Mexico
RESIDENCY RECAP
From March 23 to April 8, 2019, Hip Hop artists Anthony “Buckwild” Best (Beatmaker), Rizqi Rachmat (Dancer), Jessie “DJ Nebraska” Davis (DJ), Kevin “Rowdy” Joshua Rowsey II, and site manager Junious Brickhouse traveled to Morelia and Mexico City as part of the Next Level program. While in Mexcio, the Next Level artists performed for audiences and collaborated with local artists to promote cross-culture exchange and conflict transformation. In Morelia, the Next Level Academy was hosted by Centro de Investigación, Arte y Cultura and partnered with the Ballet Folklórico del Instituto Tecnológico de Morelia. In addition to holding Hip Hop and arts education workshops in Morelia and Mexico City, the artist-educators held discussions and panels on professional development and entrepreneurial skill-building.
During the final performance, the artist-educators and their student-collaborators brought all the elements of Hip Hop together to create a series of dance battles to be performed for the community. Many participants in the final performance mentioned the concert, with its incorporation of all the Hip Hop elements and focus on community involvement, enabled them to feel like they were part of something much larger than themselves. Next Level’s Team Mexico is part of a larger Next Level cohort of American MCs, DJs, beatmakers, and Hip Hop dancers seeking to build global community through Hip Hop culture.
