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BRKFST Dance Company

BRKFST Dance Company, founded in 2014, is a group of collaborative breaking choreographers based in St. Paul, Minnesota. BRKFST’s egalitarian, choreographic collaboration is deeply rooted in the hip-hop adage “Each One Teach One”: regardless of class, race, experience, age or gender, everyone remains both teacher and student. BRKFST’s lineage stems from breaking culture: earning respect from battles, receiving real world critique and embodying inclusivity by passing down their knowledge to the new generation. After decades of representing their styles in the battle scene, they came together to not only represent breaking on the theater stage but to model longevity and sustainability within the dance form.

BRKFST performs regionally, and has premiered work at the Walker Art Center, the Southern Theater, The Cowles Center and Orchestra Hall with the Minnesota Orchestra. They have toured to Hartford, Connecticut, performing with Hartford Symphony Orchestra and internationally to Dublin, Ireland, performing for Dance2Connect (D2C) Hip Hop Festival. Their 2019 film Dreamers was deemed an official selection in 11 international film festivals, receiving both a Grand Jury Award at the 2021 In/Motion Festival and “Best Experimental Film” at the 2020 Tirana International Film Festival. BRKFST has set repertoire and original work on dancers at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, Carleton College, St. Olaf College, D2C Festival and Bates Dance Festival.

BRKFST Dance Company is a recipient of the 2022 New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project Production Grant; Minnesota State Arts Board grants in 2021, 2022 and 2023; a Metropolitan Regional Arts Council grant in 2019 and 2023; and a Mid Atlantic Arts USArtists International grant in 2021.

 

Performers and Choreographers

Lisa “MonaLisa” Berman
Renée Copeland
Azaria “AZ” Evans-Parham
Travis “Seqal” Johnson
Marie Thayer
Joseph “MN Joe” Tran

 

Costume Designer

Rhiannon Fiskradatz