Top of page

Pic of the Week: Dance Battle!

Share this post:

An Urban Artistry performer balances on his hand and fingers while dancing to the beats of disc jockey Baronhawk Poitier. Photo by Shawn Miller.
An Urban Artistry performer balances on his hand and fingers while dancing to the beats of disc jockey Baronhawk Poitier. Photo by Shawn Miller.

A performer competes in a “dance battle” in the Coolidge Auditorium on February 22 during a Homegrown Concert Series event of the American Folklife Center. Dance battles are an urban dance tradition that celebrate individual talent while helping to keep diverse forms of urban musical and dance expressions alive. In the Coolidge, pairs of dancers organized by the nonprofit Urban Artistry competed with one another for audience applause. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, Urban Artistry documents and teaches urban musical and dance traditions of the Washington, D.C., region and beyond. It was founded in 2005 by performing artist and historian Junious Brickhouse, who served as the event’s emcee.

Add a Comment

This blog is governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. You are fully responsible for everything that you post. The content of all comments is released into the public domain unless clearly stated otherwise. The Library of Congress does not control the content posted. Nevertheless, the Library of Congress may monitor any user-generated content as it chooses and reserves the right to remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. Gratuitous links to sites are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments. We further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove a user's privilege to post content on the Library site. Read our Comment and Posting Policy.


Required fields are indicated with an * asterisk.