World’s Evolution – The First Scottish Hip-Hop tour in half a decade

Megan Boxwell

This Spring, pioneering street dance collective THREE60 present World’s Evolution - the first Scottish Hip Hop tour to take place in half a decade.

This April, pioneering street dance collective THREE60 are arriving in St Andrews as the final destination on their Scottish tour. Their ancestral rhythms and dynamic stage presence will hit the Byre Theatre on the 23rd at 6.30pm. You pay what you can (£11, £13 or £15) to witness a story of the African diaspora unravel through dance.

Presented by creative and cultural force THREE60 (founded in 2014 by Divine Tasinda, Kemono L.Riot, Adam McMillan and Levent Nyembo to champion Street and African Diasporic dance forms), World’s Evolution is grounded in the deep grooves of African and Caribbean dance, combined with a dynamic fusion of street styles such as Hip-Hop, Krump, and Popping.

Staying true to the name of the tour, World’s Evolution displays the human journey through time, centring around Africa as “a shared motherland and the cradle of human life.” World’s evolution retells the story of humanity in a way that causes the audience to reflect on what they know, and perhaps what they thought they knew but never did, challenging themes such as identity, history, freedom and the complexities of the modern world.

Above all, THREE60 aims to inspire cultural connection through the World’s Evolution tour. The tour is designed to educate audiences on the importance of honouring the impact of dance as a form of expression that can tell some of the world’s most important stories, and furthermore tell us more about ourselves. They value engaging with different communities across Scotland in order to promote dance as a space where everybody is free to create and express themselves.

For this reason, the World’s Evolution tour is not limited to their performances, as they are collaborating with various groups across Scotland to provide workshops and engagement classes. They will collaborate with the St Andrew’s Salsa and Bachata society to deliver a workshop on African dance and Hip-Hop on Tuesday the 21st of April 5-7pm in the 601 section of the student union. More details about this will be available on the St Andrews Salsa and Bachata society Instagram in due time.

Talking about THREE60 and the upcoming tour of World’s Evolution, co-director Divine Tasinda said:

‘World’s Evolution is a Hip-Hop theatre piece that sparks conversation about humanity and creativity. It invites audiences to open their minds, recognising art as one of the most powerful tools we have to inspire change and provoke dialogue.

Rooted in Hip-Hop, the piece brings together playful, multidisciplinary creativity across styles under the umbrella of street dance. It honours black culture and the African origins of street dance styles, celebrating Africa as the motherland and reflecting on the evolution of humanity, society and people.

At its heart, World’s Evolution reminds us that we are all connected. We come from one place, share one root, and exist beyond borders and land. We are reflections of one another. The piece aims to spark curiosity, awaken creativity, and inspire everyone to see themselves within the story.’

So, if you are in St Andrews in April, do not miss out on this incredible opportunity to develop not only a better understanding of the African Diaspora and dance, but a better understanding of yourself, and the ways in which we are connected.