In this episode of the Ladies of Hip-Hop Podcast, we sit down with Jackie Lopez, aka Miss Funk, the brilliant co-founder of Versastyle Dance Company. Together, we reflect on the challenges and triumphs of navigating the dance world during the pandemic. Jackie shares candid insights on the origins of Versastyle, its mission to uplift communities through Hip-Hop, and her journey as a mother in the dance world.

We explore the unique challenges and triumphs we face as Black and Brown women in the industry, from breaking barriers to balancing motherhood and artistry. This conversation celebrates resilience, legacy-building, and the power of creating spaces where our stories and contributions are seen and valued. It’s a powerful testament to the strength and brilliance of women in Hip-Hop.

@missfunk79

@versastylela

versastyledance.org

Sound Bites

"Dance culture saved my life in many ways."

"I want to create opportunities for my community."

"I hug my younger self for the journey."

"I want Oprah to know about VersaStyle."

"Family and community bring me the most joy."

"I never, ever did anything unless it was me, sounded like me, looked like me..." -Ursula Rucker

Chatting with the incomparable @urucker about her work, life, and working together at UW-Madison.

Ursula Rucker is an interdisciplinary poet, performer, and recording artist whose work reflects on personal history, family, and place. She characterizes her work as situated “along the edge of the terrains of poetry.” Rucker has released five albums and collaborated with a wide range of artists outside of the field of poetry, including The Roots, musicians and Pew Fellows Jamaaladeen Tacuma and King Britt, and, most recently, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Clarence Williams III. She has toured with her live performance memoir, My Father’s Daughter, which she describes as “90 minutes of self-truth and discovery.” In 2017, she collaborated with Nigerian sound and installation artist Emeka Ogboh to create Logan Squared: Ode to Philly, which featured an epic poem by Rucker that reflected Philadelphians’ voices and visions for the city. The work was presented as part of Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Center-supported, citywide Monument Lab exhibition. A Philly 360 Creative Ambassador and recipient of Leeway Foundation’s Transformation Award, Rucker is the subject of the 2008 documentary Ursula Rucker: Poet, directed by Michael J. Dennis.
#PhillyJawns