Chile
From August 20-September 3, 2023, four Hip Hop artists traveled to Chile with Next Level. Artists JK-47 (Dancer), Miki Vale (MC), Agana (Aerosol Artist), and Sam Sellers (DJ), joined site manager A. Billi Free visited Santiago and Valparaiso during a two-week residency. The artists were supported by the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Masta Minch (Videographer), and Nella Gonzales (Next Level Regional Artist Alumnus Peru). Local partners Southkinta, Isidora Rivas (Aerosol Artist), Centro Cultural San Ramon, Diego Portales University, Playa Ancha University, the University of Federico Santa Maria Vina del Mar, the communications team for Placilla, Parque Cultural, and Ex Carcel were all crucial in the residency’s success.
Next Level, a cultural diplomacy program that uses Hip Hop to create connections, is an initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Meridian International Center. The program promotes conflict transformation, entrepreneurship, and artistic and professional development among younger and underserved audiences around the world.
While in Chile, the artists hosted a series of workshops focused on the teaching of dance, emceeing, aerosol-painting, videography, and DJing techniques. The program successfully provided a space for the cross-pollination of the different creative mediums by promoting inter-disciplinary collaboration, helping support the creation of community. In addition, the residency held a series of discussions, performances, and panels where the artists talked about arts education, conflict transformation, and entrepreneurship.
The first part of the program in Santiago featured a series of events hosted at Centro Cultural San Ramon and the American Corner at the Diego Portales University, in collaboration with the Southkinta team. In Valparaiso, the residency held talks, workshops, jam sessions, and performances that were hosted by the Playa Ancha University, the University of Federico Santa Maria in Vina del Mar, and Ex Carcel, a former prison-turned performing space. The residency’s final event culminated in a concert held at the Parque Cultural in Valparaiso with Southkinta’s participation.
The residency connected with 57 workshop participants and over 1000 community members. The special interactions that took place crossed disciplines, state lines, and international borders, illustrating how Hip-Hop can transcend boundaries.
