Meet the Cast of The Lock In ‘Christmas Carol’

Damien Barber: ‘Marley’

Artistic Director of Breaking Tradition – Damien discovered his passion for dance theatre relatively late in life, complimenting a successful career in the music industry. His band The Demon Barbers were awarded ‘Best Live Act’ @ BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2009 and continue to provide the live music for our theatre productions.

Favourite Christmas song: Jingle Bell Rock

Ben Griffith: ‘Jasmineezer Scrooge’

Ben is a musician & actor from Huddersfield. He joined The Demon Barbers in 2004 and has been an integral part of the team ever since. Here we see him at his very best – Singing, prancing, dancing and even a spot of romancing! His alter-ego Jasmineezer seems like a tough cookie, but is her bark worse than her bite???

Favourite Christmas song: Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Bobak Champion: ‘Ghosts of Past, Present & Future’

British-Iranian Dance Artist, Bobak Champion, utilises hip-hop dance styles, storytelling and humour to directly tackle the often-negative stereo type of the middle east and Islam shown in the media.  He was an early collaborator of Breaking Tradition after being impressed by a chance encounter with Damien at Yorkshire Dance, where he was teaching a regular hip-hop class. 

Bobak loves working with live musicians as part of the Lockin Dance Show ‘After over a decade on this show I still get goosebumps when I hear the musicians warming up at the first rehearsal of the season, similarly hearing the tap of clogs on-stage or in the rehearsal room is always such a pleasure’.

Favourite Christmas song: Yuletide Throwdown – Cut Chemist Remix – by Blondie & Fab 5 Freddy

Marie Mathias (Bgirl ‘Petit Filou’): Hip Hop, Morris, Sword

Marie  began her career of dancing in her native country of France. Her initial foray into the dance world was of Salsa which she discovered whilst studying in France. But it wasn’t until she moved to Spain and encountered several Bboys that she found her love for Hip Hop, especially the dance style of Breakin’. She learned from crews across Europe. Picking up skills and movements from Spain, France, Sweden, Estonia before arriving in the UK.
Living in Leeds she teaches several classes and created her own company : Bust-A-Move. If she were to be described it would be – Cheeky, Smiley and full of positive energy!

Favourite Christmas song: Petit Papa Noël

Chris Banks (Bboy ‘BankC’): Hip Hop, Morris, Sword

Chris has been in involved in Martial Arts and Dance for 30 years. He began Tae Kwon Do at the age of 7 with Shabir Akhtar and has loved Martial Arts ever since. His love for dance began when he was introduced to Bboying and Locking, by his brothers, at high school. Chris is the only dancer we know of who can Break, Lock, Pop & dance traditional Morris, Rapper & Longsword!

Favourite Christmas song: Little Donkey

Sarah Davenport: Clogs

Hi, I’m Sarah!  I am a clog dancer and fiddle player from Stockport. I have been a member of Fosbrooks Folk Education Trust for 18 years and have had the pleasure of taking part in many international folk festivals. I also work as a music leader at Band On The Wall in Manchester where I educate young people about the cultural heritage of Manchester and Lancashire through traditional music, dance, and song.

Favourite Christmas song: It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne: Squeeze boxes & Vocals

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne is at the forefront of his generation of English folk musicians as both a powerful and commanding singer and a masterful player of the Anglo concertina and melodeon. Since bursting onto the scene in his teens, Cohen has amassed a string of awards and nominations, including a nomination for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Horizon Award in 2018. Cohen has toured across the UK and abroad both as a soloist and with the much-loved energetic trio Granny’s Attic.

Favourite Christmas song: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Hugh Vincent: Bass

Hugh Vincent is a multidisciplinary artist, musician, and composer. Having studied jazz piano at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, he has gone on to pursue diverse musical projects, including left-field ambient duo Yard Nule, alt-pop group Litany, and avant-jazz collective Ancient Infinity Orchestra. He has worked with Breaking Tradition regularly over the last five years, including on their 2019 production Quest. Hugh is currently active on the Leeds jazz scene, and is busy composing music for an upcoming VR videogame.

Favourite Christmas song: We Three Kings – which other Christmas song features so many death metal lyrics! ‘Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying: sealed in a stone cold tomb’. Also the line ‘breathes a life of gathering gloom’ is beautiful.

Liam Hardy: Drums

Liam started playing drums in his teens and mostly learned by jamming along with his favourite Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine records. When he went to university, he spent more time playing in bands than doing any studying and in subsequent years could be found touring with folk rock darlings Blackbeard’s Tea Party. He now teaches drums in York and is looking forward to hitting the road with The Demon Barbers for Christmas!

Favourite Christmas song: Run Rudolph Run, Chuck Berry

Alix Shepherd: Keys

Alix is a musician with extensive experience across performance and education settings. This year he has been working with an alternative hip hop artist, culminating in a busy summer of successful European dates. He has a residency in Newcastle with an afro-cuban trio, which also delivers inclusive workshops for schools. Alix also works at Glasshouse ICM leading and delivering on programmes supporting young people in developing their music practice and industry ambitions.

Favourite Christmas song: All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

Laura Connolly: Clogs

Laura is a clog dancer based in the North East. She is a graduate of the B.Mus. Folk and Traditional Music degree course at Newcastle University (Major in Foot percussion); long standing member of The Demon Barber’s and Breaking Tradition; Prima Clogerina in “The Lock In” the UK’s number one folk and hip hop dance show; star of BBC4’s Come Clog Dancing, occasional clog dance tutor at Newcastle University’s Folk and Traditional music degree. Laura trained as a community musician at The Sage Gateshead and runs her own early years music business, Little & Loud.

Favourite Christmas song: I cannot possibly choose just one favourite Christmas song!! I love them all from the craziness of Bob Dylan’s “Must be Santa” to the classic, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”!

Tiny Taylor: Clogs
Bio: TBC

The 2023 Cast will be touring to the following venues

Sat 9th December
Batley Town Hall

Sun 10th December
The Glasshouse ICM, Gateshead

Sun 10th December
Live To Your Living Room (Live Streamed show)

Mon 11th December
Norwich Playhouse

Tue 12th December
The Apex, Bury St Edmunds

Wed 13th December
The Haymarket, Basingstoke

Sat 16th December
Clonter Opera Theatre, Congleton

Tue 19th December
Birmingham Town Hall

More info: http://breakingtradition.co.uk/production/the-lock-in-christmas-carol/