DI's Peace Love Hip Hop goes global
The dancers of Daniel Island’s Peace Love Hip Hop (PLHH) are well known for the excitement and entertainment they create in Charleston. Now, they’re taking their act to an entirely new audience - and a new continent!
Last month, PLHH owner and coach Angel Roberts announced to her dancers that they had been invited to perform in Europe as part of the Tanzsommer Dance Festival in Innsbruck, Austria.
The PLHH troupe was asked to take part in the festival by Texas-based dance/events company “Young!Tanzsommer,” which curates American dance experiences in Europe. The trip includes master classes, performances, philanthropy, and travel in a host of cities including Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg, St. Johann and Venice.
PLHH will be performing for audiences of more than 11,000 people at some of the most historically significant venues in Austria. The festival has traditionally featured ballet, jazz and contemporary dancers. PLHH joins the ranks of previous invitees such as the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Netherlands Dance Theatre.
“Peace Love Hip Hop is the only hip hop dance studio ever to be invited,” explains PLHH’s Alex Soloman. “We are absolutely honored to be part of such an exclusive program.”
How did this invitation come about?
Alex Soloman (AS): Our relationship with Young!Tanzsommer began through a referral from a very large, nationally-ranked studio who has participated in the trip for several years. The studio owner recognized the uniqueness of our dancers and knew that the Young!Tanzsommer program is always on the lookout for extraordinary dancers. Through the recommendation and an exhaustive application process, we were accepted into the program. We cannot wait to bring our amazing dancers and exciting choreography to a European audience.
How many dancers do you hope to bring to Europe?
AS: We hope to take as many dancers as we can. All of the dancers ages 10 and up from our competition teams and their families are invited. This is going to be a trip of a lifetime so we hope to share it with as many of our amazing families as possible.
Will PLHH be doing any fundraising as a group or is each dancer responsible for funding his/her own trip?
AS: Besides helping kids become amazing dancers, we really work hard to help them become the best people that they can be. We are using fundraising as an opportunity to teach our kids about setting goals, thinking of creative ways to achieve them, and follow through with whatever actions they decide will get them there. In that spirit, each dancer or group of dancers is responsible for their own fundraising. We believe that in taking responsibility for all aspects of getting there, our kids will ultimately feel a sense of accomplishment and joy the minute they arrive.
Many of the young dancers have already begun their fundraising efforts. As a group, they hope to work together on planning events like car washes.
“We’ll put the ‘fun’ in fundraising,” jokes veteran PLHH dancer Annie Burton, who has kick-started her individual campaign by taking on extra babysitting jobs and making jewelry to sell to girls her age.
Eleven year-old Riley Woolridge says she is looking forward to bringing PLHH’s unique choreography and attitude to new audiences, as well as taking classes in other forms of dance.
“I work hard to try to learn different styles of dance from great teachers,” says the Daniel Island School sixth grader. “This is a big opportunity to learn and a really big deal to be invited.”