By: Celia Martinez

Pros Arts Studio will hold their 7th annual We R Hip Hop Festival at Dvorak Park, 1119 W. Cullerton, on Saturday August 4th, from 1pm to 6pm, in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. The youth oriented event will feature, break dancing, rapping, graffiti art and local artists including rapper Legit, beat-boxer Jam One and spoken word artist Billy Tuggle among others are set to perform.

“Last year we had a really small group, but this year we doubled in size,” said Emily Harbaugh, promo pros teaching artist for Pros Arts Studio.

Pros Arts Studio is a not-for-profit arts organization offering after school, evening and summer programs to Chicago youth. Harbaugh said it was approximately eight years ago when one of the staff members began teaching classes such as breaking dancing and graffiti art when the youth involved wanted to create a festival.

“All these kids wanted a festival that was youth oriented and youth run and that’s how W R Hip Hop came to be,” said Harbaugh,

Pros Arts Studio also offers paid internships and apprenticeships to 75 teens every year. One of the students who joined this year as part of Harbaugh’s team is 16-year-old AaQuilah Ali. Ali first heard of the program through After School Matters and assists Harbaugh in promoting the festival by posting on Facebook, Twitter and passing out flyers.

“It helped me know that I am capable of doing other things,” said Ali. “I’ve learned how to contact different places such as newspapers and radio stations; I’ve learned how to promote and I’ve learned how to interview people and keep people interested in our program,” she said. We R Hip Hop festival is free and open to the public.