Ladies of Hip Hop (LOHH) is an all-female intergenerational dance collective that creates dance works illuminating the strength, power, and diversity of women in Hip Hop. Under the direction of founder Michele Byrd-McPhee, LOHH interweaves the embodied experiences of women, creating a communal fabric that paints a picture of a more global women experience. Through their work, LOHH is reclaiming and transforming spaces, not only in the realm of dance but also within the broader cultural landscape.

The Black Dancing Bodies Project is an initiative to uplift and celebrate Black women in street and club dance culture, addressing the erasure and miscoding of Black women’s contributions to American dance culture. Black Dancing Bodies Project: Speak My Mind reclaims community stories, gestures, mannerisms, hairstyles, dances, and cultural norms. With neck rolling, eye rolling, tongue popping, teeth sucking, hand clapping, and finger snapping, we will be loud, expressive, gentle, and soft. We will be authentically ourselves. We will speak our minds.

Photo: Titus Ogilvie-Laing