Meet The Team
Breakin' Convention's work is made possible thanks to a dedicated team of talented people.
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
Head of Breakin’ Convention
Michelle’s career at Breakin’ Convention began the day that Breakin’ Convention started in 2004. Working her way up from festival volunteer to projects coordinator, and finally leading the organisation, Michelle balances working hard with working out. 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
Professional development project enquiries
Emma Ponsford
Tour 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, bringing this incredible festival to a city near you.
Contact Emma for:
National and international festival enquiries
Shay Rafati
Education Coordinator
Shay D is a rapper, poet and event promoter who has been providing a platform for artist for over five years. 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 in 2022.
Contact Shay for
Education enquiries
Workshops
Hip hop academy enquiries
Dave Barros
Digital Communications Officer
Coming from a journalism background, Dave looks after anything and everything digital for Breakin’ Convention. If it can be made on a MacBook and can be put online, you can be sure Dave was behind it.
Contact Dave for:
Social media
Footage or photography requests
BCTV
Karine Goudout
Coordinator
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 writing her PHD.
Contact Karine for:
General enquiries
Hip hop academy enquiries
Ryan McAneny
Breakin' Convention Support Apprentice
Having graduated with a BA (Hons) degree from the University of East London in Dance: Urban Practice, Ryan is now utilising skills he has acquired from training, studying and following the hip hop scene in London to support the Breakin’ Convention team through marketing, administration and creative input.
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.