HIP HOP / STREET DANCE SUMMER INSTITUTE
Program Dates: June 21 - June 25, 2021 Five Day Online Program




The UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance’s Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Institute is a newly revamped, award-winning, unique, five-day program for dedicated, hard-working students interested in taking their artistic abilities to the next level through an immersive Hip Hop dance culture experience. The program integrates multiple focuses in street dance technique, choreography, and freestyle, and through a community-building framework offers access for students to a college-level Hip Hop and street dance learning environment. The program serves a diverse mix of young high school artists from Los Angeles, the greater state of California, and beyond. It is offered by The UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance (WACD), in partnership with UCLA Summer Sessions and Versa-Style: Performance • Education • Community, an operating foundation dedicated to ensuring that our youth have an equal opportunity to a complete education with Hip Hop dance as the driving force.
In addition to partnering in the program, Versa-Style: Performance • Education • Community offers a limited number of scholarships to students who demonstrate the following: a) significant financial need, b) residence in Los Angeles Supervisorial Districts 1, 2, or 3, and c) evidence of high-quality Hip Hop and/or street dance training.
The program is open to students who are high school sophomores and juniors at the time of the application. Offered by a combination of WACD’s acclaimed dance faculty and experienced, world-renowned professionals from the Los Angeles Hip Hop and street dance community, the curriculum at the Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Institute includes daily technique classes ranging from forms such as Popping, Locking, Hip Hop, and House. Each technique class will also explore the history of the dance style, where students can develop an appreciation of the various heritages associated with each style. Further, students will study dance composition, where they will learn how to create and structure their own dance works within a Hip Hop and street dance framework, spend time dedicated to the art of freestyle movement, a cultural norm in Hip Hop and street dance. The course offers opportunities for discussion, learning about the cultural history of Hip Hop, and skills building in a variety of techniques.
Throughout each day of dancing, training, sharing, and studying, the students will spend time with Program Counselors, current students in the WACD program at UCLA. During this time, students will learn about building community and will be able to ask any questions about the WACD program at UCLA. Finally, students will get the opportunity to apply their skills immediately in a culmination video, where they will submit choreography and freestyle videos, edited together in a culminating digital performance to be premiered virtually via YouTube Premiere approximately 1-2 weeks after the program concludes. Students will receive a link to watch the final video at home with their families free of charge.
When determining admission, the committee evaluates students based on the following:
- Written responses to the application questions
- Level of experience and training as displayed in follow up video submissions
- Overall effort put into the application process as a whole
The deadline for applications is April 18th, and final admission decisions will not be made until 2-3 weeks after the April 18th application deadline. Important: Your application will not be reviewed unless we receive your letter of recommendation and all follow-up materials requested via email. Thus, timely responses to all email correspondence with the Assistant Director, who orchestrates the follow-up process, are encouraged. Once applicants have submitted all follow-up information, they will receive confirmation that their application is complete.
NOTE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this program is being conducted remotely via Zoom. Admitted students will receive any necessary Zoom links in their welcome packet once they have been admitted to the program, and will need access to a reliable WiFi connection and space to dance in order to participate. Also, due to the participatory nature of the program, admitted students will be required to keep their screens on at all times during classes. If this presents an issue for any student, please communicate immediately with Assistant Director, Ernesto Galarza, who can be reached at summerdance@arts.ucla.edu
Program Details
Course Credit and Curriculum
This program carries 2 quarter units of Pass/No Pass UC credit. Students will be officially enrolled in course number Dance 174A in UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. Students will be engaged in a learning process that assists them in taking their street dance technique, choreographic, and freestyle abilities to the next level. They will not only be learning from and rehearsing with working professional dancers/artists, but they will be learning how to create their own work with new tools and approaches. We hope that this process helps students make valuable, substantial contributions to their various arts communities now and in the future.
CLASSES OFFERED Popping, Locking, Hip Hop Dance, Composition, Freestyle, and House Dance
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT The Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance was created in 1995 by the merger of the World Arts and Cultures program and UCLA’s Dance Department, the first university-based dance department in the country. The department is home to a diverse faculty of artists and scholars, drawn from a range of disciplines, including anthropology, folklore, dance, theater, and performance studies. The department’s lively interdisciplinary curriculum is unified around a set of shared concerns: the significance of cultural and aesthetic diversity, both locally and worldwide; the meaning of tradition in contemporary societies; and the changing roles and responsibilities of artists. The Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance is an ideal environment for artists, scholars, and activists interested in exploring the meaning of creative expression in the contemporary world and for dancers and choreographers seeking to expand and challenge the cultural, intellectual and political horizons of their own practice.
FACULTY AND INSTRUCTORS
Harry Weston - Director
Harry “Fullout” Weston grew up in Santa Cruz, California, surrounded by West African dance and drumming, his first artistic inspiration. He fell in love with Hip Hop dance culture at age 15, changing his life and setting him on a path of creativity, community engagement, teaching, and mentorship. In 2008, he moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA and graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in World Arts and Cultures with a concentration in Dance, as well as a Minor in Civic Engagement. While at UCLA, he participated in a number of artistic and teaching endeavors, many of which he is still involved today.
He was invited to dance professionally with the internationally renowned Hip Hop dance company, Versa-Style. He became a Teaching Artist for The Flourish Foundation and inherited and directed the after school Hip Hop dance program at Abraham Lincoln High School in East LA. He also served as Head Counselor for the UCLA Dance/Performing Arts Summer Intensive each summer during his time at UCLA. Today, Harry tours as a Principal Dancer with Versa-Style, and also serves as the company’s Partnerships Manager. He continued to serve The Flourish Foundation as a Teaching Artist, Site Coordinator, and then Program Director until its rebranding as VS:P•E•C, for which he now serves as Program Supervisor. And he has Co-directed the UCLA Dance/Performing Arts Summer Intensive for the last three years, after transitioning from Head Counselor to Head of Scholarship Recruitment.
Now as Director of UCLA Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Institute, he looks forward to continuing his passion for utilizing Hip Hop dance culture as a tool to empower the next generation of leaders throughout Los Angeles and beyond and is thankful for all the mentorship, guidance, community support, and opportunities that have led him to where he is today.
Ernesto Galarza - Assistant Director
Ernesto Galarza aka “Precise” was born and raised in Pacoima, California and first started dancing in the 6th grade during his after-school Hip Hop Dance class in 2004. Soon after, Ernesto was offered scholarships to take classes at the Jonette Swider Dance Center where he trained and learned about Hip Hop dance culture. In 2009, he was invited to be a part of the Versa-Style Next Generation program, and soon after, Ernesto was awarded a scholarship to attend the UCLA Dance Theater Summer Intensive in 2010. In 2011, he was accepted into the World Arts and Cultures/Dance Department at UCLA (as a first-generation college student) where he was able to continue his studies and pursue a career in dance. In 2014 he ascended to the touring company, Versa-Style Dance Company, and has been a Principal Dancer ever since. He has taught after school and in-school dance programs across Los Angeles for almost ten years, mentoring countless students in the process, and directed the Versa-Style Next Generation program for 5 years from which he came, working with the next generation of young Hip Hop dance artists. During his college career, he was asked to be Counselor/Head Counselor for the UCLA Dance/Performing Arts Intensive for 3 years, then moved on to join faculty and be a teacher once graduating from UCLA in 2015, and now he will now move forward as the Assistant Director for the UCLA Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Institute. Ernesto has also toured nationally and internationally as a Hip Hop/Streetdance competitor, teacher, and performer to places such as Germany, Paris, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, Alaska, Scotland, El Salvador, Mexico, and more.
Jackie Lopez - Supervisor/Faculty
Jackie Lopez aka “Miss Funk” is a first-generation Los Angeles native. She was the first in her family to graduate high school, continue her education in Los Angeles Valley College, transfer to UCLA, and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2004 from the Department of World Arts and Cultures, with a concentration in Dance. For the last 22 years, Jackie has been working as a professional dancer, choreographer, teaching artist, and cultural educator who has worked with students and artists of all ages from LA, NYC, Philly, Utah, Chicago, and internationally in places such as Israel, United Kingdom, France, Columbia, and India.
She currently is a Lecturer at UCLA’s Dept. of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, teaching and building the Hip Hop dance curriculum, and is the Supervisor of the UCLA Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Institute. She has also been a guest choreographer in several prestigious schools such as Columbia College in Chicago, University of Utah Dance Program, Santa Monica College’s “Synapse Dance Company” and Los Angeles Valley College’s “Dance Production.” Jackie was also a Cultural Ambassador for the United States, touring, teaching, and choreographing in Tel Aviv, Israel, for the Bridge: Choreographic Dialogues Program at the infamous Suzanne Dellal Center, which creates links between Israeli and American dance communities.
In addition, Jackie is also the Co-Founder & Co-Artistic Director of Versa-Style Dance Company, a certified 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization founded in 2005. Versa-Style is a dance ensemble that consists of young, committed, and conscientious Hip Hop artists representing the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles.
Lastly, Jackie served the organization formerly known as The Flourish Foundation since 2006, first as a Program Director and soon after flourishing as Executive Director. Today, under the guidance of Jackie, The Flourish Foundation has been re-branded as Versa-Style: Performance • Education • Community, where Jackie serves as Executive Director. Jackie is inspired to keep VS: P•E•C’s mission alive by using her upbringing in LAUSD, her background in arts education and passion for youth and the arts.
Leigh Foaad - Advisor/Faculty
Leigh Foaad aka “Breeze-Lee” was born in New Orleans, and at the age of 3 months he moved to Los Angeles with his parents. Leigh has been exposed to dance since the very beginning, leading to a wide variety of styles from classical ballet to street dance vernacular social dances. More specifically, Leigh found a love for a street dance style called “Popping” in the year 2002 & since then has competed in some of the most prestigious competitions on a national level and worldwide scale, gaining respectful worldwide recognition as a dancer, teacher and artist.
Leigh has been training and working professionally as a Principal Dancer for Rennie Harris “Puremovement” (RHPM) since 2005. One of Leigh’s proudest moments with RHPM was in March 2012, when he was selected as a Cultural Ambassador for The Obama Administration, BAM, and DanceMotion USA, providing services in the Middle East; Egypt, Israel & Palestine. In addition, Leigh is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Versa-Style Dance Company (certified 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization) and has directed numerous productions that have toured nationally and internationally. One of Leigh’s favorite tours was with the Anchorage Concert Association, touring a 3 week -5 city tour with the company throughout Alaska where he had the opportunity to teach Master classes and also perform Versa-Style’s production “Box of Hope”.
Most recently, Leigh is proud to join as the Artistic Director of Versa-Style: Performance • Education • Community. As a leader and member of VS: P•E•C he is determined to express and share the knowledge & importance of Hip Hop culture, while providing high level artistry through the Versa-Style Hip Hop/Street Dance Curriculum. Lastly, he currently is a Lecturer at UCLA’s Dept. of World Arts and Cultures/Dance teaching Hip Hop dance. Leigh takes pride in teaching the history and culture of Hip Hop.
Bianette Linares - Scholarship Admissions Coordinator
Bianette is a first-generation high school and college graduate born and raised in the inner city of Los Angeles. She has been a student of Versa-Style teaching artists since 2008 when Jackie Lopez taught the after-school Hip Hop Dance program at Lincoln High School. That same year, Bianette participated in the Applying to College Workshop program. In 2009, she received a scholarship to attend the UCLA Summer Dance Theater Intensive and discovered the power of art in building community across diverse groups of people.
Community building became her focus as she pursued a Mexican-American Studies Degree at Cal State LA. During this time, Bianette was invited to be part of the first iteration of Versa-Style Next Generation performers. Later, she was offered an apprenticeship and teaching position as a Latin social dance instructor at DanceSport CA, where she studied and taught until 2016.
Bianette has been a mentor, teaching artist, and college workshop facilitator in multiple spaces such as Augustus Hawkins HS, C5 Youth Foundation, UCLA Summer Sessions, Inner-City Arts, i.am College Track, and UCLA Visual and Performing Arts Education Department, among others. Most recently, Bianette is honored to continue her journey with Versa-Style as the Administrative Officer for Versa-Style: Performance • Education • Community
Aubrey Mamaid - Head Program Counselor
Aubrey Mamaid aka “Siga” is a first-generation immigrant from the Philippines. She is currently a fourth-year UCLA student double majoring in Dance and Asian American Studies with a minor in Public Affairs. She is involved with VS:PEC as a teaching artist and mentor. She is currently also a member of Versa-Style Next Generation, where she serves as the program’s Co-Captain. Aubrey participated in the UCLA Dance/Performing Arts Summer Institute in 2016 and later on served as a Program Counselor in 2018 and 2019.
Leo Flores - Head Program Counselor
Leonardo Flores aka “Poppin Leo” is a Los Angeles native born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He is currently in his third year of studies at UCLA, double majoring in Dance and History. He is a teaching artist with VS:P•E•C, working with students ranging from elementary, middle, and high school, as well as working with incarcerated youth in Los Angeles. He has been a member of Versa Style Next Generation for four years and currently functions as the Co-Captain. Leo participated in the UCLA Dance/Performing Arts Summer Institute in 2016, and then later went on to serve as a program counselor in 2019.
Schedule
- Hip Hop / Street Dance Schedule
Supplies
Clothes for Dance Class
You will be spending your days in dance classes and rehearsals, so you will want to wear clothes that you are comfortable moving in. Recommended dance attire includes sweatpants, shorts (appropriate length), t-shirts, and tank tops (appropriate length/cut). Please avoid heavy clothing such as jeans, which restrict movement and can also get hot very quickly. Be sure to have a pair of comfortable shoes to move around in (regular sneakers or dance sneakers are fine, platforms, heels, and other shoes that of this nature that offer little support should be avoided).
Suggested Items to have with you
Notebook
Pens/Pencils
Small Towel
Computer or device with a front facing camera (Required to participate)
Access to a stable wifi connection
Screens on at all times during classes
If any of these requirements present an issue for students, immediately contact Assistant Director Ernesto Galarza at summerdance@arts.ucla.edu
Dance Space
We ask that every student do their best to find an appropriate space to dance in where we can see their entire body from top to bottom, so that instructors can observe and be able to provide the best experience for the student. This can be indoor or outdoor.
Registration
Program Eligibility
To apply for the Hip Hop / Street Dance Summer Institute, you must meet the following qualifications:
- Open to students 15 years of age or older that are enrolled in grades 9th - 12th in Spring 2021 or a Spring 2021 High School Graduate
Students who do not meet the minimum program requirements should not apply and should consider other summer opportunities.
How to Apply
To participate in the Hip Hop / Street Dance Summer Institute, students must apply and receive acceptance into the program.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete the following:
- Responses to the following essay prompts (each response 4-6 sentences):
- Describe your experience in Hip Hop and street dance. Please include the types of training, how long you’ve studied and where. What are some of your favorite street dance styles or forms, and why?
- Why do you want to participate in a Hip Hop and street dance program, and what do you want to get out of this experience?
- Do you have any other experience in the performing arts? For instance, spoken word, music or theater. If so, please explain.
- Describe your current extracurricular activities, community involvement, or service to the community.
- Describe a project or creative experience you have been involved in, within the past year, which has been particularly rewarding to you, discussing what you learned (or continue to learn) from it.
- Describe any awards, honors, or distinctions you have received.
- The Hip Hop/Street Dance Summer Institute requires all of its participants to present a short one-minute solo performance on the first day. This is not considered an audition as such, but more of a way to introduce yourself to the faculty and the other student participants. Please briefly describe what you would envision performing in this solo.
- A letter of recommendation, preferably from a dance instructor. Please either upload the letter after submitting your registration form OR have your recommender email the letter to info@summer.ucla.edu (PDF format with your 5-digit registration number).
Fees and Payment
Program Fees
Please find below a list of all fees that may apply to you to enroll in the Hip Hop / Street Dance Summer Institute.
2021 Summer Institute Fees
- Registration Fee: $350.00*
*This registration fee is assessed one-time per each summer term for any precollege Summer Institute. If you are admitted and will be enrolled at UCLA in Fall 2021, other University fees of $132.69 will be assessed in lieu of the registration fee. - Program Fee: $1,420*
* If you are admitted and will be enrolled at a UC campus in Fall 2021, your program fee will be $1,250. - IEI Fee: $61.00
- Document Fee*: $50.00
*If you are participating in UCLA Summer Sessions for the first time or an incoming UCLA undergraduate student, this document fee will be assessed. The one-time document fee covers life-time academic and verification transcripts that do not require special delivery services.
SUBTOTAL WITH DOCUMENT FEE:
Please note that a $350.00 nonrefundable deposit will be required in order to reserve your space in the program. This deposit is not an additional fee and will apply toward your summer balance.
Registration is not complete until the registration fee is paid in full. Those who are not prepared to pay can submit their registration form and retrieve registration at another time to pay the registration fee.
This fee is not refundable under any circumstances even if you withdraw from the program before it begins.
Payment Deadline
Full summer fees are due no later than 5PM, May 1*. Failure to pay by the payment deadline may result in your space in the program being forfeited.
NOTE: Your bill reflects your enrollment activities. If you make any changes to your enrollments, be sure to monitor your BruinBill to verify any changes in your balance.
Your enrollment in the program is not officially confirmed until you submit full payment of the program fees and all other administrative fees.
*If you register AFTER May 1, you will be prompted to make full payment of all fees excluding any applicable document fee and IEI fees at the time of online registration. For the document and IEI fee payment, you can follow the same steps listed in PAYMENT METHODS above 1-2 business days after making payment of the full program fees.
Payment Methods
Credit Card of Electronic Check (E-Check)
Accepted forms of payment are VISA, MasterCard, Discover, AMEX, or e-check.
- Log onto MyUCLA (UCLA Logon ID required)
- At the MAIN MENU under the FINANCES AND JOBS drop-down menu, click on the BRUINBILL link
- Once on the BruinBill page, select MAKE A PAYMENT at the top
All credit card payments are subject to a 2.75% non-refundable service charge each transaction. This charge is assessed by Higher One, Inc. and may not be refunded under any circumstances. No service fees are applied to e-check payments.
Cash, Check, or Money Order
Visit Payment Solutions and Compliance, 1125 Murphy Hall, UCLA to pay in person.
Note: Certain charges may apply to returned checks and credit card charge backs.
Foreign Currency Payment
Travelex payments allow you to lock into an exchange rate with your bank. If your currency is not included in the drop down list, you may request that your bank make the transfer in US dollars.
- Log onto MyUCLA (UCLA Logon ID required)
- At the MAIN MENU under the FINANCES AND JOBS drop-down menu, click on the BRUINBILL link
- Once on the BruinBill page, select MAKE A PAYMENT at the top and select PAY WITH FOREIGN CURRENCY
Refund and Cancellation Policy
A valid payment of a non-refundable registration fee is required to complete registration. This fee is not refundable under any circumstances.
Program fees and other applicable fees, excluding the non-refundable registration fee, are refundable if the program is officially dropped prior to 5PM, JUNE 15 (PDT). In the event of withdrawal prior to the refund deadline, the total refund amount will reflect the non-refundable registration fee, appearing as Processing Fee on the BruinBill account.
If the program is dropped after 5PM, June 15 (PDT), all fees are non-refundable and you will be financially liable regardless of attendance. To officially cancel your enrollment, you must access your existing registration online.
If entitled to a refund from the UCLA Summer Sessions Office, you will receive your refund one of three ways within 1-3 weeks:
- BruinDirect: BruinDirect is a free and automatic way for students to receive refunds directly to a U.S. checking or savings account. You may sign-up on BruinBill.
- Credit Card: Payments made with a credit card will be returned back to the credit card that made the original payment.
- Check Refund: If payment made using a method other than credit card and if not signed-up for BruinDirect, a refund will be issued as a paper check and mailed to the mailing address on file.
Participant Agreement
For a full overview of all terms and conditions for UCLA Summer Institutes, please review the Participant Agreement.
Financial Aid
Summer Scholars Support for California High School Students
Qualified students attending grades 8th – 11th in Spring 2021 in the state of California are eligible for Summer Scholars Support, a need- and merit-based scholarship offered by the UCLA Summer Sessions Office. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to support enrollment in an eligible Precollege Summer Institute.
For more information, visit the Summer Scholars Support page.
Other than Summer Scholars Support, no other financial aid through UCLA Summer Sessions is available to visiting high school students. Please check with your home institution regarding financial aid options.
Grades
Units / Credits
UCLA is on the quarter system. While some schools are also on the quarter system, most colleges and universities are on the semester system. As a general guide to transferring quarter units to a semester system school, one semester unit or credit is worth 1.5 quarter units (e.g., 4 quarter units = 2.5 semester units).
UCLA courses are generally accepted for transfer credit, but all decisions on transferability rest with the home institution. Students should get advance approval of their UCLA Summer Sessions course selections from the home institution prior to registration.
Transcripts
The transcript is a permanent record that reflects all undergraduate and graduate work completed at UCLA. It lists courses, units, grades, cumulative grade-point average, transfer credits, total units, and work in progress in chronological order.
Ordering a transcript can be done online through MyUCLA. Those requiring expedited or special delivery can submit a Transcript Request Form.
Requests are not processed if students have outstanding financial, academic, or administrative obligations to the University.
NOTE: Current or newly admitted UCLA students will have their grades appear on their UCLA transcript immediately after grades are submitted by the course instructor. Current or newly admitted visiting UC students will have their grades appear on their home UC campus's transcript in October or November.