Just Us Apprenticeship Company | A Night of Hip Hop Theatre

Ground-breaking. Dynamic. Next-Gen.

Experience the ground‑breaking debut of the 2025 cohort of the UK’s first and only paid Hip Hop Dance Apprenticeship Programme, presented by the Just Us Apprenticeship Company. Led by Artistic Director Joseph Toonga, Just Us Dance Theatre is a sector‑leading hip hop organisation founded in 2007 and based in East London, known for nurturing and supporting young Black and ethnically diverse artists through professional development and mentoring. This electrifying evening features newly commissioned work by Chandenie Gobardhan, alongside a powerful new collaboration between Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy MBE and Joseph Toonga. Witness the raw talent, ambition and unstoppable energy of the next generation of hip hop artists, live on stage.

Meet the artists

This year’s cohort

Over the last 13 weeks, artists Tyler Archer, Immanuel Isingoma, Rebecca Winter, Melissa Jae Mason and Sophie St. Cyr went on an intense journey of training, creation and learning, supported by Just Us Apprenticeship Company.

See what they've been up to

Joseph Toonga | Artistic Director & Choreographer

Joseph Toonga is the Artistic Director of Just Us Dance Theatre and one of the UK’s most exciting voices in hip hop theatre. Raised in East London and born in Cameroon, his work fuses hip hop and contemporary dance to explore lived experience, identity and social justice. He’s a former DanceEast Associate Artist, and an Emerging Choreographer at The Royal Ballet. His acclaimed trilogy Born to Manifest, Born to Protest and Born to Exist has toured nationally. Joseph’s commitment to creating paid, accessible routes into dance sits at the heart of this project.

Photo by Camilla Greenwell

Kenrick “H2O” Sandy MBE | Choreographer

Kenrick “H2O” Sandy is Co‑Artistic Director of Boy Blue, who you may know as the Guest Artistic Directors from last summer’s National Youth Dance Company (NYDC) performance, Gravity, which sold out at DanceEast. An Olivier Award‑winning choreographer, his credits include Pied Piper: A Hip‑Hop Dance Revolution and choreography for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Awarded an MBE for services to dance and community, Kenrick brings a powerful blend of theatrical storytelling and hip hop authenticity to this new collaboration.

Photo: NYDC’s Gravity, guest-directed by Boy Blue, taken by Elly Welford.

Chandenie Gobardhan | Choreographer

London-based choreographer Chandenie Gobardhan is shaping a bold and original movement language. Born in the Netherlands and rooted in their Hindostaanse heritage, Chandenie brings together Bharata Natyam, locking, and contemporary dance to challenge convention, draw from the wisdom of their ancestors and tell stories often left unheard. DanceEast has been closely supporting Chandenie’s artistic journey; from programming their work CREATOR in the our autumn 2024 Triple Bill, to backing them through a commissioning partnership with Akademi. Chandenie’s work has been presented at venues including Tate Britain and The Place. Their movement language brings a rich cultural layer to the programme, expanding ideas of what hip hop theatre can be.

Photo by Elly Welford.

“Exhilarating, clever, moving.

The level of physicality and skill on display by these emerging talents cannot be understated. As a company of only 12 weeks, they showcase an unquestionable ability, identity, and voice as a collective. Joseph Toonga’s programme underscores Just Us Dance Theatre’s commitment to nurturing young talent and pushing the boundaries of hip hop dance theatre. And the result is an evening of articulate, fiery, and energetic dance, promising a bright future for the UK’s hip hop dance theatre scene.”

– Issaac Ouro-Gnao, I Am HipHop Magazine