Editorial

Dances rooted in hiphop culture stand out for their universality.

For over 50 years, since the emergence of this culture, hiphop has become a global phenomenom. Dance — one of the pillars of this unique artistic and social movement — draws from African, Latin, and diasporic traditions. Over time, it has expanded into an extraordinary diversity of styles and techniques.

Other forms and aesthetics have grown alongside it — born in urban contexts or club scenes, often emerging from struggles and social oppression, carrying strong aesthetic and sociological identities. Electric Boogaloo, house dance, waacking, voguing, krump, styles born in Europe such as electro, and across Africa and its diasporas with so-called Afro-urban dances… so many languages of movement, constantly evolving, yet all sharing one core element: the connection to music.

Beyond style or technique, these non-academic dances reflect a way of seeing the world — a way of connecting to others, to sound, to the environment, to vibe with the universe.

With HYPE OCC, we aim to showcase this diversity through performances that invite you — the audience — to discover new dramaturgies and new ways of experiencing dance: where the stage is not the only space of encounter, and where the line between dancer and spectator fades in favor of a fluid and inclusive approach.

We invite you to meet this boundless creativity, to open your eyes to the unexpected, and to listen to the voices and movements of those from marginalized communities — for even though this popular culture is widely shared, it remains marginalized.