ARIANE OITICICA THEATRE AND ARTS PR Ariane Oiticica, 0791 719 0584 / [email protected]