Choreographer: Ruben ‘Chi’ Verhoeven
It is a bit intimidating watching GROOVE, the UK debut of dance troupe The Ruggeds’ new show with Ghetto Funk Collective; not only are they both world multi-award-winning artists who’ve headlined Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells and display a mastery of breakdancing skill that few companies can match, but they are also effortlessly cool. Across the 90 minutes of their very chilled celebration of dance and music, they offer up “rhythm galore.” Mixing hip hop, breakdancing and a liberal sprinkling of salsa performed to a mellow soundtrack of funk, soul and jazz, GROOVE has swagger, and the Queen Elizabeth Hall becomes a party that everyone is invited to.
Led by Rico ‘Griimsen’ Coker, who takes on most of the emcee duties alongside performing, this is a very relaxed show, creating a laidback and engaging feel in what is quite a substantial auditorium. Defying the proscenium arch conventions that create distance between performers and audience, The Ruggeds offer a street dance vibe, casually sitting on the musicians’ platforms between numbers and stepping forward when it is their turn to dance. It gives GROOVE an unrehearsed and improvised feel, a group of friends hanging out, dancing for fun whenever and wherever the music takes them.
And that energy and ease is infectious, drawing the audience into the performances in a number of ways, not only as part of the circle of people seeing these extraordinary combinations of movement, athletic skills, stamina and precision, watching with the other dancers, but also in defined moments of audience interaction. There are clap-alongs to learn about beat and timing, as well as a full dance lesson from Rico, who leads the troupe and the now standing audience through some of the key hip hop moves.
Throughout, the show balances the spectacle of dance with respect for the music and its history. A quiet sequence two-thirds of the way through the show hosts a conversation between drummer Alexander ‘Shield Beats’ Henriksen and keyboardist Jessy ‘FORTBEIGE’ Kemper, who look through their music collection pulling out Nina Simone and James Brown. And while that seems like a strange digression, when they show everyone how sampling is used by improvising live examples and sharing some pre-recorded material, the purpose becomes a little clearer.
And plenty of space is given to the role of music in creating dance, teaming up a member of The Ruggeds with one musician from Ghetto Funk Collective in a freestyle section to generate a spontaneous piece together. This playfulness is also part of the choreographed routines created by Ruben ‘Chi’ Verhoeven – most notable is a piece using umbrellas that borrows a little from Gene Kelly and something from Mary Poppins as the performers are blown around the stage, slipping and sliding through a characterful dance.
Part of the Southbank Centre’s 75th anniversary programme, GROOVE runs a little shy of its 90 minutes but creates a wonderfully inclusive informality that allows these dancer-musicians to shine.
Runs until 6 June 2026
