Established in 1999 by Micaya, The San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest has earned an international reputation as one of the most prestigious presenters of hip hop dance.
The SFIHHDF is the first ever festival dedicated to honoring the artistry and diversity of hip hop dance forms in a professionally curated, non-competitive environment. The SFIHHDF creates a convergence of global phenomena by presenting groundbreaking performances from professional dance companies from all over the globe.
The DanceFest has hosted thousands of dance professionals from all over the world. In an effort to respect these artists, the SFIHHDF provides all travel and lodging expenses for every company that is chosen to perform.
Award-winning and critically-acclaimed, the SFIHHDF is a Bay Area legend that is not to be missed! All ages are welcome!
Our Commitment to Equity
The San Francisco International Hip Hop DanceFest (SFIHHDF) is passionately committed to producing programming that reflects a diverse cultural spectrum and facilitates harmonious collaboration across all races, communities, gender identities, and sexual orientations. It is the SFIHHDF’s goal to promote an organizational atmosphere and artistic repertoire built upon the values of inclusion, cooperation, social justice, and multi-cultural appreciation.
The SFIHHDF dedicates itself to the dynamic education and evolution of hip hop dance culture on a global scale. Inherent in this mission is our fervent stance against all forms of intolerance and discrimination. We resist racism, ableism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, religious discrimination and all social structures that propagate prejudice and oppression. We believe in the power of interconnectedness, and we are wholeheartedly devoted to building bridges between culture gaps that have fractured communities across our nation and our world. To this end, we uphold operational and artistic standards that honor truth, equality, and freedom of expression.
The SFIHHDF considers it our important responsibility to provide a platform that enables marginalized communities to share their stories, voice their struggles, and serve as powerful agents for change. We utilize the unifying force of hip hop dance theater to foster worldwide awareness of deeply rooted inequities, stimulate productive conversations around these injustices, and motivate positive solutions. This process calls upon our staff, commissioned artists, donors, and fan base to honestly face the widespread realities of past and present indignities, and to formulate strategies that encourage peaceful progress.
The SFIHHDF pledges to operate according to our belief that every community counts. We cultivate an environment that reveres diversity, liberty, and respectful synergy among staff, artists, supporters, and the world at large. We believe that hip hop dance theater has been, and always will be, an extraordinary vehicle for authentic expression, social reparation, and global transformation.
It all started with Micaya...
With over 30 years experience, Micaya is a multi hyphenate extraordinaire. Her scope of work ranges from choreographer, teacher, producer, curator, agent, consultant, director and more.
In 1993, Micaya began producing high energy, grassroots, sold-out hip-hop dance shows in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission District. Those shows led up to the creation of the First Annual San Francisco Hip Hop DanceFest in 1999. Now in its 26th year, the SFIHHDF has evolved to be an iconic landmark event that has put San Francisco on the map as a place to see world class dance artistry.
“It takes a festival like Micaya’s to show us – and challenge us to reconsider just how diverse, amorphous and all-embracing hip hop can now be.”
– Rachel Howard, Special to The Chronicle
STAFF AND LEADERSHIP
Founder-Producer/Artistic Director
Micaya
Development:
Gypsy Love
PR
Mary Carbonara
Stage Manager
David Claytor
Photographer
Blake Tucker
Content Manager
Fumihiko Nishimura
Graphic Designer
Simon Stewart
Lighting Designer
Jenny B Shady Lady Lighting
Booking
Kristin Hau’oli Schillinger
Social Media
Michaela Hlinkova
Grant Writing
Mary Rivers
Fundraising Board
Michelle Jiang
Lilla Pittman
Jasmine Summerset-Karcie
Abbey Chun
Gypsy Love
Lisa Doran Schnitzer
Brechin Flournoy
Action Board
Brandy Beazley
Kevin Morrison
Lalo Davis
Vickie Rivard
Eric Baca
Kathleen McCartney
Advisory Board
Shaherose Charania
Brechin Flournoy
Corey Action
Yesuah Bell
SFIHHDF in the Community
“Know Yourself” Youth Arts Camp Feb 2024
“Know Yourself” Youth Arts Camp Feb 2023