Respect! DanceFest Weekly with Boogaloo Dana

SFIHHDF Founder Micaya and Board member Brandy Beazley talk to esteemed dance artists from around the world. Topics include performances in the SFIHHDF, choreography, artistry, challenges of being a dance professional, and other dance related themes.

Boogaloo Dana, co-founding member of the legendary crew Medea Sirkas, is a pioneer, historian, and activist for the Boogaloo style of dance—an art form that predates hip hop. Born in West Oakland, he began dancing in 1972, shaping a style influenced by icons such as Little Dion, James Brown, Derick Lovings, Alfred Jones, John Murphy, Tony Newsome, and the animated energy of cartoons.

As co-director of Medea Sirkas, Dana has spent decades pushing the boundaries of street dance while preserving its roots, inspiring generations with his precision, creativity, and electrifying stage presence.

His passion and discipline have earned him some of the culture’s highest honors, including the Minister of Culture Award (2019), a Lifetime Achievement Award for Demon of the Mind (2022), induction into the Hip-Hop Archives Hall of Fame with Medea Sirkas (2023), and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Medea Sirkas (2024).

A true innovator and cultural guardian, Boogaloo Dana continues to embody the spirit of street dance—always “keeping it street.”