Celebrated Olivier Award-winning Hip-Hop dance theatre company Boy Blue marks its 25th anniversary in a revival of its international hit show ‘Cycles’ performed to live music in Roundhouse’s iconic 270-degree hall. Conception and Composition is by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, and Choreography is by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and Jade Hackett. Drawn from classical, jazz, funk, soul and R&B, the live band includes a string quartet led by Violinist Tzu-Fan Tang, multi-platinum artist Kaelin Ellis on drums, Rob Gentry on keyboards, and percussionist John Blease. Orchestration is by Peter Riley, who reunites with Asante following previous live music and orchestral collaborations ‘Outliers’ at Barbican Hall and ‘Free Your Mind’ at Manchester’s Aviva Studios.
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Boy Blue’s ‘Cycles’ world premiere at Barbican Theatre 2024. Photo credit Camilla Greenwell
Boy Blue is led by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante and Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, and ‘Cycles’ is presented by Roundhouse Three Sixty, its annual youth culture festival, in association with Barbican, London. ‘Cycles’ was conceived by composer Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante as ‘a joyful celebration of hip-hop dance in all its forms’. Asante, who returns to the stage for the first time since 2018, will lead on electronics, live-mixing and producing his soundtrack while conducting the band.
Joining the band from the USA is multi-platinum producer and artist Kaelin Ellis, whose beats feature on Asante’s original soundtrack for ‘Cycles.’ Kaelin Ellis said, “I resonate heavily with Boy Blue’s vision. I think what I am most excited for is to witness the exchange of energy in that room. That inspired me to want to be involved, because there’s a giant exchange that happens when you take all of the greatest combinations of art like dance, Hip-Hop and classical music and put it in one space.”
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy’s choreography summons up a living cypher with nine dancers from Boy Blue’s professional cohort. Together they showcase movement at its most fluid – with precise, pulsating ensemble sequences, distilled through a series of solos in each performer’s highly-technical signature style. The original cast of Cycles, many of whom are longstanding Boy Blue members, reunite for the anniversary production: Jimmy Allan, Nicey Belgrave, Tanaka Bingwa, Gabija Čepelytė, Paris Crossley, Evion Hackett, Kyron ‘Nykro’ Jake, Kelsey ‘Hydro’ Miller, and Corey Owens.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante said: “This show is all about energy, at Roundhouse we have this synergy of circular movement, all the elements of live music and dance, legacy and propulsion/momentum. Cycles is a high-octane show built like a mixtape – continuously moving forward while coming back to the original DNA of Hip-Hop and Beat Tape Culture. I created over seventy tracks while developing this show, and each track had to feel like a loop you never get tired of, something hypnotic that pulls you in and keeps you moving. The point of Cycles is that you never see the same show twice. Freestyle makes up a huge part of it, an energy that propels the dancers forward.”
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy said: “With this cyclical journey, we’re looking to the next generation. We used to be the young people in the room. Now the dancers, crew, creatives, they are all our age when we first started Boy Blue. Having live music incorporated into Cycles will elevate the experience not only for the dancers but also for the audience. How can you not love live music – live sound hitting your chest; connecting back the naturalistic vibes, the foundation, the genesis.”
Orchestrator Peter Riley said: “Bringing live music and dance together is the most powerful, exciting, and satisfying thing an orchestral arranger can work on. Mikey’s score for Cycles has this raw, brutalist minimalism cut with moments of tenderness and reflection. The chance to create a full show with Boy Blue dancers is special, and as musicians, our job is to meet them in that same space of precision and intensity. It’s incredibly powerful to witness live and be a part of.”
‘Project rEVOLUTION’
With every major live production, Boy Blue provides opportunities through its core practice of youth engagement and talent development ethos. Continuing this tradition, Boy Blue and Roundhouse will collaborate to form a new young people’s Dance collective. Choreographed by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, twenty one dancers aged 18-25 will be joined by Roundhouse’s Music Production Drop In and Poetry Collectives, to create their first dance theatre work. ‘Project rEVOLUTION’ premieres on the main stage during the ‘Cycles’ performance weekend, alongside two local young companies and select pieces from Boy Blue’s repertoire.
The original production of ‘Cycles’ was choreographed with Choreographer Jade Hackett and commissioned by the Barbican, London, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York. The anniversary year includes further international touring, including headlining Parisian theatre La Villette’s annual Golden Stages triple-bill of hip-hop performance in May.
‘Cycles’ and Project rEVOLUTION are at Roundhouse on Saturday, 11 and Sunday, 12 April 2026 as part of Boy Blue’s 25th anniversary year. For more information and to book, visit roundhouse.org.uk and for more on Boy Blue, visit boyblue.co.uk