Educating Synergy Kids About Hip-hop Culture

Khafre Jay, a renowned educator, community organizer, MC, and founder of Hip Hop for the Future, recently visited Synergy School for two Diversity Committee-sponsored workshops (Grades 1-5 and 6-8), educating kids about hip-hop culture, anti-racism, and his personal journey.

In the first workshop, Jay shared personal stories about growing up in San Francisco’s Hunter’s Point neighborhood, attending Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA), becoming an artist and activist, experiencing racial profiling, and his dedicated mission to “use Hip Hop as a bridge for justice and healing.” 

Jay’s warmth, wisdom, and openness kept students engaged as he took them on a journey through the origins and scope of hip hop culture, from music to style to community to dance, and debunked common misconceptions and stereotypes. 

With a range of informative slides, he outlined hip hop’s global influence, technical nuances and the sophisticated fundamentals of breaking, scratching, and mixing, while highlighting key moments and figures in the evolution of hip hop. In his presentation he also highlighted the work of DJ Kool Herc, the “Father of Hip Hop” who pioneered “the break” on two turntables and a mixer, and rapping over the loops at a 1973 party creating the blueprint for hip-hop. In 2023 Kool Herc was inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame.

Breaking and Turfing

The following week, students took their history lesson on the roll-out floor.  This two-part workshop introduced the kids to the basics of Breaking and Turfing. About 25 of Synergy’s P.O.C.I.S  Club (People of Color in Independent Schools) students crammed around the floor to watch dancer and educator Bobby Almighty demonstrate the art of Breaking–step by step. The group was completely engaged and joyful as they worked through the basics of footwork and freezes, then moved on to the dynamics of sneezes and slides. The kids were up to the challenge and enjoyed encouraging each other “to go for it!”

The acrobatics of Breaking were followed by the mystifying glides of the TURF style taught by Gidnasty, aka Gideon Chiwinke Mekwunye, a dynamic dancer, educator, and cultural ambassador rooted in Oakland, California.  An Oakland Originalz crew member, Gidnasty is instrumental in promoting traditional B-boying, teaching its foundations, history, and styles to young dancers across the Bay Area. Gidnasty’s talent has been showcased worldwide in events and dance battles, including the King of TURF competitions. 

Gidnasty spoke directly to the connection between history and culture embodied in TURF.  An acronym for Taking Up Room on the Floor, TURF is an Oakland original art form.  While Breaking is associated with dramatic acrobatics, TURF is rooted in storytelling and emotional expression. Gidnasty led the group through TURF moves like Two-step, Auntie, Cliffhangers, and more. Kids and Adults were captivated by Gidnasty’s illusionary moves – “is he actually floating?”  

Synergy students loved the workshops and learning about Hip-Hop, trying out Breaking, and TURF dancing. We hope to bring Gidnasty and Bobbu Almighty back to teach a Middle Elective on dance.