The Ruggeds celebrate their twentieth anniversary

The Ruggeds 20 years , jams and gems
Photo credit: Studio040/Lucas Lammers

Spinning around on one arm or a backward somersault. Eindhoven dance collective The Ruggeds has been dancing for twenty years. This milestone was reason for a party. That is why Klokgebouw was the setting for hip-hop festival Jams & Gems last weekend. “We are a kind of family”.

Loud hip-hop music from the speakers, stalls with food and breakdancers battling it out on the dance floor. Funnily enough, The Ruggeds was born precisely by burying the hatchet. “We had two crews in Eindhoven and always battled each other. Then we thought we could join forces much better and be stronger against crews from other countries and cities”, Paul van Dal of the Eindhoven breakdance group explains.

No sooner said than done. In 2005, The Ruggeds was born. “We have become a kind of family. You see many different backgrounds and influences in The Ruggeds. But apparently it has been going well together for twenty years”, he continues with a laugh.

Smile on your face

Because of this anniversary, Jams & Gems was organised by the dance group. “You come in here grumpy, so to speak. And you leave with a smile on your face. For me it is old glory, but it is nice to see how the youth has picked it up”, a slightly older visitor says.

“You see so many different styles of clothing and everything is accepted”, a female visitor says. “Everyone feels so free to be vulnerable both on stage and off”, a participant adds.

And what does the future of The Ruggeds actually look like? “I think more than fifteen editions anyway. And we’re going to make it to forty years of The Ruggeds”, Van Dal enthusiastically concludes.

Source: Studio040

Translated by: Bob

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