Versa-Style Dance Company Presents World Premiere FREEMIND FREESTYLE

Versa-Style Dance Company premieres its latest full-length work, Freemind Freestyle, commissioned by The Ford Theatre Foundation and presented by the LA Phil on Friday October 1st, 2021 at The Ford. The performance explores a wide range of dance forms such as Hip Hop, House, Whacking, Popping and Krump as vehicles of expression.

Freemind Freestyle is a riveting, visceral immersion into hip hop and street dance culture, a 65-minute production that will consist of high-energy, unadulterated hip hop movement that brings this culture to the stage in the form of competitive exchange known as battles and raw freestyle street dance. The work explores how we find freedom through dance and centers on the voices of the Black and Latinx communities.

The performance includes costumes designed by local East LA-born artist Alex Ayon, dramaturgy from internationally acclaimed poet Bobby Gordon and spoken word by North Carolina-born poet/rapper Kane Smego.

Making its world premiere at The Ford, Freemind Freestyle is a largely improvised dance piece that explores the idea of freedom: what restricts it and how we break free. Danced to remixes of hip hop, classical and electronic music, this work calls upon each dancer to express this inner battle and personal experience of freedom through the rich vocabulary of Streetdance.

Versa-Style performs all over the world, embodying an energetic fusion that draws on the diverse dance styles and communities of Los Angeles-from Hip Hop, Popping, Locking, and Krump to Afro-Latin styles of Salsa, Merengue, and Cumbia, and other styles such as House and Whacking.

Versa-Style Dance Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and dance ensemble that consists of committed and conscientious artists representing the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles. Founded in 2005 by Jackie "Miss Funk" Lopez and Leigh "Breeze-Lee" Foaad, Versa-Style creates highly energetic work that fuses dances that are culturally significant to our community. Now in its 17th year, Versa-Style has become a staple in the Los Angeles dance community, named "LA's Best Dance Troupe for Hip Hop Empowerment" by LA Weekly in 2015, and featured as Red Bull's "Heroes of the Year" in the Red Bulletin Magazine in 2019. Versa-Style Dance Company continues to perform all over the world, as a reaction to the widespread media misrepresentation of Hip Hop and Streetdance culture, to instill the roots, history and social and political issues surrounding the art of our generation.

Hip-Hop breaks color lines by creating a forum where people come together for a common passion rather than grouping themselves by race or socio-economic backgrounds. Versa-Style demonstrates freedom of expression, freedom of individuality, hard work, self-discipline and dedication to the form.

Single tickets for The Ford are available from www.theford.com or at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office from noon to 6pm, Tuesday through Saturday. The Ford Box Office opens two hours before showtime during the season.

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