INTRODUCTION + MORE ABOUT ME
Welcome to Exploring Hip Hop & Street Dances.
Learn the roots of the history of hip hop and street dances, techniques, and skill sets that are fundamental.
"I compiled more than 20 years of my own research and expertise in this course, my goals and vision are to create a better world where we can all learn from each other."
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
~Nelson Mandela~
About me.
Angel Kaba is an International artistic director and award-winning choreographer based in Brooklyn, New York. Angel has more than 15 years of experience in art production, youth development, and women empowerment.
Angel holds an honor BA in Marketing Management from the Brussels Business School. Currently, she is a professor at Rider University, a faculty member at Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey Extension, and Steps on Broadway. Angel is an NYFA alumni from IAP (Immigrant Artist Program), a board member on the Steps Support Black Artists (SSBA), supported by Steps Beyond foundation in New York City to empower Black voices in the arts.
Angel is also the founder of the platform Afro’Dance New York, created in 2016 to celebrate diversity, community, and global culture. As a well-respected African Caribbean woman from The Republique Democratique of Congo and Martinique, Angel is passionate about uplifting black experiences and stories from around the globe.
I am a multidisciplinary artist whose work revolves around creative empowerment. I began my artistic career in ballet at the age of 6 which I pursued for 15 years. Later on in my life, I established myself as an international artistic director and choreographer enabling me to create my own performing company Contre-Tendance in Brussels, Belgium. Contre-Tendance promotes culture and arts through the voices of young, potential, and confirmed artists focusing on minorities and first-generation immigrants. We support and help nurture their projects to completion. Through Contre-Tendance, my love and interest in storytelling led me to create, direct and showcase Elya’s Dream, my first musical. Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s freedom speech, it told the story of a young girl’s dream to dance despite her parents’ financial circumstances. This musical tackles the issue of societal intolerance around cultural diversity through Elya’s adventures as she discovers nations via dance and music in her dream. The musical was showcased in Belgium and France over several shows and venues and attracted audiences of over 2000 people. It won awards and has been compared to a hip-hop version of Alice in Wonderland. Over time, I have conducted research on urban African immigrant and African American experiences. This research led me to create my own dance technique “Ka’frican” which is a combination of Hip Hop foundation with AfroUrban dance styles. The social aspect of this discipline creates an environment where artists are able to appreciate, share and contribute to various African cultures.
I am a first-generation African and Caribbean immigrant in Belgium where I was born and raised. My father is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and my mother is from Martinique. My mother a Black immigrant herself in Europe, migrated to Belgium to pursue dance opportunities to teach traditional Caribbean movements. From a very young age, she would teach me the dances and words to Caribbean songs laying my afro foundation from a very young age despite my enrollment to ballet school at 6yrs. Her ability to navigate Belgium as a Black immigrant artist shaped the genesis of my artistic thought as she constantly pushed me to pursue various dance opportunities while being confident in my Caribbean and African heritage. As a result, every opportunity I get, I do my best to represent and share an aspect of my African and Caribbean cultures be it through classes or productions.