Press Release: ZooNation Dance Company - Into the Hoods: Remixed, 4 - 21 May 2016

[Jan McNulty]

ZooNation Dance Company

Into the Hoods: Remixed

 

Wednesday 4 - Saturday 21 May 2016
Performances: Tue - Sat at 7.30pm, Sat at 2.30pm & Sun at 2pm & 6pm 
Tickets: £15 - £38 (Under 16s half price)
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8222 or www.peacocktheatre.com

 

"You don’t get much more feelgood than this funk-fuelled, fast-paced hip hop fairytale" (5* Evening Standard)

“The cast radiate an infectious joy that makes it hard to stay still in your seat" (5* Time Out London)

 

 

Into the Hoods: Remixed, the revamped version of the award-winning production that stormed the West End in 2008 returns to The Peacock from 4 – 21 May 2016 as part of a national tour, directed and choreographed by Sadler’s Wells’ Associate Artist, Kate Prince. 

 

ZooNation Dance Company uses its trademark narrative hip hop dance theatre style to tell the story of two school children, lost in the ‘Ruff Endz Estate’. The show follows the children’s search for an iPhone as white as milk, trainers as pure as gold, a hoodie as red as blood and some weave as yellow as corn. Along the way, they meet DJ Spinderella, aspiring singer Lil Red, vivacious rapper Rap-on-Zel, budding music producer Jaxx and embark upon a storybook adventure into the heart of a pulsating community. 

 

The original Into The Hoods received universal praise at two Edinburgh Fringe runs (2006/07) and during its West End run in 2008, winning a What’s On Stage Award for Best Ensemble Performance and an Olivier nomination for Best Theatre Choreography. Its success has had a huge impact on the profile of hip hop dance in the UK; the production became the first ever hip hop dance show to open in the West End and subsequently became one of the longest running dance shows in the West End’s history. The much-loved show returned to the stage in 2015 with all the wit and charm of the original, updated with fresh designs, new costumes and a remixed soundtrack, wowing critics and audiences alike. 

 

Into The Hoods: Remixed features music from James Brown, Queen Latifah, Jay Z, Jennifer Hudson, Kool + The Gang, Salt n Pepa, Chemical Brothers, Kano, MC Hammer and new original work from Danilo ‘DJ’ Walde (Some Like it Hip Hop, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party).The newly revamped show is once again directed and written by Kate Prince and features an updated creative team with musical direction by Danilo ‘DJ’ Walde, set design by Ben Stones, video design by Andrzej Goulding, costume design by Ben Stones and Russell Royerand lighting design by Andy Murrell. The production also features Carrie-Anne Ingrouille as associate director and Rowen Hawkins as associate choreographer. The full choreographic team includes Rowen Hawkins, Kendra Horsburgh, Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, Rhimes Lecointe, Duwane Taylor, Shaun Niles, Kate Prince, Kenrick Sandy, and Mikey Ureta.

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince founded ZooNation Dance Company in 2002. In 2008 she choreographed the West End cast of Into the Hoods for a special performance for Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert in Hyde Park. In 2011 she wrote, directed and co-choreographed ZooNation’s production Some Like it Hip Hop which enjoyed a critically successful sell-out run and returned to London again the following year, before embarking on a UK tour and playing a third season at The Peacock in the Spring of 2013. In 2012 she collaborated with Felix Harrison, Josh Cohen and Danilo ‘DJ’ Walde to create the short film and the original music for The Holloway Laundrette for the BAFTA and Channel 4 ‘Big Dance Shorts’. Her most recent work includes writing, directing and co-choreographing ZooNation’s productions Groove On Down The Road for the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, and The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, which was the first hip hop dance piece to be commissioned by the Royal Opera House.

 

Prince was lead choreographer for the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremonies in 2008 with dancers from ZooNation, CandoCo and the Royal Opera House. She has choreographed for two seasons of So You Think You Can Dance (BBC) and for the movie StreetDance 3D. She also choreographed a special performance at the Laurence Olivier Awards 2011 to music from West Side Story played by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the opening ceremony of the Tour de France 2007. She choreographed for the musical Shoesdirected by Stephen Mear, Ballyturk at the National Theatre written and directed by Enda Walsh, and It’s A Mad World My Masters at the RSC directed by Sean Foley.  In 2014, she choreographed the West End musical I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical, working alongside writer Harry Hill and director Sean Foley.

 

Into the Hoods: Remixed is co-produced with Sadler's Wells and co-commissioned by Curve, Leicester and supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. 

Kate Prince is a Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and ZooNation Dance Company is a Sadler’s Wells Resident Company

 

 

Notes to Editors: 

 

Listings information 

ZooNation Dance Company
Into the Hoods: Remixed
Friday 4 May - Saturday 21 May 2016
Performances: Tue – Sat at 7.30pm, Sat at 2.30pm & Sun at 2pm & 6pm 
Tickets: £15 - £38 (Under 16s half price)
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8222 or www.peacocktheatre.com

 

In 2016 Into the Hoods: Remixed will visit the following venues as part of a National Tour. Please refer to the venue websites for details of on sale dates and how to book.  

 

Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton Grand                                  25 – 27 February 
Blackpool, The Grand Theatre                                                 1 – 2 March 
Dartford, The Orchard Theatre                                                 8 – 9 March 
Leicester, Curve                                                                       14 – 15 March 
Truro, Hall for Cornwall                                                            18 – 19 March 
Sheffield, The Lyceum                                                              22 – 23 March 
Brighton, Brighton Dome                                                         25 – 26 March 
Southampton, Mayflower Theatre                                            28 – 29 March 
Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre                                                  1 – 2 April 

 

Into the Hoods: Remixed is made possible by strategic touring funds from Arts Council England. The ZooResidence Project which will use Into the Hoods: Remixed, to bring innovative dance to diverse audiences across the country.  Using live shows and digital outreach, the wider project will engage grass roots groups and local networks to involve local people as participants and spectators in wrap around audience engagement projects in 5 key locations. 

 

About ZooNation 
ZooNation is a groundbreaking hip hop dance theatre company, bringing together a professional dance company with training and performance opportunities for young people. ZooNation Dance Company was founded in London in 2002 by director and choreographer, Kate Prince. In May 2010 ZooNation became a Resident Company at Sadler’s Wells and Kate Prince became an Associate Artist.

 

The company’s main focus is creating pieces of full-length narrative hip hop dance theatre. These include the five-star, award-winning show Into the Hoods – which went on to become the first ever hip hop dance shows and one of the longest running dance shows in West End history. ZooNation’s next production, Some Like It Hip Hop, also received five-star reviews and several award nominations, touring the UK and playing in London for two West End runs. Groove On Down The Road, featuring ZooNation Youth Company (ZYC) aged 10-21 was commissioned by the Southbank Centre and played for two seasons at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Most recently, ZooNation created The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, for the Christmas season in the Linbury Studio. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was the first hip hop piece to be commissioned by the Royal Opera House, and was streamed live online, and made available on BBC iPlayer. ZooNation Dance Company has also performed at many major high-profile events including the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Handover Ceremonies, Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Celebrations in Hyde Park, the 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards and The Opening Ceremony of the Tour de France 2007. In addition to performances, ZooNation trains over 170 young people at their Saturday Academy in London. ZooNation Academy of Dance (ZAD) offers 4 to 21 year olds weekly classes covering a range of hip hop styles from locking and popping to breaking and nu skool, all taught by the company’s highly acclaimed dancers, and has recently announced a new partnership with Lyric Hammersmith to create ZAD West.

 

About Curve
Curve is a spectacular state-of-the-art theatre based in the heart of the Leicester’s vibrant Cultural Quarter. Opened in 2008 by Her Majesty The Queen, the award-winning building, designed by acclaimed architect Rafael Viñoly, offers a completely unique visitor experience. Unlike any other theatre in the UK, Curve has no traditional backstage area. Audiences can enjoy the full theatre making process, peek behind the scenes and maybe even spot an actor or two dashing from the stage to their dressing room or enjoying a coffee in our Café. The curved façade is made from 1,192 tonnes of steel and 46000m² of glass. Managed by Leicester Theatre Trust, Curve is a registered charity providing engaging world- class theatrical experiences for our local communities. It enable people of all ages and backgrounds to access, participate in and learn from the arts, nurturing new and emerging talent, and creating world-class theatrical experiences.

 

About Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.