ONCE again Bournemouth has been put in a spin with its very own hip hop extravaganza B-Town Throwdown that culminates in the Breakin’ Convention event tonight at the Pavilion Theatre at 7.30pm.

Produced by Sadler’s Wells, this international festival of hip hop dance theatre is set to raise the roof of the Pavilion with its sparkling mix of international stars and home-grown talent.

Now in its 13th year, this hugely popular event is once again hosted and curated by Jonzi D.

A dancer, spoken word artist and director, he is the foremost advocate for hip hop and has changed the profile and influenced the development of the UK British hip hop dance and theatre scene over the last two decades.

Jonzi D is a graduate from the London Contemporary Dance School and a former Associate Artist at The Place. He has toured his own work internationally and is regularly invited to judge international dance competitions.

Speaking to the Bournemouth Daily Echo about the Breakin Convention in 2014 he said: “The hardest task I face every year is nailing who to book for the Breakin Covention. It's hard because there's so much talent out there around the world. What's beautiful is that hip hoppers just naturally want to do things.”

Bournemouth is the final date in Breakin' Convention's 2016 national tour. The line-up includes three international acts who were highlights of last year’s festival including France’s Antoinette Gomis, who presents Images, an atmospheric solo inspired by the music of Nina Simone and Civil Rights. Antoinette’s signature style originates from her background as a founder member of the all-female Zamounda crew from Paris.

Spain’s award-winning Iron Skulls crew present the surreal Sinestesia – A dynamic work where these skilled dancers morph into post-apocalyptic survivors. While world champion bboy crew The Ruggeds from the Netherlands will perform the high octane Adrenaline on the National Tour.

There will also be plenty of local talent on display with crews from Bournemouth and the south coast in action. Hip hop representative for Bournemouth, Stella Mavris has been circulating awareness in the area about Breakin Convention.

Stella runs local dance school DFA (Dance For All) and has also run hip hop event, Street Jam, for the last 12 years.

“We have local dance crews performing before the event, which is a big opportunity for them. Local rappers, beatboxers and graffiti artists will also be outside the Pavilion theatre. There’s lots of different activities going on,” says Stella.

“The scene has grown over the last few years. YouTube has really helped kids learn some of the more tricky moves in their own bedroom and dance act Diversity from Britain’s Got Talent has also helped. There’s also more dance classes available now than in the 80’s, where it’s now moved from the streets to the studio.” added Stella.