“There can be few people to whom British hip hop dancing owes a greater debt than choreographer Kenrick Sandy & composer Michael Asante” Evening Standard
Founded in east London, 2001 by composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, MBE and choreographer Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, MBE, Boy Blue is the radical force that has defined the potential and power of hip-hop dance theatre across the UK since starting out.
"Dazzling choreographic invention and a sensational dancing spirit, Boy Blue was a total knockout”
The Times
"There can be few people to whom British hip hop dancing owes a greater debt than choreographer Kenrick Sandy & composer Michael Asante"
Evening Standard
“Their sheer stagecraft, and the balance of individual emotional expression with mighty ensemble sequences, is simply unparalleled” **** The Telegraph
Our 2025 Takeover featured two sold-out shows of A Night With Boy Blue: Generation Blue hosted by Sir Ashley J, two days of foyer performances from affiliate companies hosted by Syxx Isaac, a panel talk 'Hip-hop Matters' and a battle.
Cycles is movement at its most fluid, distilled and skilled. Joyful and unapologetic, Boy Blue's latest production is a tenacious exploration of hip hop dance in all its forms. Experience the connection between the movement on stage and the rhythm, groove and bounce of the music, as nine powerful dancers fill the space in what feels like unending motion.
A triumphant celebration of the shared pleasures of dance ***** - The Independent
In 1999, we were offered a simple choice: red pill or blue pill? Blissful ignorance in a simulated world or a chance to follow the rabbit hole wherever it goes… The Matrix made us question reality. What is “human”? Who is really in control? When will we wake up, see through the illusion and step into the unknown? Combining hip-hop choreography with the latest immersive design, Free Your Mind took audiences on a thrilling journey through The Matrix and into a new realm of possibilities.
Co-created by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, Danny Boyle, Es Devlin, Sabrina Mahfouz and Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy. The filmed version was aired on BBC 2 and the iPlayer.
All life is balance. With happiness and light must come darkness. REDD is a dance theatre production about those irreversible moments in life and how they can affect us in different ways. Audiences are invited to take a leap into the void, as nine dancers begin an introspective journey exploring how, after trauma, we may find inner peace.
Intrigued by how the mind seeks to put things in order (from the Gaelic verb ‘redd’), Boy Blue contrast a lo-fi hip-hop score with powerful choreography.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, composer and co-founder of Boy Blue, combines hip-hop and video for his piece Outliers, a multimedia meditation on social, public and political consciousness.
Dedicated to the ‘outliers’ that give the composition its title – those that inadvertently change other people’s points of view by standing up for what they believe in – Outliers is at least in part inspired by Asante’s own life experience. It’s a piece that combines music and video, as Asante is joined by an ensemble of musicians.
Outliers was part of the Barbican’s 2018 Season, The Art of Change, which explores how artists respond to, reflect and affect change in the social and political landscape.
R.E.B.E.L is a rallying call for solidarity in action. Co-funded by ART50 and the Barbican, it aims to respond to challenging questions around cultural identity, what it means to belong to a community and how we deal with our feelings of powerlessness.
Featuring music by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and choreography by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy.
Project R.E.B.E.L was performed at Castlebrae High School as part of Edinburgh International Festival, Saffron Hall, the Barbican and Latitude Festival and is studied by conservatoires in the UK.
Fierce, bold and affecting, this galvanising hip-hop dance triple bill reflects themes of identity, oppression and transcendence in a performance of pure physical poetry.
The time is right to ask questions, to break free from the inner tension of a system that isn’t working, and to emerge on the other side to an awakening – a return to roots, a celebration of culture.
Blak Whyte Gray premiered at the Barbican in 2017 and toured the UK, US, Asia and Europe
Blak Whyte Gray was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production.
The Five and the Prophecy of Prana, a narrative dance piece with an original story combining hip hop, manga and martial arts. Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy (Choreographer) and Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante (Composer) are joined by award-winning Japanese manga artist Akio Tanaka.
The plot revolves around five young troublemakers are sent to a rehabilitation camp for young offenders, following their arrest for delinquent behaviour.
Co-commissioned by the Barbican, London and Derry ~ Londonderry City of Culture 2013, co-produced by the Barbican and Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.
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Boy Blue are back at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, with round 2 of Boy Blue In The Park on 12 July 2026.
JULY 2026
CYCLES by Boy Blue
Presented by Roundhouse Three Sixty in association with Barbican, London
APRIL 2026
Cycles is going to Holland Dance Festival in February 2026 for it's European Premiere!
DECEMBER 2025
From the 9-11 May 2025, there was a Boy Blue Takeover at the Barbican. Featuring two sold-out shows of A Night With Boy Blue in the main theatre, we also hosted foyer performances, a panel talk and a battle.
MAY 2025
As part of the YFX festival, Boy Blue are taking over Sadler's Wells East to bring Generation: Next, a show made up of a variety of pieces, performed by Boy Blue's kids and youth.
JULY 2026
Premiering on the main stage alongside Cycles is Project rEVOLUTION — an epic dance theatre production created in collaboration with artists from Boy Blue and the Roundhouse’s Music Production, Poetry, and Dance Collectives.
APRIL 2026
As part of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s Dance Takeover, Boy Blue will be putting on an epic evening show, ‘Boy Blue In The Park’, alongside a workshop and pre-show DJ.
JULY 2025
Boy Blue are excited to be partnering with Dancers’ Career Development and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company on the 2025 SHIFT Hip-Hop programme.
APRIL 2025
For 2025, Olivier Award-winning hip hop dance theatre company Boy Blue has been appointed as Guest Artistic Director of the National Youth Dance Company. Their production Gravity premieres in Leeds in April.
MARCH 2025
Elevate your artistry with an in-depth exploration of Cycles repertoire. Workshops are available to book now!
FEBRUARY 2025
For 25 years, people have grown up through Boy Blue. Some joined us for their first dance class at five years old. Some spent their teenage years training with us. Some went on to become professional dancers, artists, teachers and leaders themselves.
As we look towards the next 25 years, we want to make sure the same opportunities are there for the people coming through behind them.
Over the last few years, the cost of providing our training has increased significantly, particularly the cost of the spaces we use. We know that families and individuals are feeling those increases too, so keeping our training accessible is incredibly important to us.
We wholeheartedly believe that where you come from, or what you can afford, shouldn’t determine whether you get the chance to dance or not
That’s why we’re asking our community to help us to support who comes next.
If you’ve trained with us, grown with us, valued our work or believe in what we do, your donation can help fund places for the next generation of Boy Blue dancers, keeping training accessible and giving more people the space to learn, develop and grow.Even a small donation (or sharing our posts if funds are tight) can help make a massive difference.
£5 | THEIR FIRST STEPS
Could support elements of one week’s class fee for a dancer aged 5–8 in Mini Bluez
£25 | A DAY TO DEVELOP
Could support the equivalent of a full day’s training for a young dancer in our youth company
£50 | TIME TO GROW
Could support the equivalent of two weeks of training for an adult dancer in our artist development programme.
We know giving financially won’t be possible for everyone, and that’s OK. Sharing the campaign on Insta, sending it to a friend or helping us reach more people is just as valuable. Whether you donate, share the campaign or help us get the word out, you’re helping us build a stronger future for the dancers coming through our doors.
If Boy Blue has been part of your story, help us be part of theirs.
#ISupportTheBlue
