LatinaLista — As the world mourns the passing of Michael Jackson by celebrating his musical legacy, it can’t be said enough that MJ’s dance style influenced generations of people who found the ultimate freedom of expression through dance.
One of those dance styles that later emerged was Hip Hop.
Hip Hop empowered a new group of young people who often felt they were on the sidelines of life. In a new film that premieres this Sunday on PBS stations across the country, we get to see how three Hip Hop enthusiasts used the dance form to politically mobilize young people in their communities in Cuba, Brazil and Chile.
Estilo Hip Hop is a journey through the lives of three modern day freedom fighters who truly believe in the power of hip-hop to bring awareness and social change to their countries.
The stories surround three distinct people pushing the envelope in their respective countries with risk to their own personal safety. From Eli Efi, a hip-hop artist born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil who addresses his community’s dire living conditions through his lyrics to Guerrillero Okulto of Chile who leads a citywide collective known as Hiphoplogia [The Logic of Hip Hop] whose primary focus is to conduct alternative political education workshops throughout marginal neighborhoods in Santiago to Magia and her husband Alexei in Havana, Cuba who form the rap duo Obsesión that is creating an afro-centric movement among black youth challenging the Cuban Revolution, the documentary follows the brave examples of each of these people and their impact on their communities.
Created by Loira Limbal, a self-described filmmaker and activist, Virgilio Bravo, media-maker and creator of projects building responsible links between media and
marginal communities, and DJ Limbal, the founder of Reel X Project, “a social justice and creative filmmaking space for young women of color in the Southwest Bronx,” Estilo Hip Hop is a natural extension of these filmmakers’ commitment to showing young people how something as basic as dance cannot only empower people but inspire them as well.
The film is being shown on PBS stations as part of the PBS World Global Voices programming. Though the film is to be shown Sunday, June 28 at 10 p.m. EST, not all areas of the country receive the Global Voices programming.
Your best bet is to check your local listings to see when the program might be available in your area.
