ADMISSION:
Admission is free and open to all. RSVP at the links below beginning Monday, February 2, 2026, at 10 a.m.

DESCRIPTION:
Join us for the Cypher Summit Block Party, a two-day celebration honoring the creativity, leadership, and legacy of women in hip hop and street dance culture. In recognition of Women’s History Month, this dynamic, community-driven festival features participatory dance workshops, electrifying performances by world-renowned artists, an inspiring intergenerational panel, a curated "sisterhood" dance cypher, and a joyful closing dance party for all.

Celebrate, connect, and move with us as we honor the women—past, present, and future—who continue to shape street dance and culture around the world.

Schedule:
Seminars and Workshops
Friday, March 6, from 4 to 8:30 p.m.
RSVP
Dive into a day of movement and dialogue with street dance seminars exploring critical themes related to women in the scene alongside community dance workshops led by internationally recognized practitioners, educators, and cultural leaders. All levels are welcome!

4 to 5:20 p.m.: Street dance seminar with LaTasha Barnes (The Jazz Continuum) - The Flow State: A Cultural Continuum
4 to 5:20 p.m.: Street dance seminar with Michele Byrd McPhee (Ladies of Hip Hop)
5:30 to 6:50 p.m.: Hip Hop Dance Workshop with Fantaye
5:30 to 6:50 p.m.: Breaking Dance Workshop with Asia One (B-boy Summit/ No Easy Props)
7 to 8:20 p.m.: Whacking Dance Workshop with Tori Cristi (Whacking LA)
7 to 8:20 p.m.: House Dance Workshop with Toyin Sogunro (Nefer Global Movement)

Performances and Block Party
Saturday, March 7, from 2 to 6:30 p.m.
RSVP
Immerse yourself in a one-of-a-kind communal celebration honoring the stories and voices of trailblazing women in street dance. This vibrant day also features exciting collaborations with the USC Kaufman School of Dance, USC Thornton School of Music, and USC student dance clubs.

2 to 3 p.m.: Performances by Andrea Rodriguez (USC Kaufman School of Dance) & Collective, Chaotic 3, LaTasha Barnes & Collective,  Sonseeahray "Yoda" Jones (Everything Raw),  Versa-Style Street Dance Company, and an Exhibition Dance Battle by AryLOVE (Versa-Style Legacy), Crystal "Crysstyle" Jackson Singletary (THECouncil), Andrea Rodriguez, and Emily Liu (USC Kaufman School of Dance)
3:30 to 4:30 p.m.: Panel featuring Asia One, Damita Jo Freeman (Soul Train Legend), Jackie Lopez (Versa-Style Street Dance Company), LaTasha Barnes, Michele Byrd-McPhee, and USC Kaufman Alum, Amaria Stern (moderator)
5 to 6:30 p.m.: Curated "Sisterhood" Cypher & Open Dance Party with DJ TiffStarr

Founded in 2018 by USC Kaufman faculty member Tiffany Bong (UniverSOUL Hip Hop), Cypher Summit is a biennial event honoring the lineage and lived histories of street dance culture while fostering intergenerational dialogue and cultural exchange within academia.

Bios:

Crystal Jackson Singletary is a professional Movement Artist from Tampa, FL, residing in LA. She participates in the freestyle community while also working in the commercial dance industry. Crystal has trained in contemporary, jazz, modern, and ballet for over 15 years before discovering her love for freestyle and the battle community. As far as street styles, Crystal has trained in Popping, Hip-Hop, and Waacking. She uses these styles in collaboration with her classical training to create her authentic and unique style of movement.

Damita Jo Freeman is a dancer, choreographer, actress, and author, best known for her work as a breakout performer on the legendary television program Soul Train. She graced the Soul Train stage from 1971–1974, where she often performed alongside her partner and friend, the late Don “Campbellock” Campbell. Throughout her career, she has choreographed for the 1984 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies, the American Music Awards, the 36th and 37th Daytime Emmy Awards, and the 30th Annual Grammy Awards. Her television credits include The Arsenio Hall Show, Sister, Sister, and Moesha, among others. She has toured with a wide range of musical artists, including Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, and Cher, and has worked with icons such as James Brown, El DeBarge, The Supremes, The Pointer Sisters, and Natalie Cole. Her film credits include Private Benjamin, The Man with One Red Shoe, and The Last Radio Station. Her bold, joy-filled movement style often commanded center stage, and behind the scenes, she advocated for improved conditions for dancers performing on Soul Train. Most recently, she authored the autobiography Are You That Girl on Soul Train?, sharing her journey, legacy, and experiences as a pioneering figure in dance and entertainment.

Jackie Lopez, aka Miss Funk, is a first-generation Latina Los Angeles native. Jackie graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA in 2004 from the Department of World Arts and Cultures, with a concentration in Dance. She found her love for Street dance in the late 90’s and has served the Hip Hop Dance Community for over 25 years. Some of her accomplishments include; First Latina to teach Hip Hop/Street dance and build the Hip Hop/Street dance curriculum at the University of Los Angeles (UCLA), recipient of the Lester Horton Artist Appreciation Award presented by the Dance Resource Center, and, most recently, was the recipient of the Impact award presented by Ladies of Hip Hop 2023. Jackie is the Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director of Versa-Style Dance Company (VS), a certified 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 2005. Versa-Style’s mission is two-fold; they are a professional touring Street dance company providing dancers from the inner city the tools to thrive as full dance professionals, while also providing arts programming to the youth in underserved communities in Los Angeles. 

LaTasha Barnes is an internationally awarded and critically acclaimed dance artist, choreographer, scholar, and tradition-bearer of Black American social dance co-based in Phoenix and New York. Barnes has won multiple Bessie Awards (2021, 2023) and was celebrated by the New York Times in 2021 as Best Dance & Breakout Star. A Richmond, VA, native, she is globally celebrated for her musicality, athleticism, and joyful presence throughout the cultural traditions she bears: house dance, hip hop, waacking, authentic jazz, and Lindy Hop among them. Barnes’s expansive artistic, competitive, and performative skills have made her a frequent collaborator at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Summer Dance Forever & Foundation Hip-Hop Center Amsterdam, Singapore-based Timbre Arts Group, Ephrat Asherie Dance, and many more. 

A 2023 Bessie Award Winner for Outstanding Service to the Field, Michele Byrd-Mcphee is a street dancer, an arts activist, and a tireless advocate for girls and women who has been working for decades to re-contextualize spaces and conversations about Hip-Hop culture along gender, sex, cultural, socio-historical, and race lines. Her work situates Black dance forms, theories, dance techniques, and the values of the lived artistic experience in spaces that honor and acknowledge cultural roots, along with the many creative pioneers who have shaped them. Michele recently opened New York’s only woman-led, woman-owned, and women-focused street dance & arts space. 

Nancy “Asia One” Yu is known worldwide as a Bgirl icon, Hip-Hop pioneer, and activist.  A visionary trailblazer and trendsetter, Asia’s influence has been instrumental in setting the bar for standards in the arts of Hip-Hop, with skills and knowledge being the supreme combination for personal and global transformation. As a seasoned educator, performer, host, and judge, she is known worldwide as a premier consultant on Hip-Hop cultural lifestyle. Yu travels the world performing, speaking, and building with international ambassadors of Hip-Hop culture on the future evolution of Hip-Hop dance. No Easy Props is her motto (est.1997) and non-profit organization (est. 2010) created to better the world through Hip-Hop culture and house. A recent graduate of MSU with dual degrees in Art and Multiculturalism, Social Engagement & Activism, Asia is currently honing new ways in which to engage and benefit the community through Hip-Hop inspired work.  Asia is a member of Mighty Zulu Kweenz, Fame City, and Queenz of Hip-Hop. 

Victoria Villamil, “Tori Cristi” is a queer Salvadoran Filipina artist, educator, and organizer. Utilizing her experience as a hyphenated identity, Tori focuses on the intersections between culture, psychology, and integrative healing. Tori’s work creates space to explore an anti-capitalist, healing-centered approach to art. In addition to specializing in Punking & Whacking, she has trained in multiple disciplines such as jazz, contemporary, street, and club forms of dance. She has worked with organizations such as HYBE America, Red Bull Dance, Heidi Duckler, Choreographer’s Carnival, Grand Park Performances, VersaStyle Dance Company, Pieter Performance Space, Blaktinx Dance Festival, DTLA Proud Festival, Ruts Dance Studio, and more.  She is the founder of the organization Whacking Los Angeles, which is dedicated to preserving the history and practice of Punking & Whacking as well as provide safe space for LGBTQ+ community. Tori continues to create purpose-driven art and empower individuals to nurture their authenticity.

Born and raised in the D.M.V. (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area, Oluwatoyin Sogunro, better known as Toyin, is a professional dancer and educator. She is a cultural ambassador of Black street dance and club dance forms. As an artistic director of ‘Urban Artistry’ dance company for 10 years, Sogunro gained experience teaching historical techniques and applications. The other half of her dance life exists in competitive spaces. In 2011, Sogunro and her partner LaTasha Barnes made history by being the first American team and the first female team to take home first place in the world championship for House Dance in the Juste Debout competition. Since then, she has gained respect as one of the best “House dancers” of this generation. Currently, Sogunro finds herself putting her energy into higher and new realms. She is creating and directing a new collective called Nefer Global Movement. The collective’s goal is to come together to celebrate dance, culture, and empower sisterhood.

Yoda Jones was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Southern California. She started dancing at the age of 6, learning the classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam, from Mrs. Padmini Vasan, founder of the Padmalaya School of Dance. From here, her love for dance grew, and she started studying other styles of dance like House, Locking, Waacking, Popping, Hip Hop, Vogue, Chicago Footwork – anything funky and free, grounded with soul. She works professionally in the dance industry. Credits include: Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil, the Soul Train Awards 2014, Paul McCartney world tours, Chris Brown, Usher, Toni Braxton, Amerie, and Michael Jackson.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices and the USC Kaufman School of Dance. Organized by Tiffany Bong (Dance, UniverSOUL Hip Hop).

Photo: Miguel Moya