Leeds Hip Hop Scene

Wow. I mean, wow. Last night’s show by Korean breakdance troupe Last For One was nothing short of spectacular.

What you expect coming to a hip-hop dance show is extreme physical performance, rhythm, energy and agression. But Last For One brought so much more to the stage, presenting a show that reached beyond the limits of hip-hop and breaking… or simply proved that those limits don’t exist for a set of determined, creative performers such as these.

Even prior to the performance, there were indicators that this was not going to be a typical show. A Korean orchestra were on stage when I arrived, all dressed in white and playing some beautiful but to my ears fairly abstract music. However, once they left the stage, DJ Ictus kicked off a set of breaks which conformed much more to the standard template of a Fresh Jive event, so I was still anticipating an elevated version of the regular set, rather than a complete departure.

When it came, the show was a revelation. Based loosely (very loosely!) around Homer’s Oddysey, the plot is driven by what Hitchcock would have called a “MacGuffin” - a plot device that motivates the characters but is of itself basically meaningless. The object in this case is “Spin” - a gift to Odysseus and his crew from the Sun God Apollo. Without the “Spin”, representing all that is good in life, Odysseus will never find his way home.

Inevitably, at the beginning of the play, the “Spin” is lost and, inevitably, by its end, it has been regained. In the meantime, the crew’s attempts to win it back prompt a series of choreographed confrontations with a wide range of very modern characters - a park-keeper, a tramp, a footballer, an entire basketball team… that’s just for starters as I eventually lost track of the number of different characters introduced. Computer graphics projected onto a large screen at the back of the stage showed the “Spin” entering a variety of objects, which our heroes then have to attempt to sieze from their rightful owners… except that when they do succeed the “Spin” leaves the object and catapults them into another situation.

The dancing was of course top-notch, covering all styles and featuring up to twelve performers on the stage at any one time. What was truly remarkable was the performance the dancers gave. The cast had a mastery of physical comedy that would have had the likes of Harold Lloyd or even Charlie Chaplin giving a silent thumbs-up. Without speaking a word, they had the crowd in stitches throughout and even managed to bring some genuine emotion into some of the more sombre scenes.

What we were presented with was a show that would undoubtedly appeal to the widest possible audience. Transcending any concept of genre, I would wager good money that the Last For One crew will put a smile on your face even if you loathe hip-hop and have no interest in break-dancing. As far as I can gather, Last For One do have some more UK dates coming up so if you get a chance to see them, get there!

Shouts out to the whole Fresh Jive crew for putting the event on, to Jay Birch for his set at the end and to Leeds’ Ghetlow Pirates for following the proverbial “Hard Act…”.

Analogue