Ahead of the return of Breakin’ Convention – the ground breaking festival of hip hop theatre and culture – to Lighthouse later this month, we caught up with Redo from the incredible ILL-Abilities b-boy, an all-star crew of differently abled b-boys. He’ll be performing in both the matinee and evening show in a piece he trails as “a raw and honest dialogue between live music and dance…”
For those who don’t know, please tell us a bit about ILL-Abilities – where are you from, how did you get together, what’s your mission?
ILL-Abilities is an international breakdance crew made up of dancers from all over the world, each with a different physical challenge. The crew was founded in 2007 by Montreal-based dancer Luca ‘Lazylegz’ Patuelli, and today we have nine members representing seven different countries.
We all met at different times and through different moments, but the global breaking scene is what brought us together. That’s our foundation.
Our mission is simple but powerful: to redefine what’s possible. Not just in dance, but in how people see ability, difference, and themselves. We don’t focus on limitations; we focus on innovation and high-level performance. No Excuses, No Limits!
And we move across many spaces: from theatres to competitions, from community projects to commercial work. We teach, we speak, we create, and we produce. It’s more than a crew, it’s a movement.
I understand you’re not very fond of the word ‘disabled’ – how do you prefer to be described?
It’s not that I completely reject the word, but it often comes with assumptions that don’t reflect who we are. People hear it and immediately think in terms of limitation, before they’ve even seen what we do.
We prefer to shift the focus toward skills, creativity, and individuality. That’s also where the name ILL-Abilities comes from. We flipped the “dis” into “ILL”, which in hip hop means dope, incredible, next level. So instead of highlighting what’s missing, we highlight what’s powerful.
At the end of the day, we’d rather be seen as dancers first.
How have you gone about breaking down barriers that may have existed in hip hop and what still needs to change?
Hip hop is rooted in inclusion, self-expression, and creating something out of nothing, so in many ways, it gave us a space to belong from the start.
We’ve broken barriers simply by showing up, consistently. Entering battles, creating performances, and standing on the same stages as everyone else. Not asking for a separate category, but earning respect through skill, originality, and presence.
What are you going to be showing us in Poole when Breakin’ Convention comes to town?
In Poole, we’ll be bringing a slightly different setup. My partner in the duet, Samuka, won’t be there for this date because he’s also performing with Compagnie Hervé Koubi in Germany.
I’ll be performing a piece together with a world-class percussionist from the Netherlands, DOMNIQ. It’s a section from a theatre show we toured called A New Dawn.
The piece is about resilience, transformation, and the belief that every new day holds a new perspective. Through a raw and honest dialogue between live music and dance, it invites the audience not just to watch, but to truly feel. That’s always what we aim to bring: not just skills, but a story and an experience.
How does it feel to be able to do what you do as well as you do; and what do you hope it shows the people who see you doing it?
It feels great! This is something we’ve built over years of dedication, discipline, and staying consistent. We’re also aware that what we do can shift something in people.
What we hope people take away is not “wow, they did that despite everything,” but more “what’s possible for me?”
If we can challenge someone’s perspective, whether that’s about ability, identity, or their own limits, then we’ve done more than just perform. Because in the end, it’s not about us being special. It’s about showing that potential exists in many different forms. Sometimes you just need to look at it differently.
:: Breakin’ Convention takes over Lighthouse on Saturday 30 May. For more details and to book tickets please visit https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/breakin-convention-2026/ or call 01202 280000.
(NC)