Welcome to ‘Freeze’, a new feature in The Hip Hop Museum Newsletter that will periodically put the spotlight on breaking and other forms of Street-Style dancing.

This holiday season, ‘Breakin’ NYC‘ opens Off-Broadway at Theater 555 in New York City from December 14th to December 30th. ‘Breakin’ NYC’ is driven by the stories of Hip Hop and Street-Style dancers—their emotions, battles, and the creative processes that shape their art.

With the show, Angel Kaba makes history as the first African/Caribbean woman to direct and choreograph an Off-Broadway dance production.

For Kaba, hip-hop is deeply personal: “Hip Hop gave me a career, a voice, and a way out. It gave me a place to belong.”

The Hip Hop Museum caught up with Angel Kaba to discuss ‘Breakin’ NYC,’ how the show came together, and its importance to Broadway.

Adam Aziz: What inspired you to create Breakin’ NYC?

Angel Kaba: In the hierarchy of the arts, dancers tend to be the least important. When it comes to Hip Hop, we are such a huge part of the culture, yet it is not important. No one knows all the dancers that came after the pioneers. In producing this show, I personally had to dig and watch a lot of documentaries. As I watched the documentaries, I realized that many were about music. A lot is about music and fashion, but only a little lies on dancers.

Around the show, I was working with this Jazz teacher. I was providing African dance movements because I teach African dance and Hip Hop, which I’ve been teaching for the past 27 years. I was put on to Eric Krebs. He owns a theater, 555 Theater on 42nd Street, and he wanted to do a Hip Hop show. He’s an 80-year-old Jewish man, so I was like, I’m going to see what this man wants to do with Hip Hop.

AA: How did that meeting go?

AK: We were texting, and he told me his grandkids saw Hip Hop at the Olympics. He’s like, I want to do a show for them. He keeps talking about breaking. He’s like, you’re talking about Hip Hop culture, and I’m talking about breaking, and I’m like yeah, you can’t dissociate that. I’m like, you don’t have enough money or time to do a breaking, b-boying show because you need the best of the best. They aren’t going to come here for a hundred dollars. I said, why don’t you do the evolution of Hip Hop dancing and street dancing?

Popping and locking is technically not Hip Hop, but when we consider the umbrella of Hip Hop dancing, it kind of is. That’s why in the major event studios, such as Steps on Broadway, Broadway Dance Center, and all of the big studios, we call it street dancing. The show is pretty much the journey of these dancers sharing their own stories through dance and movement connected with Hip Hop culture.

AA: What journey will people go on watching the show?

AK: It’s a show in development. The show was quite overwhelming for Eric because he didn’t know how to interact with Hip Hop culture and the Hip Hop community as a whole. We’re very special. A lot of personalities, a lot of egos. I hope I did a good job. Initially we have 21 performances.

For people who know nothing about Hip Hop culture and dances, it’s an opportunity to connect, understand, explore, and maybe continue to do their own research after the show.

When it comes to the show, I wanted to showcase several styles, like popping and locking. By association, people think it’s Hip Hop, but it’s not. I was surprised that a lot of people don’t know anything about Hip Hop, especially in the theater.

AA: Why do you think this show will be important for the representation of Hip Hop on and off Broadway?

AK: Given the lack of Hip Hop representation on Broadway, I have an opportunity to make a difference. In the same way that The Lion King is the only real Broadway show right now that tells an African story, but it’s an animal in the jungle, I would like to see more representation of us as a people and of the culture as well.

AA: There are numerous dancers in the show. Is there anyone you want to highlight?

AK: All of them. We had 50-plus people show up for the auditions. We took two days because I wanted to capture the vision. In dancers, I want relatable stories. There is Alex, who told me at the audition he is dealing with ADHD. I want to tell his story on stage because a lot of people deal with ADHD and mental health.

Tickets for ‘Breakin’ NYC’ can be purchased here.

Read more interview on The Hip Hop Museum!