Send Us to New York: Hip Hop's Hometown

Who We Are?

Urban Arts Club is a student organization, established in September 2013, comprised of undergraduate students across artistic disciplines from dance and music to visual arts. We host workshops and events that are geared around inclusivity, diversity, and individuality within hip hop while still paying homage to its diverse history. One of our main goals is to bridge the academic and off campus hip hop communities through artistic expression, artistic exchange, and sharing knowledge through travel and community engagement.

What We Are Doing?

We are traveling to New York to attend House Dance International, the first festival dedicated to House Dance. This is a three day event that will allow us the opportunity to battle, participate in workshops, and exchange with other artists from all around the world gather in one venue. Outside of the festival, we will further explore the origins of hip hop by touring the streets of New York. Why New York? After researching the history of Hip Hop, our club made the decision to attend House Dance International in New York City for various reasons. Firstly, New York is the birthplace of hip hop and one of the major hubs for international urban artists, providing us with the opportunity to examine and understand various viewpoints of Hip Hop artistry. Secondly, Arizona does not currently have international festivals similar to this. Being able to attend this trip allows us to make connections with other artists on a global scale. Making these types of connections, will help us gain more knowledge of hip hop culture, assisting us in future networking for Urban Arts Club, Arizona State University, and our local hip hop community.

What We Will Learn?

During this trip, students will have the opportunity to connect with internationally recognized artists, choreographers, teachers, and community members in a creative way. Making these connections will enable students to learn other's stories about creative process and product. This experience will help students apply their findings to their own practice upon returning to Arizona State University. Additionally, these connections will lead to possible future internships and job opportunities. Being able to network in this fashion is valuable because it will directly support individual artistic practices in the urban arts within the institute. Aside from making these connections, students will be exposed to a variety of dance styles, competition formats, and classroom settings that apply to different urban dance styles. There will be individual and group dance style battles, which will show students how interaction through urban dance styles is represented through different urban cultures. Through these settings, students will learn how urban education is represented around the globe in one centralized festival. Students may also gain more insight as to how to create a successful event that they will be able to bring back to their local community and present their own event similar to this one on a smaller scale.

Why Donate?

As a young and growing club, we understand the importance and necessity of educational enrichment through travel and participatory learning. Our mission is to support urban arts as accessible and properly represented it in the academic setting through participatory learning and community engagement. Pertinent information students will learn from the festival will be passed down to future generations of Urban Arts Club members within Arizona State University and shared with the Phoenix urban arts community. By supporting our current students, you are contributing to the foundation and future of our club. In assisting us, you will be giving back to not only our local but our national community.