<P> Hip - hop theater is a form of theater that presents contemporary stories through the use of one or more of the four elements of hip - hop culture--b - boying, graffiti writing, MCing (rapping), and DJing . Other cultural markers of hip - hop such as spoken word, beatboxing, and hip - hop dance can be included as well although they are not always present . What is most important is the language of the theatrical piece and the plot's relevance to the world . Danny Hoch, founder of the Hip - Hop Theater Festival, further defines it as such: "Hip - hop theatre must fit into the realm of theatrical performance, and it must be by, about and for the hip - hop generation, participants in hip - hop culture, or both ." </P> <P> Hip - hop theater productions appear in a wide range of platforms including single performances, week - long festivals, and traveling repertory companies . Marc Bamuthi Joseph is an award - winning spoken word poet and dancer who has been commissioned several times to create and direct single hip - hop theater works . British choreographer Jonzi D is the artistic director of the London - based Breakin' Convention, a week long hip - hop theater festival . Rennie Harris, Mourad Merzouki, and Victor Quijada are artistic directors who run hip - hop theater companies in the U.S., France, and Canada respectively . The Rock Steady Crew, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians pioneered this theatrical genre which started in the United States . </P> <P> Though hip - hop culture has managed to establish itself on film, on television, in fashion, in music, and in the dance industry, it has not gained the same momentum in theater . Stage productions are few in number but growing . The first hip - hop stage shows were 1990's off Broadway musical So! What Happens Now? and 1995's Jam on the Groove which were co-authored, co-directed, and co-choreographed by Jorge "Popmaster Fabel" Pabon and Steffan "Mr. Wiggles" Clemente . Rock Steady Crew, Magnificent Force, and the Rhythm Technicians performed in both shows . Aside from the pioneers in New York City was Lorenzo "Rennie" Harris' Puremovement (RHPM) hip - hop theater company which Harris founded in 1992 in Philadelphia . The company has toured all over the world showcasing its original works such as March of the Antmen, P - Funk, Endangered Species, Facing Mekka, and Rome & Jewels . RHPM also organizes the annual Illadelph Legends Festival which brings together the pioneers--the people who were b - boying, locking, and popping in the 1970s when these styles were developed--and respected practitioners of hip - hop dance to teach master classes, give lecture demonstrations, and participate in panel discussions . </P> <P> Other hip - hop theater companies were founded in the 1990s . Compagnie Käfig is a French hip - hop theater company of mostly Algerian descent founded in 1995 by Mourad Merzouki . Their performances mix standard b - boying, locking, and popping with capoeira, mime, and gymnastics . They use the same fusion in music by mixing rap music with classical music and Andalusian guitar . While on tour in the U.S. they performed at Jacob's Pillow in Massachusetts and at the Joyce Theater in New York . Bintou Dembélé performed at the Joyce Theater in New York with Mourad Merzouki's Compagnie Käfig in 2002 . That same year she created her own dance company, which she describes as being mainly inspired by Pina Bausch's notion of' danced theater' . </P>

First broadway musical to use hip hop music