"Breakin’ Convention", which came to Luxembourg for a second time from 17-18 June, though, is based around the hip hop culture, bringing it into theatres around the world so everyone can see the beauty of the hip hop genre that most people seem to miss.

The Breakin’ Convention started in 2004 at the Sandler’s Wells Theatre in London, but it only came to the Grande Théâtre in Luxembourg in 2016.

According to one spectator who attended this event both years, this year’s turnout was smaller than last year’s with only about 1,500 people.

This year there were a lot of performers, with 11 dance groups, 4 music/rap/beatboxers and 8 artists: dancers and musicians, participating in the freestyle funk forum, providing a lot of entertainment for attendees.

Photo: Breakin' Convention, Freestyle Funk Forum at Breakin' Convention Luxembourg 2017

On Saturday, a row of blank panels was set up outside in the forecourt for graffiti artists - like STICK, MIK140 and RIOTS - to graffiti throughout the night. By the time the after party on Saturday night finished, the whole length of panels were covered in colourful murals.

Jonzi D, founder and artistic director of Breakin’ Convention, started the event as “a way to bring hip hop into the theatre”.

When he was making his own work back in 1995, he felt like he was the only one doing it; it wasn’t until he started touring around the world that he realised that other people were doing the same thing as he was.

He concluded that “London needs to experience all of this.” Jonzi D told Delano that his favourite location where the event has taken place is in London, because London is his home. Although he did say that the performance in both the Harlem Apollo in New York and the Grande Théâtre in Luxembourg have both been very special moments to him for different reasons.

Jonzi D got into hip hop after hearing a track called “Rappers’ Delight” in 1979. “I remember hearing that and trying to rap along with it”.

He found it was a very unique, special and empowering thing, which is also why he stayed with it years later.

Photo: Breakin' Convention, Just Dance performing at Breakin' Convention Luxembourg 2017

The whole experience at the convention in Luxembourg was very family friendly and inviting. Children ran around, with nothing but smiles on their faces, and there was a good mix of both younger and older generations.

“It’s for anybody, anyone, any age, any religion, any sex. It doesn’t matter!”, said Luxembourg dancer Kendra Horsburgh, who co-hosted the event. From down the street you could hear the music from the stage outside, which encouraged people to come inside to have a look and see what was going on.

As well as the music inviting people in, there was also the smell of food. Throughout the courtyard there were food trucks, selling food and drinks like beer, pizza, fries, burgers, basically anything you would want at a music festival. One attendee said: “It’s well organised, we got food, we got beer, we got music. What more could you want?”

For the most part, people seemed to really enjoy themselves. The only thing that another attendee didn’t like was that there wasn’t enough of a crowd: “more people need to come,” he said.

However, convention-goers said that they liked the atmosphere, the music, the dances, everything. All the attendees that Delano spoke to said they would want to come again next year and would highly recommend Breakin’ Convention because, as one said, it is “pretty dope.”