ADMISSION & CAMPUS ACCESS:
Admission is free. Reservations are required. Campus access is limited to registered guests and USC students, staff, and faculty with current USC ID.

RSVP beginning Monday, January 6, at 10 a.m. 

DESCRIPTION: 
Merging the formats of performance, salon, and lecture demonstration, Kaufman Converge pairs two artists who embody and work through contrasting movement forms and dance ecologies. By colliding their artistry and experiences, we can learn about the vast and unique ways that dance contributes to innovative thinking and a life well lived, and expand upon our capacity to see dancers and dance-adjacent artists as multifaceted global citizens and agents of change.  

Curated and hosted by choreographer, dancer, and USC Kaufman School of Dance lecturer Amy O’Neal, this year's event will include Teresa “Toogie” Barcelo and Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit.

Teresa “Toogie” Barcelo is a choreographer and movement artist whose range of disciplines includes film, live performance, site-specific experiences, movement direction, teaching, coaching, projection design, and more. She is a pioneer of blending classical and street techniques from ballet to popping to improvisation. Toogie was featured in Billboard's list of Top 12 Most Iconic Choreographers of the Decade for her work on Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” and received an MTV VMA nomination for Dua’s “Electricity.” 

Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit is a self-taught b-boy whose ability to contort his body into unthinkable shapes and positions led to being dubbed “RubberLegz” by his mentor Maxim. Named Best Dancer of 2019 by Danza&Danza Magazine for breaking down barriers between dance genres, the Los Angeles–based choreographer, director, visual artist, and dancer has competed in and judged competitions worldwide and continues to perform and teach workshops all around the globe to this day. 

Amy O’Neal (host) is a dancer, choreographer, curator, and dance educator who merges contemporary and street dance to challenge notions of race, gender, and the sampling nature of innovation. A two-time Artist Trust Fellow, DanceWEB/Impulstanz scholar, Kennedy Center Social Impact Residency Artist, Harvard Visiting Dance Innovator, and Herb Alpert Award nominee,  Amy is on faculty at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, the Curating Artist in Residence for Velocity Dance Center, and the founder, organizer, and curator for The Hybrid Lab: Conversations in Merging Dance Cultures.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Kaufman School of Dance.