PERFORMANCE POET
Jonzi-D
Jonzi-D has been at the forefront of underground British hip-hop culture since it burst onto the scene at the beginning of the eighties. Graduating from the London Contemporary Dance School in the early nineties, his ability to draw from a diverse range of cultural influences in an uncompromising way has resulted in a whole range of exciting performance formats.

These include free style rap and dance shows that require maximum audience participation in an informal club atmosphere - Apricot Jams (rap) & Bustin' Moves (dance), to full length theatre works Lyrikal Fearta & Aeroplane Man that deal with issues of alienation and the search for cultural identity.

Jonzi-D, alongside an eclectic ensemble of emcees, dancers and musicians, present the full length version of his critically acclaimed solo, Aeroplane Man, as featured in 'Lyrikal Fearta'.

The true story of a black man's journey from East London, on a global quest to find his spiritual homeland. With a unique fusion of rhyme, lyrically motivated movement, classical and modern black dance forms, plus live breakbeats, the universal theme of displacement is delivered with insightful honesty and exhilarating energy.

Jonzi will be touring Apricot Jam and Bustin Moves throughout the Autumn of 1999 and into 2000. Jonzi draws the artists together specifically for each performance so the line up can be as wide or as small as necessary, can involve "local" artists or can encompass an "event style" format.

The Apricot Jam
100% natural flava Made from organically grown breakbeats no artificial attitudes Hosted by Jonzi D, the Apricot Jam features the cream of underground rap and poetry acts, the World Famous 'bring yer beat' open mic section, giveaways and general good vibes, all backed up by acoustic hip hop from the Apricot Jam band. Starting as an attempt to revive London's hip hop club circuit, the Apricot Jam quickly developed a die hard following amongst urban poetry bohos, jazz musos, and hardcore hip hop heads alike, developing legendary status on the underground scene! London's premiere rap groups, poets and vocalists, including Blak Twang, MC D (Silent eclipse), Rodney P (London Posse),Ty and Shortee Blitz, Julie Dexter amongst others, have all tagged the tapestry of The Apricot Jam experience with memorable shows!

Bustin' Moves
Interactive Hip Hop dance jam... an invitation to all those heads out there that wanna throw down! Bustin' Moves features the best underground dance artists from the UK Hip Hop circuit in an environment geared towards pushing the boundaries of club dance... old skool and new skool b-boyism, poplocking, boogie to lyrikally motivated movement, mime, tap whatever! Featuring DJ POGO of the En4cers killing it on the turntables... bringing back that late eighties vibe where dancing in unison wasn't 'corny'... no shoes allowed with this one... bring your trainers for some party, no bull!!

Lyrikal Fearta
Written, directed and performed by Jonzi-D, hip hop culture and contemporary theatre are seamlessly fused in this ground breaking multimedia production. Ghetto topics like police brutality, gun culture, and cultural displacement are investigated with Jonzi's trademark 'in your face', no holds barred, ironic wit! Rap, choreo-poetry, breakdancing, and turntablism combine to create some of the most innovative hip hop around! Tales of the urban battlefield, seen through the eyes of a young black male in the belly of the B-East London! This is a production that involves Jonzi, DJ Biznizz, four breakdancers and a live band of four musicans.

Comments

"'Aeroplane Man' ended the festival at The Place theatre by asserting all the values you'd hope for - technique, thoughtfulness and abundant entertainment. Jonzi-D is a genial black cockney rapper with luxurious dreadlocks and a witty mind. He plays the central figure in Aeroplane Man, waking up to find that being in the East End and wearing Union Jack underpants is no guarantee of a sense of who you are.

He tells us about it in chanted verses with funny, energetic wordplays, calling up 'Mr Aeroplane man' to fly him around the world to look for a place to call home. Episodes in Grenada, Jamaica, New York and Africa are characterised by the six dancers and five rousing musicians.

The comedy comes in Jonzi sticking out like an inept tourist wherever he goes. The Poignancy comes in his being mocked bullied even, by his black 'brothers'. The value comes in his basing the voyage on genuine dance forms.

He gives us London music hall, Grenadan calypso, the Jamaican club scene hip-hop break dancing from New York and South African gumboot dance. You get the issues, but you get the skills too." Ismeme Brown The Telegraph

"Bringing theatre to hip hop as opposed to bringing hip hop to theatre" "As a solo performer or in collaboration with other artists there is no doubt that Jonzi D.'s unique brand of theatre will entertain and inspire audiences everywhere... he is an issues-driven performer but has the technique, the skill and the charisma to pull off thrilling entertainment pieces that give voice to the alienated. Prepare to be amazed."
Sarah Frater The Metro July 8, 1999

To book Jonzi-D for a performance in your school...
To check Jonzi-D's availability for school performances and to find out current prices for Jonzi and other performers please contact:

Jubilee Books
Address of head office
31a Vanburgh Park
Blackheath
London SE3 7AE

t. (020) 8293 6060
f. 056 0150 8125
e. e-mail Jubilee Books

Our office is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5.30pm.