Urban Dance Theatre: Hip Hop in Innsbruck

27 June 2023

Post originally written in: Deutsch

When you hear the word "hip-hop," what do you think of? Cool moves, gangster rap, America? Originating in the ghettos of the USA, hip-hop was originally the name for four different art forms: Graffiti, MCing, Breakdancing and DJing. Today, hip-hop is undoubtedly one of the largest and most popular youth culture movements in the world and serves as a mouthpiece for many artists. Breakdance and MCing (chanting) came about primarily because young people from the Bronx/New York wanted to compete by means of creativity rather than violence. They wanted to make themselves heard and draw attention to social grievances. The basic idea of Hip-Hop is really beautiful: "Peace, Unity, Respect and having Fun". Exactly these values would like the association Urban Dance Theatre To convey to young people in Tyrol. "Hip-hop is often put in a certain corner. We want to show that it is much more - namely an art form and of course also sport," explains Tatjana Niescher, production/project manager of Urban Dance Theatre.

Hip-hop and the creative development of Tyrolean youth

Ömer Erdogdu, the person responsible for the project, founded the association Urban Dance Theatre with the aim of bringing hip-hop culture closer to the youth in Tyrol. In this way, he offers young people the opportunity to spend their free time in a meaningful and creative way, to move and to let off steam. And who knows, maybe one or two of them will become dance teachers themselves or embark on a career in the artistic field. In any case, the first foundation stone has been laid by Urban Dance Theatre.

It is of great importance to create attractive recreational opportunities for adolescents. "Classical dances are often less popular. You have to pick up young people where they are and offer them something they can identify with," explains Tatjana Niescher. She herself is an inspiring personality and undoubtedly a role model for young people. In addition to her work as a dance teacher and project manager of Urban Dance Theatre, she also works in a law firm and is also studying - a real power woman, after all.

Innsbruck becomes a hotspot for urban art

In the medium term, the Urban Dance Theatre has set itself the goal of further developing urban art and making it better known, for example by regularly inviting international artists to Innsbruck. The project in 2023 is intended to serve as an anchor point for the future. There are plans to expand the event to several days and to include dance schools from German-speaking countries and beyond. The city of Innsbruck itself will become the stage for the artists and the focal point of the urban scene. In the long term, the focus is on conveying the basic idea of the hip-hop scene: peace, respect, unity and having fun. The Urban Dance Theatre strives to make these values tangible.

Emerging talents on the big stage

In the first part of Urban Dance Theatre, up-and-coming talents from the Urban Dance Academy from Innsbruck and the Floor Roc Kidz Dance School from Dornbirn present their skills. Over the course of the entire school year, these young dancers prepare for their big performance. They experience the preparations and the actual performance together with experienced artists and professionals.

Tatjana Niescher and Ömer Erdogdu are responsible for the staging of the Innsbruck groups. Choreographers from the urban independent scene fine-tune the sequences, which are then put together in a final rehearsal phase to create an overall production. "Everyone is welcome here, whether beginner or advanced. Our job as choreographers is to put each dancer in the best possible light," Tatjana tells us.

Oxygen: when reality and illusion merge

As a breathtaking finale of Urban Dance Theatre the spectators can expect a real highlight with the Dutch crew Oxygen a true highlight. And when I say highlight, I mean exactly that. With their groundbreaking show „Delusion“ the group enchants the audience and transports them into a magical world in which visual illusions merge with first-class choreography. Not only is the audience enthralled, celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez were blown away by the crew's performance - and that's exactly what you'll be too, I promise. The group impressed the jury - including world-famous artist Jennifer Lopez - of the NBC TV show „World of Dance“ and reached the semi-finals in the fourth season. You can look forward to an unforgettable experience full of artistic finesse and intoxicating energy. For all those who don't believe me, here's a little taste.

Summer in the City

No matter if you are dancing yourself or not, you should not miss the show of Urban Dance Theatre on July 4th at the Congress Innsbruck. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of urban dance and let yourself be enchanted by the impressive performances and the intoxicating energy.

However, if for some reason you don't have time on that day, then take a look here. There you will find an overview of all event highlights for this summer in Innsbruck. So you won't miss any exciting event! If you want to know what else is going on in Innsbruck this summer, just browse through our blog or have a look at the Summerhighlights.