HIP HOP’S ORIGIN STORY HITS THE STAGE IN SAN FRANCISCO

“The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop” Comes to YBCA
 for Two Unforgettable Nights June 20 & 21

14 May 2025 – San Francisco, CA: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), in partnership with Zaccho Dance Theatre, proudly presents The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop, a multimedia performance experience where the legends of Hip Hop take the stage, raw and unfiltered​. For two nights only during Juneteenth weekend— Friday and Saturday, June 20 & 21 (7:30pm) in The Forum at YBCA—audiences will experience the music, movement, and stories that gave rise to one of the most influential art forms of our time.

Featuring Hip Hop pioneers Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore, MC SHA-ROCK, Grandmaster Melle Mel*, Graffiti Artist BG183, BGirl Rokafella, BBoy Kwikstep, and photography by Joe Conzo, Jr., The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop transports audiences to the streets of 1970s Bronx, where a cultural revolution was born. Through breakdancing, graffiti, live DJing, spoken word, and powerful storytelling, it’s an electrifying, one-of-a-kind experience—brought to life with the raw energy and bold spirit that have shaped culture over the last four decades. The visual world of the production is created by a dynamic design team: Video Creative Director John Ensor Parker, Video/Projection Designer Márton Dániel Gábor, and Video Technical Director Bryan Dodson.

“We’re proud to partner with Zaccho Dance Theatre to bring this landmark performance to YBCA,” said Mari Robles, CEO of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. “It’s a powerful moment to honor the living legends of hip hop and bring our community together through culture, creativity, and connection.”

In addition to the performance, the Friday, June 20 show will feature a post-show talkback with the Hip Hop legends, followed by a community cypher and after-party powered by our guest, DJ QBert. 

“This work is a love letter to the movement that changed everything,” said Joanna Haigood, Artistic Director of Zaccho Dance Theatre. “We’re telling the story from the voices of those who were there—not just to entertain, but to remember, honor, and inspire.”

Originally commissioned in 2013 by Dancing in the Streets and Casita Maria Center for Arts and Culture, the continued development of The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop has been made possible in part by The Kennedy Center’s Office Hours Residency Program at The REACH.

Tickets and additional event details are available at www.ybca.org/bronxrevolution. Mylo Cardona of Gravity Access Services will provide a Live Audio Description and Haptic Access Tour for visually impaired audience members. The Haptic Access Tour begins one hour before curtain on June 20th. 

*Grandmaster Melle Mel contributes to the production through a powerful pre-recorded video performance, created specifically for this work.

The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop is funded through the generous support of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Fleishhacker Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and the Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation.

YBCA programs are made possible in part by Blue Shield of California, the City and County of San Francisco, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, James R. Lilienthal Trust, California Arts Council, Yerba Buena Partnership, Meridee Moore, Beard Family Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, Gaia Fund, David and Carla Crane Foundation, Andrew Skillman and Lydia Choy Charitable Fund, Amy and Hannah Eliot, Maria Kim, Tides Foundation, Wayee Chu and Ethan Beard, Amanda Minami, Klau Family Fund, Peter Rigano and Cody Hicks, Harvey and Leslie Wagner Foundation, Robert and Junko Kenmotsu, The San Francisco Foundation, and YBCA Members.

For more information visit www.ybca.org/bronxrevolution or www.thebronxrevolution.org. Follow @ybca and @zacchosf on social media for behind-the-scenes content, artist interviews, and event updates.

About Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Opened to the public in 1993, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. By centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA is reimagining the role an arts institution can play in the communities it serves. For more information, visit ybca.org.

About Zaccho Dance Theatre

Founded in 1980 by internationally recognized choreographer Joanna Haigood, Zaccho Dance Theatre has led the advancement of aerial arts and site-specific dance, creating rich, resonant performances that honor history, place, and culture. Learn more at www.zaccho.org.

Contacts:

Lauren Macmadu
Chief External Relations Officer
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
LMacmadu@ybca.org | 415.350.1884

David Perry, David Perry & Associates, Inc
news@davidperry.com | 415.676.7007

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Presidio of San Francisco Hosts Memorial Day Commemorations

Military Post Turned National Park Site Has Honored Memorial Day for 157 Years

San Francisco, CA (May 07, 2025) – The Presidio of San Francisco, a legendary former Army post that is now among America’s most visited national park sites, will host a variety of events commemorating Memorial Day on Monday, May 26.

Events include a major public gathering at San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio, which is the final resting place for 30,000 veterans and their family members. A ceremony honoring Memorial Day has been held there for 157 years. The event is presented by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and regularly draws more than 2,000 guests.

Other activities in the park include special hours for the Presidio Officers’ Club History Exhibition, an organ concert at the Interfaith Center at the Presidio, a history talk at Fort Point National Historic Site, and more.

The Presidio is a National Historic Landmark District and was an important military post for 2018 years, encompassing historic events of global significance. Memorial Day honors the one million Americans who died while serving in the United States armed forces and the remarkable commitment and sacrifices made by active-duty military personnel and veterans.

SUMMARY OF EVENTS AT THE PRESIDIO

157^th Memorial Day Commemoration at the Presidio

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Place: San Francisco National Cemetery, 1 Lincoln boulevard, San Francisco
Contact: Tel. (650) 589-7737; Email: goldengatenc@va.gov
Cost: Free

The Department of Veterans Affairs presents the official City and County of San Francisco Memorial Day Observance in the Presidio. The ceremony will honor the one million Americans who have died while serving in the U.S. armed forces and will connect the public to the commitment and sacrifices made by military personnel, veterans, and their families. The program includes Master of Ceremonies Ken Wayne; the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West Travis Brass; flyover by the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station SF; distinguished speakers; and the Gold Star Wreath presentation.

Link: https://presidio.gov/explore/events/memorial-day-commemoration-in-the-presidio

Meditative Organ Concert with Robert Gurney

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. (following the Commemoration)
Place: Interfaith Center, Presidio Chapel, 130 Fisher Loop, San Francisco, CA 94129
Contact: Tel. (415) 561-3930; email Presidiointerfaith@gmail.com
Cost: Free

Link: https://presidio.gov/explore/events/memorial-day-commemoration-in-the-presidio

Presidio Officers’ Club History Exhibition

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Place: 50 Moraga Avenue, Presidio, San Francisco CA, 94129

Cost: Free

The Presidio Officers’ Club is the backdrop for the Presidio History Exhibition, which traces the Presidio from its earliest indigenous history to its conversion from military post to national park site. Artifacts, images, and storytelling bring military service and history to life. The special exhibition Exclusion considers the Presidio’s role in the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII.

Link: https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/presidio-officers-club

The Walt Disney Family Museum and Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic

Date: Monday, May 26 (through Sept. 1)
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.)
Place: The Walt Disney Family Museum, 104 Montgomery St., San Francisco 94129

Cost: General admission to The Walt Disney Family Museum is free year-round for active, retired, and veteran US military personnel, as well as their spouses and dependents. The museum also participates in the Blue Star Museums program, which grants free admission to US military families between Armed Forces Day and Labor Day. Active-duty US military personnel and up to five family members with a valid ID can redeem complimentary main galleries admission and entry to the new special exhibition, Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic with a suggested donation of $5.

Link:  www.waltdisney.org

Fort Point History Talk

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Place: Fort Point National Historic Site, 201 Marine Drive, San Francisco, 94129
Cost: Free

Join National Park Service rangers to learn about Fort Point’s history in this 15-minute talk. The program is accessible. No reservation or registration is required. 

Link: https://www.nps.gov/fopo/planyourvisit/calendar.htm 

Main Post History Loop, Self-Guided Tour

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: All day
Cost: Free

As a National Historic Landmark District, there’s history to explore almost everywhere you look within the Presidio. Nowhere is that history more concentrated than in the center of the park at the Main Post. This itinerary includes a view on the historic Montgomery Street Barracks, once home to hundreds of enlisted men, Funston Avenue “Officers’ Row”, Chapel of Our Lady, the Presidio Officers’ Club, Pershing Square, and more.

Link: https://presidio.gov/explore/itineraries/main-post-history-loop

Presidio Memorials and Monuments, Self-Guided Tour

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: All day
Cost: Free

There are eight memorials and monuments in the Presidio, including the Vietnam War Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the World War II West Coast Memorial to the Missing. Explore them on foot, or take a free Presidio Go Shuttle Around the Park Route.

Link: https://presidio.gov/explore/blog/discover-eight-presidio-memorials-and-monuments

Presidio Pop Up Food Trucks

Date: Monday, May 26
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Place: Main Parade Lawn and Outpost
Cost: Food for purchase

Presidio Pop Up features food trucks, carts, and tents with delicious food that celebrates the Bay Area’s diverse cultures. Check here for the roster of vendors for the day, expanded for Memorial Day.

Link: https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/presidio-pop-up

About Memorial Day in the Presidio
In 1884, the U.S. established the San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio for members of all military branches and their families. Large public commemorations of Memorial Day began to be held at the Presidio in 1893 when a local GAR post secured a plat in the San Francisco National Cemetery for the interment of its members. With the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, and the assembling of thousands of volunteer troops from around the country in San Francisco and at the Presidio, Memorial Day took on new significance, and the city’s primary public ceremonies began to be held at the Presidio. The Army, the Grand Army, and newer veteran organizations organized the annual event, and a permanent rostrum for the ceremony was constructed in 1915. 1949 marked the first year that no Civil War veteran participated in a Memorial Day observance in the San Francisco Bay area.

About the Presidio and the Presidio Trust 
The Presidio is one of America’s most visited national park sites, located within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and is the ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone. Spanning nearly 1,500 acres next to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio is among the most biologically diverse parks in America. It became a military post under three flags, and subsequently a national park site in 1994. Today, its facilities have been reinvented as museums, restaurants, hotels, homes, and offices. The Presidio Trust is the federal agency that stewards the Presidio, in partnership with the National Park Service and with support from the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. The Trust sustains the Presidio by leasing homes and workplaces and offering visitor amenities. Learn more at presidio.gov and @presidiosf. 

Media Contact:
Lisa Petrie (415) 264-7787
lpetrie@presidio.gov

Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc / (415) 676-7007 /news@davidperry.com 

SPARK SF Public Schools Celebrates 10th Anniversary
at Asian Art Museum

May 7th “Our City, Our Schools” Gala
spotlighted student talent and civic support for SFUSD

9 May 2025 – San Francisco, CA: On Wednesday, May 7, Spark SF Public Schools marked a major milestone with Our City, Our Schools—a powerful gala celebrating 10 years of impact in support of San Francisco’s public schools. The evening brought together civic leaders, educators, philanthropists, and community champions to honor a decade of partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and to launch a bold new era of investment in student success.

Held at the Asian Art Museum, the celebration spotlighted the measurable gains driven by Spark-funded initiatives and the shared belief in the power of public education to transform lives. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie joined the program on stage with an SFUSD kindergartener, speaking movingly about the city’s responsibility to support its public schools.

The evening opened at 5:30 PM with live jazz from the Lowell High School Jazz Band, and attendees were greeted by “welcome fanfare” from the Korean Immersion Program student choir from Claire Lilienthal Elementary as they ascended the staircase into Samsung Hall, the heart of the celebration.

At 6:30 PM, the formal program began with a commanding performance by the Taiko Drumming Ensemble from the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. The program featured remarks from Ginny Fang, President of Spark SF Public Schools; Mark Reisbaum, Chair of the Spark Board of Trustees; Dr. Maria Su, SFUSD Superintendent; and Mayor Daniel Lurie. A moving video and student spotlights brought Spark’s mission and impact vividly to life.

The audience heard firsthand from inspiring educator-student pairs whose stories reflect the transformative power of Spark’s investments:

• Erik Rice and Andres Melo Moreno, a senior at Independence High School, shared their experience with the “Mission Bay Hub” initiative.
• Ainye Long, alongside Wesley Brooks III, a sophomore at Lowell High School, highlighted the “Black Star Rising” program.
• Kindergarten teacher Georgina Cruz-Martinez and her student Victoria Sanchez gave the audience a glimpse into their classroom’s literacy journey through a powerful video segment.

“Do not doubt for a moment the impact you can have—in our schools, for our students,” said Ginny Fang in her remarks. “This past decade of incredible impact isn’t just Spark’s achievement—it reflects what we, as a community of business leaders, residents, parents, philanthropists, and educators, have accomplished together. Tonight, we launch the next decade together.”

Since its founding in 2015, Spark SF Public Schools has become SFUSD’s trusted philanthropic partner, mobilizing more than $140 million to advance equity, excellence, and innovation in public education. The gala’s theme, Our City, Our Schools, reflects Spark’s enduring commitment to public-private collaboration in service of San Francisco’s students.

The evening concluded with a joyful performance by Mariachi Los Osos from Mission High School—a vibrant finale that embodied the heart, talent, and promise of San Francisco’s public schools.

About SPARK SF Public Schools:
Spark SF Public Schools is the official non-profit 501(c)3 organization in formal partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District to receive and mobilize philanthropic and community funds on behalf of the district, working to ensure every SFUSD student has access to an excellent public education.  Spark leverages philanthropic support to pilot new ventures, propel promising ideas, and scale proven practices across the district. Spark’s work exemplifies the durable impact and collective power of public private partnerships. Learn more at www.sparksfpublicschools.org