Meet our Hip Hop Artistry Patron, Jonzi D

Introducing one of our legendary Hip Hop Artistry Patrons, Jonzi D. Jonzi has been actively involved in British hip hop culture, rapping and b-boying in clubs and on the street since the early 1980s.

Since graduating from London Contemporary Dance School, Jonzi has been committed to the development of hip hop theatre. He was an Associate Artist at The Place and has performed and created dance theatre pieces worldwide. Jonzi is an Associate Artist of Sadler’s Wells and is based at the theatre.

He devised and directed TAG… Just Writing My Name in 2006, IVAN in 2006 and Markus the Sadist, a rap theatre piece in 2009. All pieces have successfully toured the UK to critical acclaim. He has choreographed and featured in various hip hop inspired fashion shows and is the curator and host of the acclaimed Breakin’ Convention, the international hip hop dance theatre festival, nominated for a South Bank Show award and now in its tenth year.

As an MC/poet, Jonzi has worked with The Roots, Steve Williamson, Mannafest, Lenny Henry, MC Mell ‘O’ and toured with Gangstarr. He appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, Channel 4’s Faking It, and his short films Silence Da Bitchin’ and Aeroplane Man were also screened on Channel 4.

He is creator and host of the successful Open Mic/ Jam sessions Apricot Jam and Vertika Cypher, and presented the 4Dance for Channel 4 in 2005. He was the performance mentor for Urban Classic at Hackney Empire in February 2006 and was listed as one of the top ten positive black musical role models by MOBO in 2007. He also directed Hectic Dialectic, as part of the Rozamira Festival in Moscow.