Grand Park Presents B-Boy Summit 2020 'Hip Hop 4 Social Change'

Following the success of the 2019 live B-Boy Summit hosted in the park, Grand Park will present the internationally acclaimed event in a virtual format with Grand Park Presents B-Boy Summit 2020.

Founded by B-Girl icon Asia Yu and produced by No Easy Props, the B-Boy Summit has exhibited in Los Angeles for more than 20 years. With this year's theme as "Hip Hop 4 Social Change," the multi-faceted festival will not only celebrate Hip Hop culture with street dance, art and music performances, but also provide a vibrant platform for educational panels and discussions rooted in the genre's foundation of social justice activism with the goal to promote social change and equity.

The family-friendly summit takes place online on Friday, August 14, 2020, from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.; Saturday, August 15, 2020, from 3:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, August 16, 2020, from 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. and is accessible through Grand Park's digital streaming channels, B-Boy Summit, and The Music Center Offstage.

Through the active art of social engagement, Grand Park Presents B-Boy Summit 2020 will spotlight the talent and work of local and national Hip Hop artists as well as social justice organizations in multiple cities across the nation, from Los Angeles to The Bronx. The online summit, developed to build skills, knowledge and community relationships, will feature the current culture of Hip Hop and showcase its history and foundation through archival footage. Viewers will also experience informative, educational panels; artist talk-ins; street dance and emcee workshops; DJ and Breaking exhibition battles; health and financial empowerment classes; and performances. Saturday's activities also include a post-party DJ cypher, starting at 6:00 p.m., so viewers can jam musically at home while listening to the beats of DJ Timber.

"A prime example of Grand Park's mission to honor the County's cultural diversity through meaningful programming, Grand Park Presents B-Boy Summit 2020 is also an innovative adaptation of the park's long-standing partner tradition of celebrating, supporting and uplifting community leaders, such as Asia and No Easy Props," said Julia Diamond, director, Grand Park. "The Summit focuses on the artistic, educational and social justice roots of Hip Hop to help unify communities and generations. By transitioning a live event into a virtual one, we can continue to lift each other up, share our gifts and learn from one another as we stand in solidarity with B-Boys and B-Girls while spreading the peace, unity and camaraderie of Hip Hop culture."

"We are proud to bring forth this incredible effort of deep love for Hip Hop culture rooted in social justice and social change! With footage shot live and safely during this COVID season, we unveil pieces of truth, resistance, empowerment and self-determination through the skills of Hip Hop culture, activating communities and artists towards action, healing and progress. We are a culture of action, through our art forms and community interaction, knowledge, and sharing." said Asia Yu, founder, B-Boy Summit and No Easy Props.

As Grand Park's first digital partnership, the online festival is intended to preserve the integrity of the B-Boy Summit while also following sound public health practices to help slow the community transmission of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County.

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