Columbia College Chicago Dance Center’s B-Series Returns With “B-PRESENT” and a Month of Hip Hop and Street Dance Programming

A dancer commands the cypher during Columbia College Chicago Dance Center’s B-Series, where Hip Hop and street dance culture unfold in real time through movement, rhythm, and community.A dancer commands the cypher during Columbia College Chicago Dance Center’s B-Series, where Hip Hop and street dance culture unfold in real time through movement, rhythm, and community.
A dancer commands the cypher during Columbia College Chicago Dance Center’s B-Series, where Hip Hop and street dance culture unfold in real time through movement, rhythm, and community.
A dancer commands the cypher during Columbia College Chicago Dance Center’s B-Series, where Hip Hop and street dance culture unfold in real time through movement, rhythm, and community.
The Dance Center’s B-Series features guest artists, cyphers, panels, and more –centered around a celebration of Hip Hop, healing, and community.

What does it mean to be present — in your body, in your community, in your culture? 

This month, Columbia College Chicago’s Dance Center addresses that question through “B-PRESENT,” the 14th annual B-Series celebration of Hip Hop and Street Dance Culture. Co-curated by longtime faculty members Daniel “BRAVEMONK” Haywood and Kelsa “K-SOUL” Rieger-Haywood, the festival runs February 4–28, 2026. 

The event calls participants to gather and move with awareness and intention — physically, soulfully, and energetically — in deep connection to sound, space, lineage, and one another. This year’s programming foregrounds healing, relational awareness, and cultural continuity within Hip Hop and Street Dance forms. 

The B-PRESENT Town Hall: Hip Hop, Street Dance and Healing (February 26, 12:30 p.m.) brings together Lacouir Yancey (B-boy Spirit), Dr. Courtney Domenico, and Jonathan St. Clair (B-boy InLight) to share healing-centered work shaped by Hip Hop culture. The gathering includes conversation, Q and A, and experiential components that invite active participation. 

B-boy Spirit’s Freedom Movement Therapy (February 27, 11 a.m.) introduces a somatic mindful movement system rooted in Hip Hop movement culture and grounded in martial arts foundations. Blending breath work, rhythmic training, sensation-based awareness, and guided improvisation, the practice supports dancers in expanding expressive range, regulating emotion, and deepening mind–body connection for performance and personal growth. 

In the B-Series Take Over of Dance Professionalism (February 27, 12:30 p.m.), guest artists Kiana Cook (K.C.) and Lacouir Yancey (B-boy Spirit) offer insight drawn from decades-long careers at the intersections of street dance, community leadership, and healing. Their session connects professional sustainability with culturally grounded practice for students and emerging artists. 

The festival culminates in the B-PRESENT Battle and Jam (February 28, 2 p.m.), transforming the Dance Center into a live cypher space. The afternoon opens with Qigong and sound healing led by Jimmy Chan before launching into head-to-head freestyle battles. 

Judges Mlaya Moves, I.B. RAH, and Papa Kobina will evaluate competitors not only on technical skill and musicality, but on communication, connection, and interaction with their partners — reinforcing this year’s emphasis on presence as relational practice. Music will be provided by DJ Ca$h Era (CaSera Heining, ’17) and DJ A-Lista (Alyssa Gyorkos ‘18), with BRAVEMONK and K.C. hosting. Performances by Jay-J (Jeremiah “JJ” Green ‘20) and Taraja Mumbeja (Taraja Echols ‘22), The Renegades Hip Hop Dance Team, and student emcees round out the afternoon. 

“B-PRESENT is about gathering with intention, centering presence as practice and a pathway to healing and building community,” says Rieger-Haywood. “This year's festival honors Hip Hop and Street Dance as a cultural form that connects us to sound, space, history, and one another.” 

“We’re inspired by how many alumni are involved as professional artists, and how many current students are performing, battling, and working behind the scenes. It’s a testament to the synergy we’ve built upon between the Columbia community and the Hip Hop and Street Dance community in Chicago and beyond.” 

Most B-Series events are free with a reservation. Get tickets here.

What is Cypher?  

Rooted in street dance culture, a cypher is a tradition where dancers gather to express themselves, share their skills, and connect with each other through movement. It's a circle formed by dancers, with one or more individuals taking turns dancing in the center while others observe, support, or respond with their own moves. 

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