With explosive physical energy, the artists of Boy Blue break through the boundaries of hip-hop and other dance styles in Blak Whyte Gray, a triple bill of short dance productions that highlight issues of concern to the youth and reflect contemporary life. Street dance moves are combined with the musical rhythms of hip-hop to interpret the themes of oppression, insensitivity and submission, as well as to initiate awakening and the courage to question. The final production ends with an exploration of death and the freedom of being.

Blak Whyte Gray premiered in 2017 and was nominated that same year for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, one of the highest honors in British theater. Boy Blue brings street dance to the theater stage, seeking to cross cultures and dance vocabularies. It focuses on identity and the collective consciousness of the young generation to create unforgettable productions.

Kenrick “H2O” Sandy MBE

A collaboration with director Danny Boyle for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony led to the Evening Standard’s Beyond Theatre award. Sandy has also developed choreography for film and television including the BAFTA Awards, All Stars and T2 Trainspotting and appeared on Street Dance 3D and the BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance. In 2017, he was awarded an MBE for services to dance and the community and included in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year’s honors list. Moreover, he has been listed by Time Out London and Hospital Club among the 100 most influential and innovative people in the creative industries.

Michael “Mikey J” Asante

As co-founder and co-director of Boy Blue, East London-born Michael “Mikey J” Asante is credited with the conception and composition of Outliers (2018), Blak Whyte Gray (2017), The Five & the Prophecy of Prana (2013), Touch (2011), Pied Piper: A Hip-Hop Dance Revolution (2007) and Legacy.

At dance rehearsals with the troupe Ruff Stuff, then 13-year-old Asante met Kenrick “H2O” Sandy. The two formed Matrix with a group of friends, inadvertently sowing the seeds for Boy Blue.

Asante created the music for the films Street Dance 3D and All Stars. His session work and production work have been with artists such as Delilah, Raleigh Ritchie, Estelle and George The Poet. However, it was his collaborations with Kano that put Asante on the map in 2005.

Boy Blue

Hip-hop dance company Boy Blue, acclaimed for presenting “the perfect marriage of music and dance”, was founded in London by choreographer Kenrick “H2O” Sandy MBE and composer Michael “Mikey J” Asante in 2001. Its performances are characterized by boundless creative energy, as well as thrilling and raw dance sequences.  Pied Piper was originally presented at Theatre Royal Stratford East, then transferred to the Barbican, London, winning the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre in 2007. In 2009, Boy Blue was invited to join the Barbican as Associate Artist where it has developed numerous works including Touch (2011), The Five & The Prophecy of Prana (2013), A Night with Boy Blue (2016, 2015, 2013) and Blak Whyte Gray (2017), which was nominated for Best New Dance Production at the 2017 Olivier Awards.

Director and Choreographer / Kenrick “H2O” Sandy

Director and Music / Michael “Mikey J” Asante

Lighting Design / Lee Curran

Costume Design / Ryan Dawson Laight

Production / Boy Blue

Co-commission and co-production / Barbican, London

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England