The Breakthru
Crew!
A team of exceptional practitioners experienced in all elements of hip hop culture, in fitness and in performance.
Experience is the operative word here. The Breakthru Crew - like most of us - have faced challenges and obstacles on their journey. Their life experience and their exceptional capacity to explore it through hip hop brings an opportunity to the floor. By using the art of hip hop, along with fitness and performance, a connection is created for the development of self-expression and growth. The Breakthru Crew bring life and art together as a guide for overcoming personal obstacles and breaking through.
Rush Wepiha
Rush is an established figure in the Hip Hop world with a story that spans over 18 years. From his humble beginnings on the streets of New Zealand learning Breaking fundamentals and Hip Hop culture, Rush has taken his craft to top level as a member of the five time Australian Bboy Champion Crew, an untouched record to date, and now as an internationally respected Breaking judge. As an accredited instructor with the Australasian Calisthenics Organisation (ACO) Rush uses the discipline of calisthenics training as an integral part of his dance methodology and overall holistic approach to health, exercise and performance. As a youth mentor, Rush combines the strength and conditioning that stems from calisthenics with the universal languages of Hip Hop to encourage youth to embrace a positive lifestyle.
Rush is a member of three world renowned crews – Fresh Sox (Australia), 7 Dollars (Switzerland) and MZK (New York) and has trained under Bboy pioneers Alien Ness (Bronx), Poe One (Los Angeles), Storm (Germany) & Break Ezy (Brooklyn). Forever a student and keen to spread his knowledge, Rush has a fresh, unique and intimate teaching style that passes on to his students not only his knowledge but also his love for the dance and Hip Hop culture.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Choreographer ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Season 1, Sydney Opera House multiple performances, Resident Instructor at Urban Dance Centre Sydney, Judge at International Breaking competitions including BC One Australia, Circle Kingz Switzerland, and Radikal Forze Jam Singapore (2016). Rush has also worked with RedBull BC-ONE, as a member of the production team for this internationally recognised Breaking event, working in Johannesburg and Paris.
COLLABORATIONS WITH STUDIOS/ORGANISATIONS
Acacia Prison (WA)
Banksia Hill Detention Centre (WA) –
Bay Kids (NEW ZEALAND)
Belmont City College (WA)
Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community (WA)
CAN WA (WA)
The Cipher Dance Academy (WA)
Cobham Youth Justice Centre (NSW)
Crossover studio (NSW)
Cultural Infusion (WA)
Dance Central (NSW)
The Dance Collective (WA)
Dancekool (NSW)
The Hood (WA) – Tim Turner (Principal Director)
Indigenous Services (AUSTRALIA)
Kalumburu Aboriginal Community (WA)
k2Dance (WA)
Mental Illness Fellowship Northern Territory (NT)
MSJ Productions-Performing Arts Studio (WA)
PCYC (Community Centres in NSW and WA)
Perth Dance Centre (WA)
Perth College (WA)
Prendiville Catholic College (WA)
Relationships Australia (WA)
Royal Academy of Dance (AUSTRALIA)
Seton Catholic College (WA)
The Shire of Carnarvon (WA)
Spinifex Health Services (WA)
Te Papa – New Zealand National Museum (NEW ZEALAND)
Urban Dance Centre (NSW)
Wesley College (WA)
YMCA (AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND)
REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST
Brian 'Bryte' Lloyd
Bryte is an established Hip Hop artist based in Melbourne, Victoria. His career in music is defined by his passion for technical lyricism, focus on sound production, engineering and youth work in Australia’s most remote First Nations communities. As an adolescent, Bryte found that his school was more of a social playground and a production facility for obedient employees, rather than an institution that nurtured people’s strengths. He spent most of his time outside school at home and on the streets of Brisbane, captivated by the cheap and easily accessible creative outlets of freestyle rap, beatboxing, street graffiti art and breakdance culture. As Bryte entered adulthood he was already engaged in a poisonous lifestyle of drugs and petty street crime, however, determined to put aside the negative aspects of street culture, Bryte focused in on meeting like minded Hip Hop artists and advancing his career as an emcee.
In 2007, Bryte moved to Perth in an attempt to take his career to new heights. Bryte began studies in Music, attaining skills as a drummer, guitarist and electronic music composer. Things began to improve for Bryte since the move, he was able to begin working with Dazastah in 2009 to create his debut album titled ‘Full Stop’, which won Urban Album Of The Year at the Too Solid Awards. From there Bryte became actively involved as director for Hip Hop workshops, working with organisations such as VIBE Australia, Clontarf Foundation, Indigenous Hip Hop Projects and a multitude remote, rural and metropolitan schools.
In March 2013 Bryte released his second album titled ‘Bryte Side Of Life’. Full of crude humour and political satire, the new release was lyrically and topically experimental. Bryte Side Of Life was created at transitional period in time, where Bryte had been shaping his image and building a fresh vocal palette for his new-found technical delivery. Soon after, Bryte was nominated for Hip Hop Artist Of The Year both at the 2013 Deadly Awards and the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMA’s). Bryte has supported and or played alongside many influential national and international acts; such as Hopsin, Q-tip, Thundamentals, Drapht, Downsyde, Scribe and Savage.
QUALIFICATIONS
Brian 'Bryte' Lloyd has over 15 years experience as a Hip Hop artist and songwriter, with over 7 years experience in Youth Hip Hop Mentorship.
Diploma Of Music - Abmusic College 2013
Bachelor's Degree Of Audio - SAE South Melbourne 2018
Nina Rose
Nina’s love of dance manifested early with a love of ballet classes at the age of three. By seven she was involved with ballroom dancing and by nine was a holder of championship medals and was moving through the exam series of DanceSport Australia. During this period Nina was also attending the Western Australian Institute of Sport gymnastics junior talent training squad. At thirteen she was an assistant ballroom teacher having achieved the highest of standards in her exams across Latin, New Vogue, and Modern, tutored by Daele Fraser.
During her WACE Dance 2AB/3AB study she participated in the Australian Dance Festival in Sydney in workshops under Marko Panzic, New Zealand hip Hop crew The Royal Family, Keiynan, Cat Santos and Andye J. Also during this time Nina joined Perth dance studio K2Dance as an assistant teacher working with children ranging from ages 3 – 15 across multiple genres such as Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, Breaking, Acrobatics and Ballet.
While travelling in Europe, Nina studied in Paris at Studio Harmonic with choreographer Natsuko Ferguson, and also barre conditioning training in New York. On her return to Perth she rejoined K2Dance as a teacher in Hip Hop and assistant across all genres.
In 2018, Nina managed the Breakthru Hip Hop 4 Health Fremantle program at Fremantle PCYC, teaching the importance of holistic wellness through Hip Hop philosophies. She was part of the Breakthru team in Carnarvon as assistant and choreographer. She engaged with the young women in the community building confidence in their individuality and creative process. Nina choreographed a piece for the debutants program final showcase.
In March 2018 in Singapore, Nina attended the Summer Jam Dance Camp and Radikal Force Jam, taking workshops under internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Sorah Yang. To expand her understanding and skill set in the genres of Hip Hop and Breaking, Nina will be returning to Singapore for the 2019 Summer Jam Dance Camp and Radikal Force Jam.
Currently running a Hip Hop dance program in collaboration with Indigo Junction, working with Indigenous youth in the Swan area of WA, Nina is also in her final year of her degree at the University of Western Australia majoring in Indigenous studies, with a second major in Electronic Music and Sound Design. As well as her love of dance, Nina is a singer songwriter. Working on her production and sound engineering skills, she hopes to create a space to support and bring female artists together in a safe and supportive environment.
Torekana Bule-Turner
Torekana Bule-Turner has dedicated his life to community outreach in his hometown, South Hedland. At the age of nine, he became a volunteer dance teacher as a part of The Hood, a youth engagement program using Hip Hop dance as a tool to teach kids to believe in their “sombodiness”; focusing on developing confidence, self-esteem and resilience. Torekana, by the age of twelve, became the principal dance teacher of the program where he ran classes with the help of kids that he mentored in the program. However, his community outreach and volunteerism also extend to his Taekwondo. Receiving his first dan black belt at the age of eleven, Torekana became a volunteer instructor for the Hedland Taekwondo Club and became one of the principal instructors of the club by the age of eighteen.
For his dedication to The Hood and the Hedland Taekwondo, he became the recipient of a WA Youth Award in 2012, receiving the Participate! Commissioner for Children and Young People Award. Having received it at the age of twelve, he was one of the youngest people to ever receive a WA Youth Award. As he continued with his volunteerism for The Hood and the Hedland Taekwondo Club he received the 2013 Premier’s Active Citizenship Award. He eventually went on to become a 2015 National Youth Award finalist in the Youth Leadership category.
As an athlete Torekana has excelled on a state, national and international level. In 2016, he became a taekwondo national champion in the category of freestyle poomsae (pattern of techniques). Known as the most athletically difficult form of poomsae, he had to choregraph an acrobatic routine to music, incorporating mandatory elements such as the flying side-kicks, flip kicks, jumping spinning kicks and jumping while performing multiple kicks suspended in the air. His victory took him abroad to Lima, Peru, where he competed in the 2016 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships and became a finalist, placing 7th out of 16 the best in the world.
For his achievement at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships—having represented Australia, becoming a finalist whilst also being from an isolated regional town—he became a finalist in the 2016 WA Youth Awards in the Cultural Endeavours category. As a b-boy, Torekana competed in Freestyle Session 2013 Australian Qualifiers, an internationally recognised breaking competition, and became the WA Junior Breaking Champion in 2015.
Torekana has now moved to Perth to pursue his tertiary education at the University of Western Australia, where he is now studying a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society with the hopes of studying a postgraduate Law. His dream is to become a civil rights and/or a human rights lawyer.
