Friday, July 19 - Saturday, July 20
Ronald Reagan Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (Fri)
Living Stage, 1901 14th Street, NW & Lincoln Theater, 1215 U Street NW (Sat)

The District of Columbia Arts Commission is Collaborating with The New York City Hip Hop Theater Festival and The Source Youth Foundation to present The D.C. Hip Hop Theater Festival. The two-day long festival includes concerts, a poetry slam, plays, and participatory workshops showcasing performers from New York City, England and Washington, D.C. The festival begins Friday at noon with a poetry slam pitting New York City's DEF JAM poets against members of the D.C. National Slam Team and continues with an after- work concert at the Ronald Reagan Center and evening of theater performance at the Living Stage theatre space featuring local "hip hop theater phenomena Psalmayene 24. Saturday's events begin at 1:00 PM and include a "socially conscious" hip hop concert featuring "New York sensation" Cuban Link and "DC up-and-comer" Coal Mann, DJing and breakdancing workshops and theater performances featuring "urban griots" Danny Hoch, Jonzi D and Quique Aviles. The Source Youth Foundation is a non-profit founded by The Source Magazine to address many of the ills today's artists rap about in their songs. The New York City Hip Hop Theater Festival is the country's premiere Showcase or hip hop theater and dance. The festival is free and open to the public. For a complete listing of events and artists, call 202-724-5613 or go to www.dcarts.dc.gov.