Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE
Choreographer / Co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy is the co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue, an Artistic Associate of the Barbican, London, and a renowned choreographer and performer. Sandy’s extensive work in theatre includes, most recently: co-creating Free Your Mind (2023) for the opening of Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International in Manchester with fellow artists Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, Danny Boyle, Es Devlin and Sabrina Mahfouz; dance theatre productions REDD (2019), the film R.E.B.E.L (2018), Blak Whyte Gray (2017), The Five and the Prophecy of Prana (2013), A Night With Boy Blue (2022, 2018, 2016, 2015, 2013), Touch (2011), Legacy (2011) and Pied Piper: A Hip-Hop Dance Revolution (2006). Outside of Boy Blue, Sandy has worked with Talawa on Guys and Dolls (2017) and at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre on Once on this Island (2023). Boy Blue will be the Guest Artistic Directors of the National Youth Dance Company for 2024/25.
Off the stage, Sandy collaborated with director Danny Boyle for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, winning the Evening Standard’s Beyond Theatre award, and again in 2017 to film Boy Blue’s Emancipation of Expressionism, now a set work on the GCSE Dance syllabus. Sandy also choreographed for the 2014 Paralympic Closing Ceremony in Russia. Work for screen includes choreography for the BAFTAs, All Stars, Holby City, Gangsta Granny and T2 Trainspotting, plus appearances on Street Dance 3D, Alesha’s Street Dance Stars, Strictly Come Dancing and the BBC’s So You Think You Can Dance. Sandy has also created choreography for artists such as FKA twigs, Rita Ora, Jesy Nelson, Stooshe, Anne-Marie, Lamar, Plan B and sports and clothing brands, and has danced for the likes of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, George Michael, Mystic, Sugababes, Lady Dynamite, Black Eyed Peas, SAULT, Leona Lewis, Beverly Knight, Cassius Henry, Lady First and All Saints.
Sandy was awarded an MBE for services to dance and the community in 2017, an Honorary Fellowship (HonFGS) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2018 and a Companionship from LIPA in 2019. In 2020, he won awards as Best Choreographer and for Best Performance in a Dance Theatre Production at the Black British Theatre Awards for his work on REDD.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante MBE
Choreographer / Co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante is a renowned producer, composer and DJ, whose 20-year career history is firmly etched in the UK black music industry.
As co-Artistic Director of Boy Blue, Asante is credited with the direction and composition of REDD (2019), the film R.E.B.E.L (2018), Outliers (2018), Blak Whyte Gray (2017), The Five and the Prophecy of Prana (2013), Touch (2011), Legacy (2011) and Pied Piper: A Hip-Hop Dance Revolution (2006), as well as the Factory International commission Free Your Mind (2023). His other work for theatre includes Tree (a Kwame Kwei-Armah and Idris Elba creation for Manchester International Festival), a collaboration with the Jamie Lloyd Company on The Effect (2023) and the upcoming Romeo and Juliet (2024) featuring Tom Holland. As a producer, Asante has worked with major label artists including Delilah, Raleigh Ritchie, Estelle and George The Poet, most notably working extensively with Kano including engineering and production on the critically acclaimed album Made In The Manor and the albums Home Sweet Home, London Town and 140 Grime Street. Recent work for screen includes composition for Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship (a National Geographic documentary special), the BBC documentary The Three Lives of Michael X, a collaboration with Brian Eno for three series of Netflix’s Top Boy, the 2024 Rich Peppiatt film Kneecap and Paul Ruttman’s Apple TV show Criminal Record. Outside of the studio, Asante mentors and delivers masterclasses in directing, choreography and music and is also Professor of electronic music for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s faculty, from where, in 2018, Asante was awarded an Honorary Fellowship (HonFGS). Asante is also a member of the Barbican Board, sits on the Board of Governors for the London Contemporary Dance School and in 2022 received an MBE for services to Hip Hop Dance and Music in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.
Jade Hackett
Associate Choreographer
Jade Hackett is an artistic director, dancer, choreographer, performer, actress and host, with extensive commercial and theatre experience.
Theatre as performer includes: Sylvia at the Old Vic; Nine Night, Into Da Hoodz: Remixed and Some Like It HipHop in the West End; Pied Piper at the Barbican; The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party at the Roundhouse; and A Monster Calls at Bristol Old Vic. Theatre as choreographer includes: Miss Saigon at the Crucible, Sheffield; and Hex at the National Theatre. Theatre as associate choreographer: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at the Apollo Theatre, and Sylvia at the Old Vic. Theatre as associate choreographer / co-associate director includes: Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical in the West End. Theatre as movement director includes: White Noise at the Bridge Theatre; The Tempest at the Arcola and The Legends of Them at Brixton House. Theatre as director and choreographer includes: The Tide for Talawa. Theatre as assistant movement director: For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy at the Royal Court.
Lee Curran
Lighting Designer
Theatre includes: The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre; Jesus Christ Superstar on UK tour; King Lear, A Streetcar Named Desire, Summer and Smoke and Romeo and Juliet at the Almeida and in the West End; Constellations in the West End, on Broadway and at the Royal Court; Next to Normal, Henry V, Berberian Sound Studio, The Lady from the Sea and Splendour at the Donmar; The Welkin, Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear – The Musical! and Protest Song at the National Theatre; Britannicus at the Lyric Hammersmith; The Song Project, Gundog, Road, Nuclear War, a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun), X and Linda at the Royal Court; The Glass Menagerie and West Side Story at the Royal Exchange, Manchester; Julius Caesar and Doctor Faustus for the RSC; The Two Character Play at Hampstead; Nora: A Doll’s House for the Young Vic and Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow; The Son at Kiln Theatre and in the West End; Harm at the Bush; Burgerz at Hackney Showroom; Black Men Walking for Eclipse, Royal Exchange Manchester and on UK tour; Plenty at Chichester Festival Theatre; Woyzeck and Peter Pan at Birmingham Rep; Imogen at Shakespeare’s Globe; The Weir and A Streetcar Named Desire for ETT; and A Number for Nuffield Southampton Theatres and the Young Vic.
Dance includes: We Are As Gods for the James Cousins Company; Enowate for Dickson Mbi Company; Clorinda Agonistes for Shobana Jeyasingh Dance; Opus 131 for Russell Maliphant Dance Company; Blak Whyte Gray for Blue Boy; Clowns, Sun, Political Mother, In Your Rooms and Uprising for Hofesh Shechter Company; Don Quixote for Royal Danish Ballet; Untouchable for the Royal Ballet; and Grey Matter, Tomorrow and Frames for Rambert.
Opera includes: The Limit and Orphee Et Eurydice at the Royal Opera House and Teatro Alla Scala; Fidelio for Nederlandse Reisoper; Aida, Fidelio and Nothing for the Royal Danish Opera; Tosca for Opera North; Nabucco for Opera National de Lorraine; and Phaedra at the Linbury Studio.
Matthew Josephs
Costume Designer
Stylist and creative director Matthew Josephs graduated from Central Saint Martin’s in 2009 with a BA Fashion Womenswear. Since then he has established himself as one of the most unique young stylists to emerge out of London over the last decade, championing the likes of Nasir Mazhar, Paolo Carzana, Ed Marler, The Theo Adams Company. He has worked with publications such as i-D, Dazed, Replica, Garage, GQ Style and British Vogue., and with photographers such as Tim Walker, Alasdair Mclellan, David Sims, Campbell Addy and Charlotte Wales. Josephs blends genders, mixes cultures and combines religious iconography with disposable pop culture references, finding a unique and authentic voice within the fashion industry.
Nathaniel SB Impraim-Jones
Rehearsal Director
Nathaniel SB Impraim-Jones is a professional Hip Hop dancer and choreographer who has worked extensively across the industry with music artists including Beyonce and Jay-Z, Jason Derulo, Mabel, Kelly Rowland, Whitney Houston, Stormzy, Dave and Jesy Nelson. Impraim-Jones has been a member of the Boy Blue company for 18 years as a dancer, teacher and facilitator. Mentored by Kenrick 'H2O' Sandy and Michael 'Mikey J' Asante, Impraim-Jones worked as Boy Blue's Rehearsal Director on Blak Whyte Gray (2016 - 2022), REDD (2019) and Free Your Mind (2023), touring internationally from London to New York.
Jimmy Allan
Dancer
Jimmy Allan is an artist and performer from Southampton. He began dancing at a young age and has never stopped loving it. His dance training started in Winchester with Integr8 dance company and throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to teach around the country, and choreograph for competitions and performances. His work includes commercial work and Hip Hop theatre productions. He joined Boy Blue in 2015 looking to grow his knowledge and ability in dance, and has danced for artists such as Nathan Dawe, Ella Henderson and Junior Andre, and in TV commercials. Jimmy Allan appeared in Free Your Mind, a Hip Hop theatre production directed by Danny Boyle, with music by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and choreographed by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy for Factory International in Manchester. He is grateful for the journey and achievements so far in his career, as well as the amazing mentors that have guided him to where he is today.
Kyron Anthony
Dancer
Kyron Jake Anthony is a professional dancer whose passion for dance began at age 7, and has since competed with the International Dance Organization, securing world and European titles. After graduating from the University of East London, he has appeared alongside Anne-Marie on The Greatest Dancer and supported headline artist Stormzy at Reading and Leeds Festival. He has worked internationally, performing in Lithuania and at Athens X SNF Nostos festival (2019-2020), and has also contributed to notable projects such as R.E.B.E.L (2018), a Sky Arts film with Boy Blue, and Hip Hop theatre productions Born to Protest (2021) and Traplord (2022), the latter earning an Olivier Award. He supported French Montana at the Marbella arena and was part of the opening show for Aviva Studios’ Free Your Mind (2023).
Nicey Belgrave
Dancer
Nicey Belgrave is a professional dancer from Essex, with an impressive career spanning Hip Hop theatre and commercial performances. She has been part of Boy Blue productions including Blak Whyte Gray (2016 - 2022), R.E.B.E.L (2017-2019) and REDD (2019). She portrayed Trinity in Free Your Mind, Danny Boyle's theatre adaptation of The Matrix in 2023. Commercial work includes appearances at Glastonbury and Milan music festivals with Kendrick Lamar, as well as performances at prestigious events like The Brit Awards, The MOBO Awards, The Capital Summertime Ball, and the BAFTAs, collaborating with artists such as JUNGLE, SAULT, Krept and Konan, David Guetta, Stefflon Don, Dua Lipa, Anne-Marie, and more. Her recent work as a choreographer has seen her assist on the BBC BAFTA award-winning series MOOD, as well as mentor and choreographer for Boy Blue Youth and Breakin’ Convention youth company.
Tanaka Bingwa
Dancer
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tanaka Bingwa migrated to the UK at the age of 10, later moving from Surrey to further his dance career at the University of East London. Studying Dance: Urban Practice he developed his knowledge and technique in dance styles varying from Contemporary to Breaking and Hip Hop. As a creative artist, he has choreographed pieces in response to immigration and ‘blackness’ today. He graduated with a First Class Degree. He has worked with Danny Boyle, Shakespeare Globe and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and is an emerging movement director for theatre. He has worked with renowned artists such as Anne-Marie, Nile Rodgers, GHETTS, Alicai Harley and Boy Better Know. Tanaka Bingwa has worked with Hip Hop theatre company Spoken Movement, and is a member of contemporary dance company, B-Hybrid Dance. He is also an active member of Boy Blue, having performed in productions such as Blak Whyte Gray (2017) and REDD (2019). With Just Us Dance Theatre, he worked on the production Born to Protest (2021).
Gabija Cepelyte
Dancer
Gabija Čepelytė is a dance artist and producer, mostly active in the Hip Hop dance scene. Originally from Vilnius, Lithuania, Čepelytė moved to study dance abroad. Her dance career has taken her across continents, with the majority of her training in the UK, alongside travels throughout Europe and the US. Čepelytė holds a first-class BA in Dance with a focus on Cultural Practices from the University of Surrey and specialises in Hip Hop, House and Popping freestyle. She has worked in the dance industry internationally since 2016, battling, performing, teaching, and producing for dance, working with companies like Simple Cypher, Limbic Cinema, Actual Size, Making an Elephant, Boy Blue, and performing at events by Flavourama, Breakin' Convention and similar. Čepelytė was the first-generation mentee of Indahouse Collective Mentorship in 2019 and led courses for street dance at The Place, Future Youth Zone, Underground Dance Studio, and others.
Paris Crossley
Dancer
Paris Crossley is a movement artist specialising in Popping, who began with the Street Dance community in London and was nourished by internationally renowned home crew, Fiya House. She has won, competed and judged at several competition events across the UK and internationally. Summer Dance Forever 2023 platformed her battle capabilities and skills, where she finished close to the final stages of the competition, before going on to win another event, Random Circles. She has recently won Break Ya Neck 2024 in Paris. Alongside completing her BA in Psychology and MA in Ethnomusicology at SOAS, Paris Crossley has also worked in theatre and commercial performance, as performer, choreographer and creative director. She has worked with several award-winning artists, such as Rita Ora, Dua Lipa, Brittany Howard and Benjamin Clementine, and companies including Cirque Bijou, Just US Theatre, House of Absolute, Boy Blue, Fabian Prioville, Kadir ‘Amigo’ Memis and Russell Maliphant, some of which she has also toured with internationally.
Most recently, Paris partnered with Wow Festival by The British Council in Turkey where she taught, mentored and judged an event for disadvantaged wxmen in the Turkish arts community. Paris Crossley is currently Associate Artist with Dance East and will be collaborating to produce her own creations over the next couple of years.
Evion ‘Evion-Mantis’ Hackett
Dancer
Evion Hackett began dancing with Coco Jam at 8 years old, where he was schooled in many styles including Hip Hop, Popping, Locking and House. He joined Boy Blue six years later and performed in A Night With Boy Blue at the Barbican in 2015 and at Breakin' Convention in 2015 and 2016. He started battling at 15 years old and has competed in many events globally including the NBA Dance Talent Battle, the Free Spirit Festival, BTM in France, the Joat Festival in Canada and most recently Dance Alive in Japan where he was the winner of the Hip Hop category. He also judges battles and choreography competitions internationally. Commercial credits include Rita Ora, the film Cats and work for sports brands, among others.
Kelsey Miller Powell
Dancer
Kelsey ‘Hydro’ Miller has been dancing since the age of 14, starting self taught to then working in the industry from 18. He began with contemporary music and then eventually entered the world of Hip Hop. Kelsey’s style is influenced by the following training: Hip Hop, Popping, Krump, Afro House, Contemporary, Breakin and Dancehall.
He has worked commercially with major artists such as Kendrick Lamar at Glastonbury and Milan, Stormzy at Reading and Leeds festival, Little Mix, KSI, Anne-Marie, Giggs, Chase & Status, Raye and more, and performed with Boy Blue in productions such as REDD in London, Blak Whyte Gray in Madrid, R.E.B.E.L at Edinburgh International Festival and the recent production Free Your Mind in Manchester.
He runs his own collective called Hydrogenuk where he guides and trains upcoming artists to achieve higher accomplishments and empower the next generation.
Corey Owens
Dancer
Corey Owens is a Glasgow-born artist who has always had a passion for music, film and movement. Growing up in Wishaw, he began training in Hip Hop at 10 years old, and went on to compete with multiple UDO British and World Championship-winning teams.
Owens continued to explore a diverse spread of style training, including Contemporary, Commercial, House, Breaking and many other foundational Hip Hop styles. With this diverse movement and skill palette, Owens has taught and choreographed multiple championship-winning crews, schools, and conceptual theatre performances across Scotland. He attends training groups and camps such as Shay Programme, iii and Company Jinks, diving into the world of Concept choreography creation and movement direction. He has directed, filmed and edited many concept videos, aiming to curate his own short dance film and Hip Hop theatre show.
Work in Hip Hop theatre includes the role of Neo in Boy Blue and Danny Boyle's 2023 production Free Your Mind, in partnership with Factory International, and broadcast by the BBC, exploring new movement forms of martial arts and fight choreography.
Niquelle LaTouche
Post-show talk facilitator
Niquelle is a trained Fine Artist, experienced Poet and Choreographer and an English specialist spanning supplementary, language schools and mainstream secondary education. She is an advocate for cross-disciplinary practice and champions the development of pedagogy, curriculum, and more inclusive and equitable resources which empowers, raises attainment and shifts cultures. Niquelle is currently Head of Academy Breakin' Convention and a Boy Blue Company member.
About Boy Blue
Founded in East London in 2001 by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, Boy Blue is a radical force that has defined the potential and power of hip-hop dance theatre across the UK.
The spirit in which Boy Blue was formed came from the 3 Es - ‘Education, Enlightenment and Entertainment’ and the company’s achievements and accolades are as far-reaching as the community it has fostered and the hip-hop culture it has elevated. For many, Boy Blue is also a family, with many UK-based hip-hop dancers having called it home during their careers.
Boy Blue’s dedication to creating world-class dance productions is inextricable with their commitment to empowering young people to make space for themselves and tell their own stories. Thousands of young people have been educated at Boy Blue, with the aim of nurturing their ambition and raw talent and harnessing it into craft, enabling transformative access and opportunities, both professionally and personally.
Boy Blue are Artistic Associates of Barbican, London and part of the Arts Council, England’s National Portfolio.
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