Groundbreaking Battle 2008

The Minnesota Shubert Theater is still in extended rehab, but "innovate while you renovate" is executive director Kim Motes's mantra. So "Hip-Hop Dance: From the Streets to the Stage" features hip-hop artists from around here and across the country duking it out in the parking lot between the Hennepin Center for the Arts and the work-in-progress Shubert Theater. In addition, a newly commissioned piece by our local hip-hop heroes, the Battlecats, will premiere. And it's all just part of the Minnesota Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center's biannual "Follow the Creative Process" program that allows kids of all ages to monitor the creation of a new work through the use of online journals, video clips, and photos, as well as lesson integration for teachers. Hip-hopniacs can even participate in live, interactive distance-learning sessions conducted with two-way videoconference technology—a virtual field trip that puts kids in a digital dialogue with the artists. Live activities offered throughout the day include graffiti displays, a panel discussion, and basic breaking workshops. It's total immersion in a genuine urban art form. Find out more at www.mnshubert.org/hiphop.
Sat., Oct. 4, 1-7 p.m., 2008