American Voices, in partnership with US Embassy Dhaka (Bangladesh), organized a musical showcase to conclude a hip-hop workshop series led by award-winning American artists for Bangladeshi rappers, dancers, and producers.
On August 25-September 1, the Embassy of the United States of America, in partnership with American Voices (a US cultural diplomacy organization), hosted a delegation of four award-winning American hip-hop artists to lead a series of trainings for 54 rising Bangladeshi hip-hop stars. The Edward M. Kennedy Center for Public Service and the Arts was the hosting venue of this eight-day intensive workshop, which concluded with a musical showcase at Shilpakala Academy on September 1 that featured performances of 54 talented Bangladeshi artists and four American instructors. US Ambassador Peter Haas attended the concert.
Over the last five decades, the United States has been proud to partner with the government and people of Bangladesh. The YES Academy is a testament to the US government’s commitment to promote mutual understanding, creativity, and collaboration between cultural ambassadors in Bangladesh and the United States.
Launched in 2007, the Youth Excellence on Stage (YES) Academy serves as American Voices’ flagship cultural diplomacy program aimed at providing high-quality training in some of America’s greatest cultural artistic genres, such as hip-hop and breakdance, for youth around the world. This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Bangladesh. To celebrate 50 years of friendship, the YES Academy provided Bangladeshi youth with an opportunity to learn and collaborate with American instructors in music production, rap, and breakdance. The YES Academy workshops featured Dangerflow band member and MC Angel “Ocean Alvarado, award-winning hip-hop DJ Carl “DJ Invisible” Hollier, international b-boy champion Alex “BBoy El Nino” Diaz, and two-time finalist of NBC’s “The SingOff,” Richie “Robot” Steighner.
