Media Hip Hop: A Culture of Vision and Voice
The elements of hip hop came together in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 1970s. From a whole lot of nothing—and a whole lot of imagination—hip hop took form.
Havana Hop
Jan. 8 - 10, 2025
Event Information
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Genre
Performances for Young Audiences
Havana Hop: A Children’s Tale of Culture and Confidence!
Believe in yourself and dance without fear.
Young Yeila dreams of being a superstar, but her lack of confidence gives her awful stage fright. With advice from her mother and mentors, Yeila begins to find her roots, gain confidence, and be her amazing self! Travel with Yeila as she visits her grandmother in Cuba to add salsa flavor to her own hip hop style. The audience gets to dance along in this dynamic participation play where one actress creates three generations of lively women. Yeila’s fun discovery of her multicultural heritage is written and performed by Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Paige Hernandez and features music by Nick Tha 1da.
January 8-10, 2025
Family Theater, recommended for grades K-5
Estimated duration is approximately 60 minutes.
Please see the registration form for the availability of sensory-friendly performance options.
Are you a parent, caregiver, or adult looking for a listing of available public performances and times (January 11-12)? Find out more on the public show page!
Learning guide content for this event will be available approximately two weeks before the first performance.
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We’re thrilled that you’ve joined us for a performance this season! We would like to hear from your students and you about the experience. After the performance, follow these steps to share feedback:
- Share the survey link with your students for them to complete .
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Each survey will take approximately five minutes to complete. The results will be used to inform future Kennedy Center Education program planning. Thank you in advance for sharing your valuable perspective!
Related Resources
Media Hip Hop to da Head
This performance explores the hip hop dance and music movement including beat boxing, breaking, locking, floor work, and top rock.
How to Rap with Harold "Fyütch" Simmons
Learn how to rap about the easiest subject out there...yourself! In this video, rapper and educator Harold "Fyütch" Simmons will guide you through counting beats and creating rhymes in order to create a rap. By the end of the video, you’ll have an original introduction rap that you can perform for others!
How to Perform Spoken Word with Deborah Magdalena
Ever wonder about the difference between poetry and spoken word? In this video, you will learn how you can transform a poem, original or not, into an expressive spoken word performance. Watch as spoken word artist Deborah Magdalena breaks down an original poem to show how connection, vocalization, and movement can bring power to your words.
Kennedy Center Education
Building the Future
of Arts Education
Professional development for educators. Summer intensives for young artists. Teaching artist guided activities. Performances for young audiences. Classroom lesson plans. Arts-focused digital media.
Kennedy Center Education offers a wide array of resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms of all types.
Our current teaching and learning priorities include:
Digital Resources Library
A robust collection of articles, videos, and podcasts that allow students of all ages to explore and learn about the arts online.
Performances for Schools
In-person and virtual performances, along with supporting educational content to help guide learning.
Current Topics in Arts Integration
Current approaches to arts integration in the classroom, inclusion, rigor, and adopting an arts integration approach at the school and district level.
An asynchronous online course that invites educators and administrators to think about our students’ disabilities as social and cultural identities that enrich our classrooms and communities.
Kennedy Center Education
Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.