In the Twin Cities art scene this weekend, a dance festival in St. Paul celebrates Minnesota’s hip-hop legacy, spotlighting women artists, choreographers and krump dancers. Over on Rice Street, the Asian Street Food Night Market brings together more than 35 vendors alongside emerging Asian musicians and dance troupes.

In Minneapolis, the Somali Museum launches its first summer festival with art workshops and performances by Somali artists on Lake Street. Meanwhile, Queermunity hosts a screening of short films by Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and queer filmmakers.

Dance battles, cyphers and hip-hop at new street dance festival

Krump battles, live graffiti, hip-hop performances and cypher workshops are at the heart of The Sota Movement’s three-day street dance festival in St. Paul this weekend. 

Founded by south Minneapolis dancer and choreographer Maia Maiden, The Sota Movement grew out of more than a decade of organizing and creating platforms to celebrate established and up-and-coming hip-hop choreographers. In 2009, Maiden first launched “Rooted: A Hip-Hop Choreographer’s Evening” at Patrick’s Cabaret in south Minneapolis to meet a growing community need.

“Over time, as a dancer and choreographer, I noticed a lack of a few things,” Maiden said. “First, a lack of opportunities for people who practice hip-hop and street-style dance, little to no Black and brown people representing hip-hop, and a lack of women on stage.”

That first show eventually led to the founding of Maia Maiden Productions in 2009 and the launch of the street dance festival, now in its second year. 

For Maiden, hip-hop is more than just music and dance — it’s a form of creative intelligence expressed through rhythm, movement and art.

“Hip-hop is innovation,” Maiden said. “If you think about all the elements of hip-hop — DJs, MCs, dancers, graffiti artists — it’s all intelligent movement.” 

This year’s festival begins Friday, June 13 with “The Gathering,” an evening celebrating women in hip-hop. Hosted by St. Paul artist Lt. Sunnie, the event includes a cypher workshop led by rapper and former U.S. hip-hop ambassador Toni Blackman with music by south Minneapolis DJ Michel Be. 

Saturday’s “Uprizing” event, co-hosted by Ololade “Gambit” Gbadamosi-Alashe and Herbert “Fair Warning” Johnson III of the Minnesota Krump Movement, features five exhibition krump battles and a tournament with a $1,000 prize. Dance workshops will cover Afro-Caribbean and hip-hop dance techniques. 

The festival wraps up on Sunday with Maiden’s “Rooted: Hip-Hop Choreographer’s Evening.” The showcase features performances by local, national and international dancers, including Congolese hip-hop dancer Brotha E., Los Angeles-based rapper Daisy, Chicago dancer Amirah Sackett, Minneapolis artist Se’Anna on da Mic. 

“Show up and show out in solidarity,” Maiden said. “I know we’re living in scary and uncertain times but the arts is where you can rest that uncertainty. The arts is where you can find some joy in this time where joy is trying to be stripped away from us.” 

Film series explores queer and BIPOC stories

Atlas of Blackness, a grassroots group supporting Black foster youth, will present “The Resistance & Joy Screening Tour” at Queermunity. The program features short documentaries by filmmakers of color exploring identity, family and the queer experience.

The films include Shiva Krish’s “Amma’s Pride,” about a South Indian mother and her trans daughter; Janet Chen’s exploration of her Asian heritage and relationship with her mother; India Martin’s “Out of Focus” on Black queer life; Marcellus Armstrong’s “Talking Walls” on Black queer spaces; Rashaad Newsome’s “Hands Performance” integrating dance, sign language and Afrofuturist aesthetics to celebrate Black and queer expression; and M. Kaleipumehana Cabral’s “Ka ʻāʻumeʻume: Navigating Home” shares Native Hawaiian experiences.

Somali Summer Festival launches with live music and art workshops

The Somali Museum of Minnesota will host its first Somali Summer Festival on Sunday, featuring live music, arts workshops, and a market spotlighting emerging Somali artists. 

The lineup includes performances by the Somali Museum Dance Troupe, Bashir Jaawi, Deeqa Bilan, Bilal Yare, and Ilkacase Qays. Visitors can participate in lithography, dance, calligraphy, beading, painting and Somali weaving activities. Additional activities include balloon art, face-painting and caricature portraits. Food will be available from Mi’aawaa Bakery & Coffee Cart and Oasis Midtown Grill.

Asian street food festival features local artists and cinema

The Asian Street Food Night Market returns this weekend with more than 35 food vendors serving everything from seafood and sushi to Thai food, tacos, and spicy papaya salad. 

The festival also features 18 art vendors, an outdoor screening of “Kung Fu Hustle” and live performances by emerging Hmong rappers, Indian dancers, Japanese drummers, EDM and hip-hop DJs, and more. 

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