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TORONTO, Ontario – Featuring Talib Kweli, Scratch, Rahzel and Lazylegz, the 2013 Unity Festival’s 5th annual showcase of urban art forms opens this Thursday, July 18 and runs through Sunday, July 21.
The festival will present four rhythmic days of break dancing, beat boxing, spoken word poetry, and graffiti, uniting Toronto youth with some of the biggest names in Hip Hop.
Unity Charity, which was founded by Michael Prosserman, organizes the Unity Festival, an annual showcase event, which is held each summer. The festival is the single most important event for the organization as it presents the most dedicated and talented youth performers from across Canada.
Youth performers are recruited from the organization’s in-school and community programs, open auditions (community youth), and through connections with local arts organizations (local professional artists).
Scratch, of The Roots, will guest judge at the festival’s presentation of Free Your Sound: 2vs2 Beat boxing Battle — a stellar showcase of young talent led by some of the most prolific artists in urban culture, including the “Godfather of Noyze”, Rahzel — at The Mod Club on Thursday.
On Saturday, July 20, from 1pm to 10 pm, Yonge-Dundas Square will transform into an urban Mecca of artistic expression with live graffiti; performances by Unity’s own youth; performances from genre-defying pros like Lazylegz and Scott Jackson, winner of Beatbox Canada; and a headlining set by Brooklyn MC, Talib Kweli. This event is free, all day.
The Unity Festival will also include two electric evenings of rhythm, rhyme, and dance battles live on stage — Free Your Style: Breakdancing and All Styles with headliner Kid David at The Phoenix Concert Theatre on Friday, July 19, and Free Your Voice: Lyricist Battle and Showcase with Queen Godis and special guest judge, Michie Mee on Sunday, July 21 at the Daniels Spectrum Theatre.
To purchase tickets to the Festival, visit app.etapestry.com/cart/UNITYCharity/default/index.php. For all other inquiries, please visit UNITYCharity.com.
