Beyond the Beat

Annual Hip-Hop Theater Festival Explores Genre's Place in Dance, Drama and Spoken Word

The Hip-Hop Theater Festival takes hold of four cities every year, shining celebratory light on the stories, issues and rhythms of a generation.

But it's in Washington, says spokeswoman Elz Cuya, that the event feels most like a festival.

In New York, Chicago and San Francisco, audiences have to pay for hard-to-come-by tickets. In Washington, everything is free.

"The hip-hop generation is a significant portion of our city, not only in number but influence," says Tony Gittens, executive director of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which underwrites the festival. "We want young people to know that they are not operating in some marginal community -- that they're part of the culture of the entire city."

This year's festival, which runs Tuesday through July 12, features dancers, musicians, dramatists, spoken-word artists and poets.

"People ask, 'What is hip-hop theater?' " Cuya says. "And we think that artists are showing us, every year, what hip-hop theater can be. . . . It's all theater, but what that looks like can be very different depending on the artist."

The lineup this year is rich, so be prepared for crowds and some incredible artistry. Here are highlights:

Brave New Voices College Tour

Tuesday at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center,

2700 F St. NW; 202-467-4600.

Renowned poet Sonia Sanchez, left, introduces some of the best spoken-word artists from colleges across the nation, in addition to the D.C. WritersCorps Slam Team.

Hip-Hop Theater Shorts I