Duffy Square

Full Circle Productions is a Bronx-based nonprofit breaking (breakdance) collective that provides uplifting and educational programming highlighting the positive aspects of hip-hop culture. Kwikstep and Rokafella, the husband and wife founders of Full Circle Productions, met as street performers in 1991, and worked their moves in Times Square in order to pay their dance crews and drummers. They slowly moved into video, festival, theater and educational realms, but always maintained their connections to the street and to the many generations of their dance family. Kwikstep and Rokafella keep the art forms relevant and evolving by giving young, aspiring hip-hop dancers/artists training and performance opportunities.

Kwikstep and Rokafella truly come full circle, returning to their origins in Times Square, the site where their dream of bringing hip-hop dance to the masses began. Since 2009, Kwikstep has curated Behind the Groove, a dance party that invites the community to freestyle to classic dance music without the pressure of competition or bar culture, allowing the dancers to organically engage in social exchange on the floor. Behind the Groove – Times Square Edition offers a choreographed time capsule that shows the span of street and club dance trends from the 1970s through the present day. Though breaking and other forms of street dance historically have not been sanctioned by the New York City mainstream, they have long been a staple in the consciousness of the less visible inner-city communities. In this program, popping, breaking, locking, up/rocking, house, lite feet, and krumping share the stage, spotlighting the music, the dancers, and the dances in their natural element. The production features a DJ set, as well as house, popping, and breaking contests that will be judged by local icons and audience interaction. This fusion of events and styles evokes the block parties found in the Boroughs, bringing the all-inclusive spirit of underground dance communities into the heart of Times Square.

“At a time when the mainstream defines and represents hip-hop in superficial ways, we continue to fight harder to shed light on the underground creatives who keep working, despite the lack of recognition. This project brings visibility to underground dance forms through a chronology of street/club dance captured in a performance and competitions by some of NYC's most sought-after dancers. At Full Circle, we use our platform to feature upcoming talent from the Five Boroughs of NYC, while showing respect for the elders and architects of this uniquely urban expression that has spread across the world to touch continents and countries far away.“

- Kwikstep and Rokafella

Behind the Groove is presented as part of Danspace Project at Times Square, which will also include performances by luciana achugar and Laurie Berg. Inspired by Times Square’s history as the home of Broadway musicals, vaudeville, dance halls, and vernacular dance forms that emerged throughout the 20th century, Times Square Arts and Danspace Project have commissioned these three new dance works that explore strategies for perception, amplification, and activism within the cacophonous landscape of Times Square.

Full Circle Souljahs: Odylle “Mantis” Beder, John “Flonetik” Vinuya, Nasir “Kid Break” Malave, Mark “Styleski” Mack, Raymond “Spex” Abbiw, Richard James
FC Hardrocks: Deana Richline, Jennifer “Beasty” Acosta, Janice Tomlinson, Sharmaine Sheppard
Lite feet by Noahlot: KR3Ts
Krumping: TJ Rocka and the Nu Knynnes
Logo design: Shiro
T-shirts: Eric Michael
Kuduro choreography: Manuel Kanza