A new dance street festival is coming to Vancouver in May, featuring performances and workshops.
Ourofest will take place in SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, Robson Square, and Q7 Studios over four days from May 25 to 28. Attendees will see dance battles and performances by local, national, and youth artists.
Attendees can learn about different street dance styles at various workshops.
“A decade ago, five individual artists from diverse cultural and dance backgrounds came together with a vision to create community through collaboration,” says co-founding member and managing director Cristina Bucci.
“Over the years, Ouro Collective has pushed the boundaries of how street dance-based works are created and presented. In celebration of our 10-year anniversary, we’re bringing street dance to everyone in Vancouver — and providing an accessible platform for the next generation to continue building the community.”
What you can expect at the Ourofest dance street festival
Day one on May 25
The festival's first day will feature dancers going "head-to-head" in dance battles at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Kosi “Kosi” Eze, Momoko “Momo” Shimada, Marie-Reine “M Queen” Kabasha will judge the battles
- The Youth Open Style Battle from 1 to 3 p.m, will feature 30 competitors (12–17 years old) battling one-on-one with music by Hervé “DJ Ice-B.”
- The Adult Open Style Battle from 3 to 6 p.m. will feature 30 teams (18+ years old) in two-on-two battles DJ’ed by Miguel “Friar Funk” Vasquez.
Winners will receive cash prizes and items sponsored by streetwear retailer PLUS and Vancouver Street Dance Festival.
Spectators are encouraged to book tickets before the event.
Day two on May 26
The festival's second day will feature performances at Robson Square by Vancouver-based artists Diamonds in the Rough and OURO Collective (featuring Ash “Complex” Cornette, Cristina Bucci, Eric Cheung, Ganna Martynova, Kinui Oiwa, and Rina Pellerin), Montreal-based artist M Queen, and Surrey-based youth street dance artist Tegvaran “Teg” Sooch.
Days three and four on May 27 and May 28
The festival's third and fourth days will include workshops at Q7 Studios teaching different street dance styles.
On May 27, M Queen will "teach waacking and Kosi will teach hip hop."
On May 28, Kosi will teach a workshop "on musicality and members of OURO will share their collective’s philosophy as they speak about the 'OURO approach.”
Tickets for the workshops are $25 and advance registration is required online.
