Izabel • Hip-Hop Dancer • S2/E1

Words, photos and video by David Lam

Meet the London-based dancer who expresses herself through movement and fashion.

Hip-hop dancer Izabel Bartholomew sits on a chair inside House of Mass dance studio in London, England.

As a hip-hop dancer, Izabel Bartholomew has trained for years to master the art of movement and storytelling. For her, dance is a way to communicate and connect with people. "My interest in dance definitely started years ago when I was really young," Bartholomew says. "My mom would always put me up for ballet and dance classes. So my dreams started from then, and I've just grown to now fall in love with hip-hop and just more variations of dance styles."

Hip-hop dancer Izabel Bartholomew stands in front of a window at House of Mass dance studio in London, England.

Bartholomew has been training in hip-hop for several years and has traveled extensively to learn different styles and techniques in Britain and the United States. "There’s such a wide range of dance styles and so many different people in this industry that I love, and I'm a person to always want to learn more," she explains.

One of the ways Bartholomew expresses herself through dance is through her clothing. Her baggy and layered aesthetic helps showcase the texture and movement of her choreography. "Layering is a big thing in this industry," she says. "I always wear a hat, a jumper, baggy t-shirt underneath that jumper, you know, the big shoes. When I have layers on, I'm in that sort of character. And especially when I'm dancing, I'm already feeling the music, the choreography, the beats. But I just feel like it adds a different type of flavor to like my sauce."

Hip-hop dancer Izabel Bartholomew sits against a window at House of Mass dance studio in London, England.

Bartholomew believes that her fashion choices add a unique flavor to her dance style and help her get into character. "It does fit the aesthetic, but it also makes you feel like you're 'in the bag,'" she says. "Which means in the choreography, I'm feeling the movement, I’m feeling everything in the room. The baggy fit has definitely helped me and helped a lot of dancers sort of change their ways and just really tell a different type of story through their clothes."

When Bartholomew isn't in the studio, she still likes to express herself through fashion. She enjoys combining jewelry with her outfits to showcase her personality. "I do tend to wear my character out. All my jewelry, put all my crystals on, and just see what I can blend together with my outfit," she explains.

Bartholomew wants her style to reflect who she is as a person. "I would like somebody to see who I am from my outfit, as well as my personality. And if they can read how I look, they could sort of see like the type of person I am," she says. For Bartholomew, fashion is a way to communicate who she is to the world, whether she's dancing or going out in the city.