Review ZooNation Youth Company, Tales of the Turntable ★★★★★

Hip hop is primarily the language of urban youth; so, it’s only natural that the young dancers of ZooNation Youth Company (ZYC) – an offshoot of Kate Prince’s adult company, ZooNation – should take to it like ducks to water.

Their talent is impressive; their energy and commitment equally so. ZYC is made up of 16 dancers picked from among the best 10-19-year-olds throughout the UK. In their new show, Tales of the Turntable, they invite us to go along on a musical journey through time.

Centred on a loose story, narrated in off stage voice over, Tales of the Turntable follows two central characters, Eric, a budding young DJ, and his grandfather George; and, as in all the best multigenerational tales, each ends up learning quite a lot from the other.

The show is inspired by moments from two hugely popular films: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Back to the Future. George winds back time through his gramophone to show Eric the importance of the music that went before and how it evolved into what is now more familiar to Eric.

ZooNation Youth Company, Tales of the Turntable, photo Takis Zontiros
The set is a vibrant oval with a series of platforms upstage backed by horizontal lines of bright white lights. With the help of a few movable props, this set can easily be adapted to take us to George and Eric’s home, the 1950s Kit Club, a late 1970s record shop, and Eric’s own school, the Bexhill Academy.

One of the many remarkable things about these young dancers is how easily they incorporate the dance styles of years past into their primary hip hop training. The whole company breaks into an energetic funk for the 1978 sequence set in the record shop where George used to work and where he met his wife to be.

And in the 1940/50s sequence, zoot suits, ankle socks and all, they break into a terrific jive.

ZooNation Youth Company, Tales of the Turntable, photo Takis Zontiros
Tales of the Turntable is choreographed and directed by ZooNation’s artistic director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Into the Hoods) and features music mixed by DJ Walde.

The demanding choreography relies on a range of hip hop moves – krumping, breaking, robotics and acrobatics; no allowances are made for the dancers youth, and all acquit themselves admirably.

Each has a little solo to show what he or she is made of; and although it’s perhaps not fair to single out any one dancer out of such an accomplished lot, we have to say we were seriously impressed with William Pascua as George – that young man has real star quality.

In short, ZYC’s Tales of the Turnable is great fun – an electrifying, foot stomping, high-five exchanging, bop in your seat show, guaranteed to please and inspire the whole family; and, at 70 never-flagging minutes, a brief injection of energy and joie de vivre. Go!

Age Guidance: 5+