Tranquil Productions
Tranquil Productions is a breakdancing company founded in 2004 by a Bradfordian who performs and teaches breakin’ not just in Bradford but around the world.
A group portrait of several young dancers from Tranquil Productions taken on stage in a theatre. The group huddle close together and smile at the viewer. In the foreground a young child stand, strokes its chin and looks confidently at the viewer
Image Credit ©Lloyd Thompson
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I first got into breakin’ at St John’s Church on Wakefield Road. Dylan Goggs taught there and he used to dance in the 1980s. He was grateful for breakin’ in his life and decided to run breakin’ classes and pass it onto the children in the area.
Action image of a breakdancer performing in Kala Sangam watched by an admiring audience standing and sitting all around
I was a really shy kid. I tried lots of different things but I found it difficult to find my thing. I came across breakin’ in that church, and I knew instantly that’s what I wanted to do.
With Tranquil Productions, we always had a community-based focus. We wanted to maintain that community and share the Bradford breakin’ culture with as many people as possible. The goal was the same throughout lockdown. Thank God we managed to secure a grant from Arts Council England for a massive, world-wide digital breakin’ event called Tech Styles Digital in August 2020. The event had people performing from Israel, Japan, USA and countries in Africa.
‘Making the most of who we are’ is something I’ve always had to do. There’s always been amazing people that have helped me move forward, but I’ve had to make the most of every situation, every opportunity.
Our work speaks to this ambition. It’s by the people of Bradford, for the people of Bradford. Everything has been built from the ground. Hip-hop is a relatively new form of dance that people enjoy doing. It’s artistic, it’s urban, it’s creative, it’s something we’ve seen grow organically despite little funding. We’re elevating the city as a whole through breakin’ in Bradford.
There is a big emphasis on new projects but that’s a shame when you’ve got amazing existing work that is underfunded. If over the next ten years artists like myself are able to strengthen connections with the council to further support everything that is already going on, that will lead to a better future for Bradford.
Lloyd Thompson
Founder & Director