- Street Factory
Roots Up! - PLYMOUTH'S BIGGEST HIP HOP FESTIVAL
November 19th 2021 marked an incredible day for the Plymouth community and surrounding areas, our Street Factory family, and even for the wider scale of UK Hip Hop. After months of hard work and rehearsals behind the scenes, and a few pandemic postponements, we finally had the unforgettable opportunity to showcase what we celebrate every day to our amazing community on a huge stage - Hip Hop, our 10 Elements, and our talented people!
Roots Up! was a phenomenal festival of rap, beatboxing, Hip Hop dance, R&B singers, Hip Hop Theatre, spoken word & DJing. We created a breath-taking line-up and platform where everyone could shine: for many it was their debut and the first time on a public stage! #MakingDreams
We even led a Mass Dance that the community loved getting involved in, and many had been rehearsing throughout the year. Give our tutorial a watch here if you want to give our fun and accessible dance moves a go! For the mass dance, we even released our own Street Factory original song and an exclusive music video which was shot around our beautiful city of Plymouth and made possible by Plymouth businesses - Thank you to all those involved. #Legends. Check out the music video here: https://youtu.be/azh87kFHHfc
Roots Up! was an empowering and uplifting event for the whole community: connecting families, young people, and people from all different cultures and walks of life. We were overwhelmed to see everyone connecting, jamming & having fun, fulfilling our overall aim to unite from the ‘roots up’. A beautiful example is 86-Year-Old Hip Hop Hilary, who has reignited her passion for dance and has delved right into Hip Hop Culture with Toby G's mentorship (something she had never done before!). Hilary joined us for the event and performed a Hip Hop duet with our Co-CEO Toby G, after rehearsing at our studio over the past few months. This story was so authentic and inspiring that some of our behind the scenes promotional material went viral on social media! The feedback has been outstanding. People of all ages are inspired and are reaching out to us as they could see Hilary has a new lease of life due to Hip Hop and the Street Factory Family. #WeAreOne
On the night we had a huge, warm, and enthusiastic crowd, who were buzzin’ to join in with the dance moves, interactive showcases & our Hip Hop Elements! We are blessed to say this excitement & buzz has been consistent all the way through the lead-up to the event, resulting in us reaching such a large amount of people through various features in local and national media. This consisted of features in the Daily Mirror, The Stage, BBC, and ITV Radio stations, with Hip Hop Hilary and Toby G featuring in The Sun Newspaper with over 30 million readers, as well local journalism. Also, a highlight for the Street Factory crew was appearing on ITV West Country, BBC Spotlight, BBC Radio Devon, and BBC Radio 4's 'Front Row' Programme which is regarded as "the forefront of Art's journalism". We have also featured on Plymouth Live, Plymouth Herald and appearing on Greatest Hits Radio Plymouth and PTown Radio.
We have reached diverse groups of people and have brought Hip Hop Culture, live music, performing arts, humanity, creativity, and fun to the community through Roots Up!. The feedback proves just that: "Thank you for such an amazing opportunity... was worth it because STF helps you grow your confidence, and you believe in us. I’m so grateful, it’s what I needed, and I appreciate you... I feel like I’m alive again, I feel like I’m me, and I need to dance to be free" - Anon We also showcased the impressive talent of Plymouth and Street Factory, creating a pride in the city 100%: "Last night was more than being about dance and music it was about the fire and passion that goes into the talent you all showed last night." - Anon
Finally, and most importantly, the huge Success of Roots Up! and the impact it has made would not have been possible without YOU; our funders and the Street Factory family...
Big Respect to...
Our Co-Founders Toby G & Jo for their vision and making Roots Up happen
Our artists and performers - you were all phenomenal, and your passion for your craft is beautiful to witness, and we are so proud of your talent
Our funders and stakeholders, without you, our event would not have been possible
Our volunteers - your hard work does not go unnoticed
Matt James Media for filmmaking and capturing our show so incredibly and authentically
Our Time to Shine Digital Marketing Manager Flo for the branding, promo material and designs on all marketing channels
Our amazing community for all their love and support
We See You - We Value You - We Appreciate You. Thank you & Big Respect. Peace & Love, Street Factory More on Roots Up! https://www.facebook.com/stfactorycic
