About H+

 

Founded over 30 years ago by Artistic Director Safi A. Thomas, H+ | The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory is a multi-platformed, non-governmental organization (NGO) with consultative status on the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations since 2017 with the mission to preserve, evolve and proliferate the art-Form of Hip-Hop Dance in the United States and abroad through our six foundational pillars: Pedagogy, Repertory, Advocacy, Medical Research, Infrastructure, and Design. 
Signified by the acronym, PYRAMID, these pillars are designed under the premise that every artist is a human first. This artist cannot thrive at their greatest potential if their basic human needs are not being met consistently. In turn, each Pillar was carefully chosen to address the needs of our culture and community in Hip-Hop, which are in many ways reflective of the needs of the overarching Arts infrastructure in the United States. 


PEDAGOGY

Our Pedagogy pillar represents a codified teaching methodology of Hip-Hop Dance, The BLADE Dance Technique® (S. Thomas, 1995), founded upon the principles of dance heuristics, and utilized both internally in our full-time enrollment program, the H+ | Apprenticeship and externally in our SOUL SCIENCE® initiative which consists of Workshops, Intensives, and Seminars.


Repertory

With over 120 works in our archive within a 20 year span, our Repertory pillar is representative of the choreographic body under the official repertory company and production company of H+, Theatre of the Mind®. Also known as TOTEM®,  Theatre Of ThE Mind® exists to do what art is meant to do: provoke, challenge, rile, so that you exit the aesthetic experience differently than how you entered; that you will walk off with something that has you questioning, has you curious, has you perplexed. 


ADVOCACY

Advocacy has been a staple pillar of H+. We are and will always be a company founded upon the thought that all humans are valuable and have the right to live and be advocated for in this world. Our campaigns address the livelihood of dancers, with subjects spanning from gender equality to body image to agency. Each project aims to serve as a platform for healthy dialogue surrounding subjects that are often considered "off the grid" in our societal barometer of “appropriate discourse” thereby pushing the boundaries of human development and understanding. 


MEDICAL RESEARCH

Our Medical Research pillar represents the health, longevity, and prowess of dancers. While many dancers want to continue their career lifelong, few continue past their first injury, with little exposure to prevention education (training the body for dance via flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular training), no healthcare, and no financial means to cover medical treatment. Dancers need information about their bodies and common injuries parallel to what is provided for athletes. The dancer’s load on the body is different than that of athletes and varies from genre to genre which requires unique attention, study, and research.  Therefore, the MEDICAL RESEARCH Pillar comprises a 5-phase system addressing the health care and medical needs of dancers in New York City:

I - H+ | SPA (Specialized Physical-wellness & Assessment) 

II - H+ | MEDIC® (Medical Evaluation and Dance Injury Center) | 2018

III - H+ | MEDIC® Emergency Services | 2018

IV - H+ | Hospital (Teaching Hospital) | 2017 - 2027

V - H+ | VITRIOLUM® Institute (BioMedical Research Facility) | 2020


INFRASTRUCTURE

Our Infrastructure pillar represents the greater overarching system necessary to allow dance to truly thrive and sustain in this society. Setting a foundation for basic organizational and physical operations that serve the holistic wellness of the dancer from housing, to food, to education, to access to community and resources, to space for artist development, to space for artist presentation, to financial planning, to security. Our infrastructural initiatives include: 

H+ | Dance Mart® (An Affordable Food Market for Dancers) 

Pimp My Style (Pro-Bono Media Services for Dancers)

H+ | PARK® Program (Performance And Recreation for Kids Program®)

H+ | Performing Arts Center® {The Safi A. Thomas Arts Pavilion}

LemnisKate Consolidated® (Architectural Design Firm)


 

DESIGN

Our Design pillar is representative of the aesthetic work done to authentically archive, signify relevancy, and make public, the pioneers, community members, landmarks, historical events, and work surrounding our foundational community of Hip-Hop Dance and the greater arts community.