{"id":98238,"date":"2025-08-15T11:38:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T09:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=98238"},"modified":"2025-08-15T11:48:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T09:48:13","slug":"dankzij-tent-paars-en-joseph-toonga-biedt-boulevard-een-scherpe-blik-op-hiphop-cultuur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/08\/dankzij-tent-paars-en-joseph-toonga-biedt-boulevard-een-scherpe-blik-op-hiphop-cultuur\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanks to Tent Purple and Joseph Toonga, Boulevard offers a sharp look at hip-hop culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Merrily laughing, dancing and jumping is pretty tough, in 2025. Boomers will say it was never easy, but no one can say of today's generation of young men and women that they are wimps who freak out at every breath of wind. What it does lead to: krumping. This week at Theatre Festival Boulevard, I saw three performances, two of them in Tent Purple and one in the Pleinzaal of the Theater aan de Parade. Performances in which staccato movements from martial arts and rhythmic cramping express inner struggle and contained anger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most relaxed was the dance at Arjuna Vermeulen's performance. There, the three break dancers, tough men with tattoos, tackled the arena of Tent Purple mainly on aesthetics and strength. A few days later, I saw the work 'Time' by a young choreographer about four women whose mutual struggle and attraction took them firmly towards krumping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On the beat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The breaking and krumping in Tent Purple is still sometimes a bit very precise to the beat, making the dancing a bit predictable. To the doom-filled soundtrack referring to wagnerkitsch, they did bring something that could be described as a support act for what got a spectacular climax that night in The Body Black Festival: Joy Isn't Always Joy, that night at the Theater aan de Parade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This project marks Joseph Toonga's return to Den Bosch, having previously made a deep impression with the diptych <a href=\"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/2021\/08\/waarom-het-lachen-ons-best-wat-vaker-mag-vergaan-joseph-toonga-geeft-les-in-theaterwoede-tfboulevard\/\" title=\"Why laughter is best left to us more often: Joseph Toonga teaches theatre rage #tfboulevard\">Born to Protest<\/a> and Born to Manifest. In those performances, the British choreographer made palpable the struggle Black youths face to survive in a predominantly white society that does not take kindly to them. Listen to the interview with Toonga from 2021 here: <a href=\"https:\/\/nieuwsbrief.cultuurpers.nl\/p\/joseph-toonga-op-theaterfestival-846\">Joseph Toonga at Theatre Festival Boulevard: 'My daughters help me bring empathy to Hiphop' (English)Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Black Joy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In The Body Black Festival, Toonga collaborates with three Brazilian dancers who deploy 'krumping' to maintain a happy look while under the skin a rock-hard battle rages to maintain their mental health. The frozen grin, which becomes increasingly convulsive, seems a reflection on the Black Joy movement, which brought cheer and dance into the fray during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can read about that in Vogue: \"<em>We can actively trace the spatial and temporal control of Black expression from slavery and colonialism through to today. This is why the act of joy is resistance and as we use our physical bodies to protest, march and demand change, we must also use them to experience the pleasure of joy. The London protesters underscored this point perfectly in June with their moment of spontaneously joyful movement.<\/em>\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.co.uk\/arts-and-lifestyle\/article\/what-is-black-joy\">What Black Joy Means - And Why It's More Important Than Ever<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Torn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joy as an act of resistance: it speaks to the imagination, but for Black men who have to present themselves daily in a harsh society while showing their soft side, it is tearful. Toonga is able to shape and make insightful that tornness like no other. A grandmaster of hip-hop and krumping, he has also joined the palaces of elite art, with an appointment at the British Royal Ballet. How nice it would be if, between him and the club around Arjuna Vermeulen in Tent Purple, something beautiful blossomed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e5e54c;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#FFFF66;border-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:3px;-moz-border-radius:3px;-webkit-border-radius:3px;\">There is no more information about the discussed performances on the Theatre Festival Boulevard site, as they have already ended. Listen here to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nieuwsbrief.cultuurpers.nl\/p\/arjuna-vermeulen-de-motor-van-tent?r=hpanp\">interview with Arjuna Vermeulen<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vrolijk lachen, dansen en springen is best lastig, in 2025. Boomers zullen zeggen dat het nooit makkelijk was, maar niemand kan van de huidige generatie jonge mannen en vrouwen zeggen dat het watjes zijn die van elk zuchtje tegenwind in de stress schieten. Waar het wel toe leidt: krumping. Deze week zag ik op Theaterfestival [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":98239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8832,3059,11687],"tags":[4792,1717,16426],"class_list":["post-98238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-boulevard","category-specials","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-den-bosch","tag-hiphop","tag-rcensie"],"featured_image_url":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003-150x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003-300x200.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003-768x511.jpg","large":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003-1024x681.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003-1536x1022.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2025_08_13_JOSEPHTOONGA_KarinJonkers003-18x12.jpg"},"post_author":"Wijbrand Schaap","assigned_categories":"Boulevard, SPECIALS, WAARDEER &amp; DONEER!","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":128096,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/07\/tent-paars-opnieuw-het-kloppend-hart-van-street-culture-op-festival-boulevard\/","url_meta":{"origin":98238,"position":0},"title":"Tent Paars once again the beating heart of street culture at Festival Boulevard","author":"Theaterfestival Boulevard","date":"21 July 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"From impressive dance battles to intimate spoken word performances, from experimental acts to sold-out hip-hop shows. Last year, Tent Paars became one of the most vibrant venues at Festival Boulevard. From 6 to 16 August, this street culture arena returns to the Parade in Den Bosch with a programme\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Boulevard&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Boulevard","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/specials\/boulevard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":121135,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/06\/boulevard-keert-terug-met-120-voorstellingen-op-twintig-verschillende-locaties\/","url_meta":{"origin":98238,"position":1},"title":"Boulevard returns with 120 performances at twenty different locations","author":"Theaterfestival Boulevard","date":"23 June 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The Boulevard Theatre Festival is once again bringing the summer to a close in 's-Hertogenbosch with its 42nd edition. From Thursday 6 to Sunday 16 August, the festival will host around 120 performances (including 20 premieres), shows and workshops at twenty venues in and around the city. Artists from home and abroad and stories that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;PERSBERICHTEN&quot;","block_context":{"text":"PERSBERICHTEN","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/persberichten\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94953,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2024\/08\/boulevard-dagboek-2-bossche-street-culture-is-anders\/","url_meta":{"origin":98238,"position":2},"title":"Boulevard diary #2: Bossche street culture is different","author":"Wijbrand Schaap","date":"3 August 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Right by St John's, next to the Tower Stage where Theatre Festival Boulevard holds its talk shows and free live concerts, is 'Tent Purple'. That tent is different, this year. Outside, kids in baggy trainers are doing break moves, inside it is steaming hot. For ten days, Tent Purple will be Cypher HQ, the home of...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Boulevard&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Boulevard","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/specials\/boulevard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240802145148_2W4A8506-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240802145148_2W4A8506-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240802145148_2W4A8506-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240802145148_2W4A8506-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240802145148_2W4A8506-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240802145148_2W4A8506-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":126586,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/07\/dramatic-poets-de-stem-van-vrede-opnieuw-belichaamd\/","url_meta":{"origin":98238,"position":3},"title":"Dramatic Poets: the voice of peace, embodied once more","author":"Theaterfestival Boulevard","date":"17 July 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"With *Dramatic Poets*, Redo Ait Chitt and Georgios Lazakis will be presenting a new stage performance at Festival Boulevard on 6, 15 and 16 August. The premiere, on 15 August at 8.30 pm, is in collaboration with Cypher HQ and Deelstof at Tent Paars, where dance, spoken word, rap and music come together in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Boulevard&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Boulevard","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/specials\/boulevard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":97625,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/06\/theaterfestival-boulevard-2025-staat-in-de-grondverf\/","url_meta":{"origin":98238,"position":4},"title":"Boulevard 2025 theatre festival is primed","author":"een van onze leden","date":"17 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Theatre Festival Boulevard, which takes place from Thursday 7 to Sunday 17 August, has announced its programming. The 41st edition, for which ticket sales have started, includes about 125 different theatre and dance performances, concerts and workshops by makers from home and abroad. Boulevard descends on 14 venues in and around...","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Boulevard&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Boulevard","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/service\/specials\/boulevard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tentpaars-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tentpaars-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tentpaars-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tentpaars-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tentpaars-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/tentpaars-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":126594,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/07\/een-theatrale-dj-set-over-hoe-iedereen-altijd-in-transitie-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":98238,"position":5},"title":"A theatrical DJ set about how everyone is always in a state of transition","author":"Theaterfestival Boulevard","date":"20 July 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"With *TRANS*, theatre makers Emma van den Elshout and Just van Bommel present an energetic theatrical DJ set centred on the theme of change. 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