
Centre: Gabija Čepelytė. LR: Jimmy Allan, Kyron ‘Nykro’ Jake, Corey Owens. Boy Blue’s Cycles
world première at Barbican Theatre 2024 Photographer Credit: Camilla Greenwell
Cycles, the latest production by Boy Blue, is a powerful exploration of the ‘raw’ form of hip hop dance theatre, delivering an enchanting performance through technical prowess, infectious energy, and irresistible grooves.
Cycles presents a similar template to its predecessor REDD (2019). A cast of 9 take to the stage in off-white ‘high fashion meets street culture’ costumes as they navigate the complexities of co-artistic director Kenrick ‘H20’ Sandy’s choreography and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante’s musical compositions. What marks a striking change is the shift from narrative based work to an abstract and dance focused approach.
Boy Blue is known for its incredible ability to tell powerful stories; from the fantastical The Five and the Prophecy of Prana (2013) to the socio-political Blak Whyte Gray (2018), and the epic Free Your Mind – The Matrix Now (2024). The groundbreaking company has grown a reputation for rooting imaginative and expressive stories at the core of its work.
Yet, from the offset of its announcement, the messaging around Cycles has been one that has wrestled with this very idea. “We wanted to get back into the enjoyment of what hip hop dance theatre is,” says Sandy in an interview with Giuliano Levato of People of Theatre. Meanwhile, the programme states a shift towards an abstract exploration of “the innovation, energy and rich history within Hip Hop culture”.
There seemed to be a push at the boundaries and expectations of what a new Boy Blue production would be, and a shift towards total creative freedom.
Cycles begins with a pool of circular light centre-stage, as the cast from visible seats on the wings move towards the light one after the other in staccato toy man runs. The movement motif appears throughout and is quite enchanting as a stylised representation of traveling across the stage, space, and time. Sandy’s choreography, with assistance from Boy Blue alumni Jade Hackett, is as sharp as ever; appearing to be more dynamic, complex, and vigorous. The grooves are smooth, and the performers are inch perfect in synchronicity and execution.

Nicey Belgrave and company in Boy Blue’s Cycles World première at Barbican Theatre 2024.
Photographer Credit: Camilla Greenwell
It’s difficult to mark a standout. Beit Krump, Breakin’, Hip Hop grooves, Popping, or House, each dancer is undeniable in their talent, precision, and skill in excelling as an ensemble and shinning as soloists.
This is truly indicative of Hip Hop culture, representing the essence of community and the power of the collective while upholding the uniqueness and innovations of the individual in the collective.
The literal interpretations of ‘cycles’ are made clear over the 90 minutes of the production. The dancers are in perpetual motions, shifting around the stage in smooth grooves and loud pops, forming evocative and captivating vignettes. Lee Curran’s striking lighting design matches these kinaesthetic shifts with restless lights that at times isolates dancers and brings them together. Asanti’s composition roots itself in sampling – a long held tradition from Hip Hop culture – and cycles through genres that have marked different Hip Hop eras in the UK. There’s Grime, Garage, Bashment, House, Rap, and Trap beats; even charting US hits like Timbaland and Nelly Furtado’s ‘Give It To Me’ expertly melted into Asante’s original head-nodding compositions.
Yet there remained an inevitable expectation for meaning, it’s what the company’s history has cultivated after all. In these ‘cycles’, there is rage, sadness, battling, cyphers, community, joy, and celebration, and perhaps an interpretation of a search for something, perhaps meaning – the running toy man motif for example always coincided with lighting changes from warm to cold or vice versa, or with musical genre or tempo changes. At times one dance would exit the centre circle and observe from the outskirts. What are they seeing? What are they experiencing? And what are they running towards?
There are more questions than answers; especially coupled with the work’s description on the company website as “the repetition and tenacity of our natural world, from day to night, birth and death, the tides, the ticking of time on a clock, the seasons and the steady rhythms of 1 2 3 4”. The performance never quite lands on any of these descriptors, instead opting to focus on the more visual, sonic, and choreographic readings of ‘cycles’. But this doesn’t leave me wanting. I feel satisfied with and energised by the experience, as on the creative team’s terms, they have delivered.
Cycles is a celebration and expert display of Hip Hop dance theatre. It’s a showcase of the power of the art form and its ability to captivate audiences on its own terms. What better measure of success is there than to see the audience on their feet, loud in support, and quick to imitate moves they were captivated by. I certainly did.
Boy Blue ‘Cycles’ is showing at The Barbican, London. Visit HERE for tickets.

Isaac Ouro-Gnao
