Join us out on the Plaza for a multi-faceted freestyle dance event! Learn about freestyle dance history and culture from innovators of the form. Meet and hear from artist practitioners in a range of styles discuss how they built their dance livelihood through community and with global impact. Embody the movement and the rhythm in a joyful community environment!

Itinerary

• 6-6:15pm: Arrivals/Welcome/Tenoch Mexican food truck
• 6:15-6:45pm: Screening of For The City season 2, a short documentary on the untold stories of Boston’s freestyle dance history
• 6:45-7:45pm: Panel discussion with Boston-based and internationally-established freestyle dance artists and entrepreneurs
• 7:45-8:45pm: House Dance workshop with live DJ for all levels – no previous dance experience necessary!
• 8:45pm-9pm: Open jams

Free and open to the public. Food provided by Tenoch Mexican food truck for the first 50 people in attendance! The truck will stay throughout the event. 

RSVP (encouraged not required)

This is the 4th iteration of Infinite Possibilities, an initiative of the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) Dance Program in partnership with Stiggity Stackz Worldwide, focusing on the history, culture, and concepts behind freestyle dance.

Infinite Possibilities: In the World is co-presented with the Hiphop Archive & Research Institute at Hutchins Center and in partnership with The Harvard Foundation for Intercultural & Race Relations, Harvard Common Spaces, and Tenoch Mexican. 

Featured Artists

Born (panelist)

Born, also known as Bi-Kim, is a proud Roxbury resident and Boston native who is credited with being one of Boston’s early Hip-Hop architects. He is the founder and principal choreographer for MasterWork, a popping waving/pop-locking group of the early eighties. He later founded The Unikue Dominoe, an influential breakdance group, and is producing artistic director of New African Company. In partnership with UMass Boston scholars Pacey Foster and Aminah Pilgrim, he is working on a project titled Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (S.O.S.G.) which ties intergenerational urban story collection to the development of an electronic community archive. Born is also an actor, director, playwright and arts education/collaborative arts professional. He won an IRNE award for his “Wiz” choreography and was a 2022-2023 RealTalk Community Fellow at the MIT Center for Constructive Communication. Born is also an accomplished bodywork professional working within Myofascial/Structural Integration, TCM/Traditional Chinese Medicine TUI-NA, (twee-nah) and Swedish Style/Deep tissue work.  Follow @tao1life

Brui5er (panelist)

Born in Atlanta, GA, and currently based in the Netherlands, Mark Sheats, aka "Brui5er", is a nearly 20 year veteran of the street dance style called Krump. He is considered one of its prime leaders and mentors to many within the culture. He has been teaching/mentoring and judging internationally for years; he has competed and been crowned champion in some of the top open styles and Krump events in twenty-five or more countries around the world. Through his company Bruised and Brave, he is building a multidisciplinary structure through programs that connect movement and mental health practices as well as research for theater productions to further advance the art of movement, mental health, and to give opportunities to artists of diverse backgrounds. Follow @brui5er_

Toyin Sogunro (House Dance workshop teacher and panelist)

Born and raised in D.C., Maryland, Virginia area, Toyin is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and cultural ambassador of Black street dance and club dance forms. She sees herself as a storyteller through movement– dancing and choreographing to express the unspoken, convey emotions, and share stories that resonate with people through the language of dance. Toyin has won numerous awards and international competitions for House Dance and made history in 2011 by being the first American and first female team, with partner LaTasha Barnes, to take home first place in the world championship for House Dance in the Juste Debout competition. She is founding artistic director of ‘Urban Artistry’ dance company and Nefer Global Movement, a collective celebrating  women and girls of color within dance, music, art and fashion. Her work has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and she is an artist-in residence at UCS Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. She recently performed at the 2024 BET awards. Follow @toyinsogunro

Stiggity Stackz (organizer and panel facilitator)

Ashton Lites, also known as Stiggity Stackz, or Stackz, is regarded as one of Boston's most renowned veteran freestyle dance specialists with over 15 years of intensive training in many different cultural and concert dance forms including Krump, Popping, Locking, House, Hip Hop, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Afro-Haitian, and beyond. Stackz is an experienced event organizer, instructor, choreographer, and is well-traveled in the underground Hip-Hop competition circuit. Through his organization StiggityStackz Worldwide, he regularly produces a range of community-based dance and creative entrepreneurship development programs, events, and festivals, including Boston’s largest freestyle dance festival Stackin’ Stylze. He has won numerous awards and competitions and was an artist-in-residence with the City of Boston. Stackz is a regular collaborator and teaching artist with the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) Dance Program. Follow @_onmystiggity_ and @stackinstylezofficial

Accessibility

Live CART captioning provided for the panel discussion via the following CC URL link which also be available to scan from posted QR code. The film is captioned. The Science Center Plaza is accessible for wheelchairs and mobility devices. If you need any other access service to participate, please contact dance@fas.harvard.edu. 

Image Description: Student dancing in the center and being cheeered on energetically by others around her as in a cypher, from Infinite Possibilities: Part 1, Spring 2023.

Photo credit: Baby Viking Photography