For the 20th anniversary of the Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool’s Hip Hop Festival, the staff received a delightful surprise: a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

The Hip Hop Festival combines music that children love with a kid-friendly atmosphere that encourages young fans to clap, shout and boogie along with the performers. The grant process is highly competitive, and with this grant, the Cambridge Arts Council endorses the Hip Hop Festival as an important arts event for the City of Cambridge.

The festival began in 1996 as part of Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool’s live performance series, which brings students shows featuring music, dance, science, sports and theater. Held during February Vacation week, the festival quickly became one of Agassiz Baldwin Afterschool’s most popular events. Past festival performers include one of the oldest underground dance crews in Boston, The Floorlords, as well as troupes from OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center in Roxbury, the Community Art Center of Cambridge, the Deborah Mason School of Dance, and Jam’Nastics.

The hip hop acts range from pre-teens to professionals, and Agassiz Baldwin Community Executive Director Maria LaPage says that this variety allows kids to connect with the performers. According to LaPage, children are inspired when they see their peers “doing a pretty darn good job” performing in the same show with professional dancers. Some young audience members have even formed their own dance troupes to perform at the following year’s festival. LaPage adds: “Bright colors, fun music, and cool headspins…what more could you want?”

The Hip Hop Festival takes place on Thursday, February 18, 2016, from 2-3 pm at the Maria L. Baldwin School in Cambridge. This year’s festival is hosted by longtime festival DJ Naheem Garcia and includes performances by Cambridge Community Center’s The Hip Hop Transformation, King Open Extended Day, and The Floorlords. Suggested donation of $2 per person or $5 per family group. Afterschool groups can attend free if they RSVP to Molly Juhlin at mjuhlin@agassiz.org with their program name, contact person, number of students, and the number of adult chaperones.