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Joy Everywhere!
Education programs
"This residency really brought out the best in the students."
- Lindsay Eifert, teacher at Pico Canyon Elementary
experience an immersive hip hop education program
Assemblies
Performed by internationally acclaimed artists, our live productions blend raw freestyle with spirited choreography that honor untold stories, engage community, and cultivate joy. Students experience Hip Hop performances in their truest form and join a freestyle dance party.
Duration: 45 minutes
assembly performances
our repertoire
H.O.P.E.
A theatrical movement love letter performed by professional dance artists with a shared mission to restore joy and hope in our communities. Students immerse into a story of the human family - the resilience found in struggle, the quest for connection and purpose, and a H.O.P.E. that leads us home.
Since its original creation in 2022. H.O.P.E. has evolved into a full-scale theatrical production!
Spirit of Hip Hop
This power-packed assembly presents the rich culture, history and impact of Hip Hop/Street dance. Students experience a performance by professional dancers with a live DJ, learn vocabulary movements, and join a freestyle dance cypher for the whole community.
100
assembly shows!*
*During Spring 2024 alone, we performed 100 assembly shows for 10,278 students in 34 schools across 8 districts!
dance residencies
In-School
Teaching artists facilitate culturally responsive, standards-based curricula for grade-level instruction that emphasize social emotional learning, community building, and creative expression. Residencies typically occur once a week for 10 weeks and culminate in an interactive performance with friends and family where students present and share their original works.
After-School
Students enjoy an opportunity to creatively learn, grow, and connect in a supportive environment through the language of Hip Hop/Street dance. Teaching artists facilitate play-centered activities that cater to the unique needs and levels of each group. Residencies typically occur once a week for 10 weeks.
our repertoire
Our teaching artists facilitate lessons in foundational forms of Hip Hop/Street/Club Dance forms such as:
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Locking/campbellock
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Hip Hop Social Dance
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Breaking
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Krump
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House
Notes:
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Class durations are 30-50 mins.
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There is a 3-hour minimum for each day.
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Classes may not exceed 35 students.
Performing
with legends!
In 2013, the creator of Locking - Don Campbell - along with many internationally renowned Locking dancers joined us for a student culmination performance!
family nights
Family Nights are our communal event that brings people of all ages together to celebrate the UniverSOUL culture, power, and joy of Hip Hop/street dance. Sample activities include student performances, freestyle performance by UniverSOUL artists, community dance workshop, history, and/or audience engagement.
what we bring
mc
live dj
dancers
Our UniverSOUL staff includes artists who perform or work at some of Hip Hop's biggest dance events. To learn more about our artists, check out their bios!
professional development
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We support K-12 classroom teachers with strategies to integrate Hip Hop cultural practices and dances into core studies.
Educators practice and apply content through participatory and team-building activities that build capacity in Hip Hop vocabulary and composition, dance facilitation, arts integration, and social emotional learning.
Workshops are typically 60-minutes each and may not exceed 25 participants.
interested in teaching with us?
Our “Art of Teaching” program is a rigorous, 6-day teaching artist training intensive for Hip Hop/Street dancers to develop and deepen their knowledge, skills, and best practices in academic and community-centered arts instruction at K-12 school and/or neighborhood settings.
Content includes practical and collaborative application of core arts standards, curriculum and lesson plan design, and classroom management.
