ZooNation Ethos

“Hip Hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change.” 

American rapper, producer and beatboxer Doug E. Fresh,

ZooNation believes in promoting the positive, life-affirming community spirit of Hip Hop dance and works hard to undo the negative stereotypes associated with it. 

ZooNation originated to provide a place where a community of dancers could meet, train, and enjoy their shared passion for dance.  ZooNation’s vision has always been to create innovative, entertaining and accessible pieces of narrative Hip Hop Dance Theatre, to bring a new audience into the theatre and in turn to inspire a whole new generation of dancers.  ZooNation firmly believes that investing time and energy in young people and their futures is a responsibility that goes hand in hand with being a successful, professional performing company. 

Following in the footsteps of British artists Jonzi D, Benji Reid, and Robert Hylton, ZooNation was formed out of a desire to put Hip Hop dance on the stage and also to put Hip Hop dancers into employment.  The company was founded at a time when Hip Hop dance was most commonly found on street corners and in music videos and the career path for a Hip Hop dancer was severely limited.  ln comparison, an aspiring Ballet or Contemporary dancer could audition for a multitude of high-profile, successful companies, from The Royal Ballet to Rambert Dance Company, The English National Ballet to New Adventures, and the list goes on.  In 2002 a career as part of a Ballet or Contemporary company was a realistic possibility, but Hip Hop dance was still in its very early stages of development. 

Achievement 

By 2008 ZooNation had put Hip Hop dance firmly on the theatre map with it’s record breaking run of Into the Hoods in London’s West End.  ZooNation has employed over one hundred dancers on long-term contracts and is currently in rehearsal for its second full-length production Some Like it Hip Hop.  The company has successfully brought a new audience to the theatre. An audience survey taken after a performance of Into the Hoods in 2006 showed that over 80% of the audience had never been to the theatre before.  A new generation of dancers has been inspired to join the ZooNation Academy of Dance (ZAD) which has over 150 students aged from 4 to 21 years.  ZAD also provides full scholarship places, in addition to fee-paying places, in order to keep the Academy accessible for all.