The District’s own Junious “House” Brickhouse of Urban Artistry curates a festival that portrays a holistic and global representation of hip-hop culture. Through a variety of urban dance styles, performers investigate hip-hop’s unique capacity to circumvent the limiting social conditions of communities worldwide by embracing the diversity in its art forms and cultural perspectives.
The festival will feature debut performances by internationally acclaimed artists, including Ariston “B-Boy ReMind” Ripoyla from the legendary Style Elements Crew out of Stockton, California; Sara “Lil Flex” Hirn from Helsinki, Finland; G-Force, the Memphis Jookin pioneers out of Memphis, Tennessee as well as new works from the DMV’s own Urban Artistry. Join us for this exploration of hip-hop dance culture on Saturday, December 6 at 8pm and Sunday, December 7 at 4pm at Dance Place.
About Urban Artistry
Urban Artistry is an internationally recognized organization dedicated to the performance and preservation of art forms inspired by the urban experience. Serving as cultural ambassadors for communities whose stories are often unsung, the group fulfills their mission through effective collaborations that support artists past, present and future. A cornerstone to Urban Artistry’s understanding of hip-hop dance culture is that the latter is multi-cultural at its core; that the culture is not stagnant, it changes and evolves given a variety of factors. This festival will shed light on discussions that go on in the inner-circle of hip hop dance communities, including intersections of cultural influences and heritage, innovation and expansion in hip-hop dance vocabulary and music, and using urban dance as a tool for internal and external conflict resolution.
About Junious “House” Brickhouse
Junious “House” Brickhouse is an internationally established dancer, choreographer, community leader and cultural preservationist. As the Founder and Executive Director of Urban Artistry, Junious has inspired and created a movement of artists dedicated to the authentic preservation of urban dance culture and community. Originally from Virginia Beach, Junious was taught social dances of the period by family members, a substitute for recreational programs that were often expensive and unattainable to the underprivileged. As a teenager, Junious became a regular in the underground dance scene and recognized that the artists in these communities were driven by creativity and continuation of culture. Through these experiences, he soon mastered the Hip-Hop, House Dance, B-Boying, Popping, Locking, Tap, Waacking and West African Dance styles that were being celebrated by so many in these cultures. These early experiences are reflected in how Junious has structured Urban Artistry as an accepting, collaborative and accessible community and in his lifelong commitment to share urban dance culture with underserved communities.
WHAT: Urban Dance Theater Festival
WHEN: Saturday, December 6 at 8pm and Sunday, December 7 at 4pm
WHERE: Dance Place, 3225 8th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017; two blocks from Redline Brookland/CUA Metro station; free and convenient parking
TICKETS: $30 Admission At the Door; $25 Admission (Advance Sales only)*; $20 Dance Place Members, Seniors (55+), Artists (Advance Sales only)*; $15 College Students and Children (17 & under)
*Advance Sales end 4 hours prior to performance start time.
To purchase tickets, visit danceplace.org or call 202.269.1600
