HipHop Games + Land Before Time

Part battle, part choreography, this international competition brings together several crews around a series of challenges where improvisation is the key word. And this year, Hip Hop Games is once again coming to the Vondelpark Openluchttheater during Summer Dance Forever! Would you like to compete with your Dutch crew? Read more below (deadline to sign up 1 July)!

We end the afternoon with the performance "Waterkind" by the Swedish duo Land Before Time. A fluid exchange between two bodies, connected without touch, where movement, space, and intuition collide in a water-inspired blend of freestyle and popping.

Hip Hop Games

Created in 2011 by Lille-based choreographer Romuald Brizolier, the Hip Hop Games is quickly being exported around the world - to the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Canada, Senegal, Ivory Coast and elsewhere - to become one of the most original events in the hip-hop world.

A real spectacle, the show is directed by the troupe made up of Romss - the dancing referee, Philémon - the MC-rapper and Mystraw - the DJ and Beatboxer. On this playground, several Dutch crews challenge each other to creative challenges where a sense of improvisation, risk-taking, humour and creativity are judged by a panel of experienced professionals. The Hip Hop Games is a show that's constantly renewed, giving audiences a unique experience.

The winner of the Dutch competition will compete in the international final on Sunday 13 December at the Opera in Lille, France. Don’t worry; you dance, we pay for the costs (travel, accommodation and meals) of this great weekend with other international crews from all over the globe.

The winner of the international final receives substantial prize money and professional guidance in developing their crew choreography into a professional performing art piece in theatre.

Land Before Time: Waterkind

The work explores the interplay and connection between two bodies without direct physical contact. What is it that makes us experience the sensation of connection and the mutual understanding of the next movement through improvisation? Both proximity and space are equally essential, with an ongoing focus on vibrations and responsiveness. Individual explosions and outbursts occur while both performers maintain a close relation to one another. The next movement is strongly dependent on the former. Water is the inspiration to form the flows and currents, combined with freestyle and elements of popping the result is a specific material contained in the work.

Land Before Time is a creative duo consisting of Joanna Holewa Chrona and Yared Tilahun Cederlund. They are performing artists resident in Sweden, within the field of dancing, deeyaing, choreographing, sound composing and producing their own performances. Currently working with site specific performances as a touring concept. Both Joanna and Yared have a background within streetdance, and together they have developed a common practice inspired by water.

Credits:
Choreographers/dancers: Joanna Holewa Chrona and Yared Tilahun Cederlund
Music: Yared Tilahun Cederlund
Vocals: Ntsika Fana Ngxanga
Produced by: Land Before time
Distribution: Nordberg Movement

Watch the trailer here.

SHAH Collective
SHAH Collective, this years winners of the unique crew competition RISE UP, is a dance collective existing of dancers from a range of urban dance disciplines who come together in Amsterdam. The name stands for Stay Humble And Hustle, reflecting the mindset from which they create dance performances rooted in authentic expression and sincerity. Under the artistic direction of Hessel van den Hoek, and in collaboration with choreographer Darnell Renfrum, the collective is developing a brand-new work entitled 'Selfhood'.

'Selfhood' is a physical exploration of the space between moving with the flow and forging your own path. What begins as a single, shared movement gradually transforms into something that emerges from within. In 2025, SHAH Collective earned second place at RISE UP.

Produced by Simply Stories under the artistic direction of Susanne Tuny, RISE UP provides hiphop crews with the opportunity to explore storytelling through hiphop dance theatre. Rather than being a one-off competition, the crew competition is designed to support the ongoing talent development of choreographers, coaches, and dancers. Yearly providing a showcase at the Hip Hop Games during Summer Dance Forever is part of this support.

From 1 September, hiphop crews can once again register for the next edition of RISE UP, taking place in 2027. For more information, visit www.simplystories.nl or follow @simplystories.nl on Instagram.