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Complete with graffiti art shows by international artists and freestyling boxes marked out on the foyer floors, Sadler's Wells opens its doors for the fifth year as host to UK's one and only international festival of hip hop, Breaking Convention (May 1-5). Visitors of all nationalities, ages, sex and race arrived on the third of the 5-day event during London's bank-holiday weekend. While many adults try to avoid exposing themselves to the hiphop culture often associated to guns, sex and violence, one dance teacher from Lewisham was bringing her students on an educational field trip for the second time running. "What we like about Breaking Convention is the fact that you see street style dancing infused with other styles of dancing, and we think that children and students need to see that," said dance teacher Nathalie from Deptford Green School. Russian group Top9 depicted the original dance battle-offs in which gangs of friends competed against one another on the street through music, strength and agility shown through dance-moves. "What's good about it is that it's a very male orientated form of dance which gives the males a chance to perform and show-off which they don't often have a chance to do so that's also good," commented Janice who comes almost every week for dance-related entertainment at Sadler's Wells. Urban Strides, a dance group from High Wycombe UK and the Russian group Top9 were among that audience over with their creative and innovative fusion of music a...