91Èȱ¬

We speak to the dancer and krump specialist about his recent collaboration with the 91Èȱ¬ Singers. You can watch the performance – which features Taylor’s choreography to Veljo Tormis’s Curse Upon Iron – from Sunday 8 November.

As one of the UK’s foremost krump dancers and choreographers, can you tell us about this style and what drew you to it?

Krump is a very high-energy, expressive style. I like to think of it as an expression of true emotion. Its core techniques are chest pops, stomps and arm swings, though its foundation is also in creativity and storytelling.

I guess what drew me to krump was the expressive side of it. Although I enjoy other dance styles and have always tried to be as versatile as possible, it was when I saw and began to study krump that I felt I could truly express the variety of emotions that I wanted to. While it is primarily a battle dance, I have always seen the storytelling side of krump and knew it had a home on-stage, in the dance theatre.

What elements of Tormis’s Curse Upon Iron lend themselves to choreography, and krump in particular?

The track is very powerful and expressive. It also tells a story in both abstract and literal ways – the exact same way we use storytelling in krump. In krump, our movement sequences should build in intensity towards a high point. There can be many high points in our ‘paragraph’ of movement, something which can be heard throughout the piece of music.

Is this the first time you’ve choreographed classical music?

Fortunately, I have been choreographing to classical music for quite a while now, especially matching it with krump. Some of the musical structures were not what we were used to, so that was a little challenging.

Has this experience sparked an interest in choral or classical music in general?

Yes, it has. While I have always enjoyed classical music forms, I haven’t experimented with choral music very often. It has been a great challenge and would be interesting to see what could be done with other forms of music.

You trained in ballet and contemporary dance at Barnet College in North London. How has your experience with ballet impacted the way you dance and choreograph now?

Honestly it doesn’t really change the way I choreograph, though it has helped in the sense that I have a foundational understanding of dance and movement. I feel all dance is connected, but my training in contemporary dance has had a bigger influence on my choreography and creativity.

As well as choreographing this performance, you've also come out of (semi) retirement to fill in for a dancer who was unable to perform. How does it feel to be back on-stage?

I haven’t been on-stage in around a year and a half – possibly two years! I have performed in some video projects here and there, but it did feel great to get back up there. I do think I will stay (semi) retired from stage work for now though – I enjoy working a little more behind the scenes.

Where can readers find out more about krump?

There are quite a few krump battles online and on YouTube, some of which feature the creators of krump, Tight Eyez and Big Mijo. If krump performances and krump theatre is what you’re looking for, have a look at .