IMPRESSIONS: Boy Blue in “Cycles” at Jazz at Lincoln Center

Conception and Composer: Michael 'Mikey J' Asante
Choreographer: Kenrick 'H2O' Sandy
Associate Choreographer: Jade Hackett
Additional Choreographic Contributions: The Cast
Additional Composition: Simon Chue
Lighting Designer: Lee Curran
Costume Designer: Matthew Josephs in collaboration with Seeing Red
Rehearsal Director: Nathaniel Impraim-Jones

Cast: Jimmy Allan, Nicey Belgrave, Tanaka Bingwa, Gabija Čepelytė, Paris Crossley, Evion Hackett, Kyron 'Nykro' Jake, Kelsey 'Hydro' Miller, Corey Owens

March 28, 2025

Boy Blue in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine
 

A multitude of Hip-Hop dance forms sculpt Cycles, an hour-long feat exalting voltaic movement. Founded in London in 2001, Boy Blue, a Hip-Hop dance theater company, melds movement and music into a seamless fusion. Cycles made its U.S. premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center from March 27 to 29, 2025.

A vivacious team stands behind “Cycles,” a testament to their 24-year partnership: Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante conceived and composed the piece, while Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy shaped its choreography and Jade Hackett served as Associate Choreographer. In a 2024 conversation with The Rendition, Sandy described “Cycles” as “an opportunity to reconnect with the essence of hip-hop dance, to humanize the sounds of hip-hop music.” 

Boy Blue in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine
 

A hushed moment unfolds before the house lights fade. The nine dancers trickle onto the stage, sitting in a semicircle of preset chairs. We continue chatting until we sense their presence. One dancer steps into a spotlight and the beat drops: their energy ignites. 

Cycles unleashes intricate Popping, Locking, and the raw intensity of Krump in a kinetic display. Precise, syncopated steps charge, burst, and reverberate through Boy Blue’s electrifying cast. Asante’s pulsating electronic score surges through the space, its driving beats embodied by the dancers. Ethereal interludes thread through the music, prompting a striking contrast as performers shift from sharp, percussive accents to floating, fluid motions.

Boy Blue in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine

The work exudes ferocity, yet every movement remains meticulously controlled. The dancers charge across the stage in loping runs, torsos folding over their hips, their movements synchronized as if powered by a single breath. They wield their bodies with staggering precision, narrating without words; their unspoken dialogue crackles with the energy exchanged fluidly between them. Above all, their unison astounds. Solos surface throughout, offering adrenaline-rising moments of improvisation showcasing each individual’s choices in embodying Asante’s music, though the cast’s collective force prevails. 

Visual elements provide a sense of their world. The semicircle of chairs remains on stage throughout, shaping a space where dancers observe, replenish, and ready themselves for the next explosion of movement. Clad in white and pale green hooded jackets, sneakers, and loose-fitting light pants, the dancers’ attire amplifies the choreography’s physicality while allowing for unrestricted motion. A particularly commanding moment emerges as the cast huddles, their hoods up, pulsing as a single entity.

Boy Blue cast  in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine
 

Lee Curran’s lighting design magnifies the work’s visual impact. Spotlights ripple into concentric rings on the floor, accentuating the dancers’ formations. At times, a blinding upstage light beams forward, silhouetting the performers in stark contrast.

Brief pauses punctuate the relentless motion. In these fleeting intervals, something stirs in us: a sense of disoriented awe as a dancer suspends in an inversion, balancing impossibly on one hand; another moves so fluidly that their knees seem to fold inward, limbs liquefying.

Boy Blue in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine

 

Their marathon of motion spans approximately forty minutes but vanishes in a flash. After a brief intermission, they reconvene in the center of the stage, greeting each other with hugs, handshakes, and high-fives. The piece’s opening score reprises with subtle changes, familiar movements and phrases repeating and looping back. The repetition satisfies, grounding us as the work moves at an exhilarating velocity.

One particularly striking image occurs as an orange spotlight glows stage right, while the music throbs with a warped, slightly fuzzy quality. The dancers gather closely to it, playfully coaxing one another into the light. One by one, they leap into its radiance. The music sharpens into clarity, and they dance with pure, unrestrained joy.

Evion Hackett in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine
 

Another lasting impression lingers in the seamless fluidity of their formations. Lines melt into clusters, diagonals sweep across the stage, and geometric shapes emerge with stunning precision, underscoring their spatial and rhythmic mastery. After watching Cycles, we cannot help but marvel at their athleticism, dynamics, and storytelling.

Cycles stands as a visceral testament to the artistry and athleticism of Hip-Hop. Boy Blue not only honors the genre’s roots, but propels it forward, leaving an unforgettable mark.

Boy Blue in Cycles. Photo: Richard Termine