Je comprends. Respect.: A theatrical hip-hop battle

Go ahead and make noise during this irresistible hybrid show, part hip hop battle and part captivating autobiographical tale by gifted actor and dancer Etienne Lou. Holding nothing back, he describes his chaotic journey from youth to breaking into the world of urban dance. A thousand-dollar prize, three judges, a DJ, an entranced crowd, truth, lies… in a word, theatre, but with lots—and we mean lots—of beat!

Two battles take place on stage. First, an hour before showtime, street dance masters Banks, Jigsaw and Sam I Am Montolla must select THE 8 best performers from among 24 contestants. Curious theatregoers are invited to attend the pre-selection! Next, our host shares his moving quest for emancipation with the pumped-up audience. That quest will take the troubled teen he once was to the podium of the famous Bust a Move competition, North America’s largest street dance festival, but not without some major obstacles along the way, including racism, bullying, and toxic masculinity.

However, the star of this electrifying evening is not the protagonist, nor Jacob, the theatre ghost, nor even the winner of the competition. It is Art itself that triumphs, as a vital vehicle for self-awareness and openness to others.

The show itself runs about 2 hours and is preceded by 1 hour of preliminaries to select the dancers for the battle * The show contains passages in Frenglish.