Robert Hylton
All Things Dance
Research | PhD
Robert Hylton (BA, MA)
Currently studying for a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) at Centre for Dance Research: C-DaRE, Coventry University - to be completed in January, 2025. The PhD is fully funded by C-DaRE. My research investigates mediated and lived cultural transmission in popping and Black British social experience
In 2020 I was commissioned to write a dance image archive book Dancing in time: The History of Moving and Shaking by The British Library published in autumn, 2022
PoP Moves UK committee member: an international research group for popular dance and performance.
Former Associate Research Fellow in the School of Arts at (Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre), University of London, 2019-2023
Former Visiting Fellow at The Eccles Centre, British Library, 2019
My ongoing research
My research interests focus on street dance and its relationship with the African diaspora as archive and practice. My main research is popping improvisation as a somatic form.
Related study UK Jazzdance, hip hop, migration, otherness, film, performance, and speculative future.
Researching the presence of African diaspora street dance in both the UK and US to enable a broader access and understanding to an often hidden or unspoken representation of black performance and dance over the past 200+ years in Britain. With the aim to enhance and promote the visibility and presence of African diaspora street dance through a British perspective and UK Jazzdance pre and post hip hop in education, academia, performance and research.
The research will help develop a future exhibition and performance work, which focuses on the autonomy of African diaspora street dance as performance in the 21st Century! A presentation based on the research and workshops for community, professional or academic discourse will also be available.
For more information or questions please get in touch
Papers
Blurring Boundaries: Urban Street meets Contemporary Dance – Serendipity, Du Montfort University
ADAD: 21st ANNIVERSARY EDITION, P75-77
Skills n Drills, Animated Magazine, 2010
Writing
To read my British Library Eccles Centre BLOG please click on the button below
Hip hop theatre contributor on the forthcoming publication: Bloomsbury, the Encyclopaedia of Modern Theatre focusing on the ways in which street/urban/popular dance styles have impacted on the theatre
Talks
Creatively Innovating the Archive: In Conversation with Robert Hylton: Monday, 6 March 2023
De Montfort University's 'Funmi Adewole speaks with first generation UK Hip Hop Theatre pioneer, Robert Hylton.
Southbank University – The role of Artistic Director
The Place, London – The life of a choreographer
University of East London Dance: Urban Practice - Hip Hop Pedagogies
University of East London Dance: Urban Practice - Hip Hop Theatre
Northampton University - Hip Hop Dance and Theatre
Rich Mix, London – Hip hop dance archive, commissioned by State of Emergency
Dance UK (One Dance) AGM at Sadlers Wells - Websites, culture and information