Mississauga’s Urban Arts Festival Returns

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Published April 21, 2014 at 12:05 am

behaviour

BEHAVIOUR, Mississauga’s foremost urban arts festival, returns with another installment on Saturday, May 3rd as a part of Mississauga’s contribution to Rebel week; a Canada wide, youth-led festival of creative expression and community involvement. 

BEHAVIOUR 2014 will take place at the Mississauga Valley Community Centre. Admission is free to all ages. It will include an opening ceremony conducted by Eddie Robinson, a renowned member of Canada’s First Nations community, the unveiling of a special urban art mural commissioned by The City of Mississauga, live music provided by Slakah the Beatchild and ESCALATE!, a “416 vs. 905” all-styles dance battle open to GTA high school students, and a high energy, dynamic, club-style party. 

All of these activities will be surrounded by arts workshops, memorable discussions by key speakers on a MiWay transit bus, and a market place featuring some of the best independent vendors in Mississauga.

BEHAVOUR 2014 will be a multi-faceted celebration of urban art within Mississauga. It will commemorate Mississauga’s 40th anniversary as a vibrant city, pay tribute to 40 years of original Hip-Hop culture, and celebrate the 10 year anniversary of “The Word Project”; an original, multi-platform arts event which was hailed as one of the catalysts for Mississauga’s new focus on youth. 

Discussing the idea behind BEHAVIOUR as an urban arts festival, executive producer Marcel “Frost” DaCosta says, “The intention of Behaviour as an urban arts festival is to inspire the vibrant imaginations of youth, and re-ignite the memories of an older audience. Since the mid-2000s, Behaviour has become an opportunity for re-framing stereotypes of urban culture within the suburbs, as well as educating the public on its creative background and positive influence.”

BEHAVIOUR as an urban arts festival began in the summer of 2009 and took place within Mississauga’s Civic Square, the area that is now Celebration Square. The event was a partnership supported and launched by the former Mississauga Office of Arts and Culture (now the Culture Division). BEHAVIOUR was produced by Ground illusionz, one of Canada’s most reputable B-Boy crews, and independent concert promoter Bushra Mahmood 

The all-day event was a collaboration of multiple arts disciplines including: music (Slakah The Beatchild, Turntable Monks, The Identity Crisis, Mindbender), dance (Boogie Brats, Bag Of Trix, Ground illusionz) and visual art in the form of graffiti murals (Slon, Phade).

The future is bright for BEHAVIOUR and its team of producers. BEHAVIOUR will remain a catalyst for unifying and bridging the gap between urban arts & culture and traditional & contemporary heritage communities in Mississauga and across the country. BEHAVIOUR intends on preserving and progressing the efforts and lifestyles of hardworking, genuine urban arts practitioners who remain authentic with their crafts.

Additional information on BEHAVIOUR and BEHAVIOUR 2014 can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/behaviourmississauga.

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