22nd Annual San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest Goes Online

Micaya will present the 22nd Annual San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest (SFIHHDF) on Saturday, November 21, at 12pm PST. This year's virtual festival will include the world premiere of a commissioned work by five artists from around the globe, performances by local artists, all-time favorites performances from the SFIHHDF archives, award presentations, an online auction, and a kids freestyle circle montage.

"We will miss being in the theater this year, but we are also excited to present our first-ever virtual festival," said Micaya. "I'm hoping to give the many loyal SFIHHDF fans the same thrilling feeling they get when they are sitting in their seats live at our show."

Broadcast from the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, the centerpiece of the festival will be the world premiere of "Isolation in Humanity," a collaboration between five International Artists. Commissioned by the festival, this work is an exploration of emotions evoked throughout the course of the global pandemic and showcases a variety of hip hop dance styles including b-boying, popping, krump, house, and contemporary dance. The artists are BBoy Spaghetti (Norway); Jade Hackett (London), Sun Kim (Korea/NY), Jardy Santiago (California) and Duwane Taylor (London).

SFIHHDF features appearances by a star-studded roster of VIP guests including drag queen, singer and television personality RuPaul; Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Alicia Garza; KBLX host Sterling James; America's Got Talent winner Kenichi Ebina; and artists and dancers Fayzo (Medea Sirkas), Buddha Stretch (Mop Tops), and Popin' Pete (Electric Boogaloos).

The festival will also broadcast "Vice," a gripping storytelling piece about addiction by London's Birdgang Dance Company and "No excuses, No limits" a work by renowned international dance crew ILL-abilities (featuring dancers of all abilities) that focuses on how they have all overcome their "disabilities" to become world-class dancers.

Recorded montages will include works from past performers including Footworkingz (Chicago), Pro Phenomen (France), Versa Style (Los Angeles), Live in Color (Miami), Loyalty Dance Team (Tennessee), Paradox Sal (France), and Amenti MoveMeant (Amsterdam).

This year also includes a special kids dance montage. All kids (under the age of 14) who wish to be in the montage should get parents permission and have themselves videotaped dancing to "Just Fine, Treat em Right Remix" by Mary J Blige feat Lil Wayne. Kids are asked to upload the footage to the SFIHHDF website and by October 21, 2020.

An Awards Ceremony will honor Kim Battiste, Director of Culture Shock Oakland; SFIHHDF volunteer Vickie Rivard; and Micaya's longtime student and SFIHHDF supporter, Martin Mass.

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