**Northern Colorado's FREE all day hip hop dance convention brought to you by the Colorado Dance Collective**

April 16, 8:30am – 7:30pm MDT

Have you ever watched those awesome flash mob videos and wondered if you could participate in something like that? Then Hip Hop Madness is the perfect event to tip your toe into the dance world. During this free all day dance clinic taught by professional instructors from across Northern Colorado, you’ll get the chance to try on the genre.

With beginner, intermediate and advanced classes, this event accommodates kids as young as 6 and eager newbies as well as enthusiasts and seasoned pros.

Then, after the clinic concludes, kick-back during the Madness Showcase featuring instructors and local dance crews. Tickets are $10.00 ($5.00 for 12 and under) and proceeds are used to fund the morning clinics so that they remain free to the community. There is limited seating for the Madness Showcase so be sure to get your tickets in advance!

Event Details:

WHEN: April 16, 8:30am – 7:30pm MDT (see the specific times for each class on the registration page)
WHERE: Millennium Event Center, 815 10th St, Greeley, CO 80631, USA
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Visit the event page to register for the free clinic that fits your ability and to purchase Madness Showcase tickets.

Armando Silva Painting at Hip Hop Madness.png

The Colorado Dance Collective

Hip Hop Madness is hosted and sponsored by Greeley’s own Colorado Dance Collective (CDC), a non-profit established in 2009, by a small group of dedicated dancers. Their mission is to create a spirit of collaboration and learning among their dancers, their colleagues in the fine arts, and the community at large by providing high quality classes, workshops, and performances at minimal cost to participants. Today, the CDC has grown to include five separate auditioned companies, each specializing in a different dance style: Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap, and Swing.

The CDC operates out of “The Greeley Warehouse,” a space that is also home to artists and musicians, as well as independent dance and fitness teachers. Many of the CDC classes are open to the public for a nominal charge of $5 per class, with dancers coming to the studio for weekly classes from within a 60 mile radius. Visit the Colorado Dance Collective website to see their class schedule and learn about how you can get involved!

The History of Hip Hop Madness

Hip Hop Madness originally began as a small event organized by the High Plains Library District (HPLD) over a decade ago. It was conceived to celebrate the culture and artistry of rap and create a way for families to participate. Hosted at the Centennial Park branch, the event included spoken word, graffiti painting, rap and of course hip hop.

From the very beginning, Greeley Creative District Board member Armando Silva was involved. In partnership with the event coordinator Amy Ortiz, he brought some of his students from the Dance Factory. About 50-60 people from the community participated in the inaugural event–a stellar turn out! The success of that first event cast vision for what the event could become in the future. Armando remembers, “there was just a lot of energy and interest.”

In the following years, the event grew and evolved as other dance groups started to attend, bringing with them new genres of dance. Eventually, by 2014 the event had become too large for the Library and the scope/focus had shifted so Hip Hop Madness was adopted by the Colorado Dance Collective. Since then the event has continued to gain momentum. In 2020, 155 dancers (children and adults) came for the free day of dance classes and evening Madness Showcase. Now as the event returns after a hiatus due to COVID, we hope that it can continue to expand. There is a lot of heart and pride in this homegrown-Greeley event. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate a return to in-person activities than by the community dancing together!