THESE PERFORMANCES TOOK PLACE ON OCTOBER 29 & 30, 2022

New York-based artist collective Whoop Dee Doo (WDD) creates performances riffing on TV variety shows, Do-It-Yourself aesthetics, and All-Ages fun. They built a new show for a live studio audience on Halloween weekend, lifting the curtain on Saturday, October 29, 2022 and Sunday, October 30, 2022 at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture (FMCAC). Participants came in costumes or come as they were to join this live TV production in the Cowell Theater. FMCAC’s and WDD’s friends at the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) captured everyone’s good sides in the broadcast feed — and on Halloween night, BAVC aired the final cut on their public access station, SF Commons TV!

The Whoop Dee Doo artists work with local youth groups to develop unique show themes, sets, costuming, and line-ups of participating performers for each project. For this San Francisco presentation, Whoop Dee Doo joined young collaborators from the Boys & Girls Club of San Francisco, the Galileo High School Futurama Program, and Sunset Youth Services to create a Halloween experience for the whole family.

Headlining performers included Bolivia Corazón de América, David Hardiman’s San Francisco All Star Big Band, and the Oakland, CA-based dance organization TURFinc.

Whoop Dee Doo documented the show’s development at Whoop Dee Doo’s Instagram page (@whoopdeedooshow) and FMCAC’s social feeds.

Free Admission

About The Artists
Whoop Dee Doo. An artist-led project based in Brooklyn, NY, Whoop Dee Doo (www.whoopdeedoo.org) creates installations and live performances through partner museums, galleries, arts organizations, festivals, and universities. Each project engages the partner organization’s immediate communities to work closely with young people and non-profit groups; together, they research, conceive, and create site-specific programming. The Whoop Dee Doo process emphasizes collaboration, works to amplify unique community voices, and seeks to initiate a cross-generational dialogue.

Since 2006, Whoop Dee Doo has created more than 50 large-scale projects for organizations including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA); The Smart Museum; Loyal (Sweden); POP Montreal; The Contemporary (Baltimore); and Knockdown Center (Queens). Whoop Dee Doo has created educational programming with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Art21, Abrons Art Center, Franklin Furnace, and The Museum of Art & Design (all in NYC); Fondation Phi pour l’art contemporain (Montreal); and The Contemporary (Baltimore), among many others. Whoop Dee Doo has received a Franklin Furnace Grant, an Abrons Arts Center Fellowship, and was an artist-in-residence at Artist Alliance and the High Line (NYC). Whoop Dee Doo is a featured artist project in Art21’s documentary series New York Close Up.

About The Performers
Bolivia Corazón De América (BCA) with artistic director, Isidro Fajardo. BCA was formed to connect Bolivian-American children to their heritage, showcasing Bolivia’s rich and varied culture. BCA educates audiences through various innovative and professional performances, often re-creating Bolivian dances by taking on innovative approaches to ancient and rare forms. www.bcadance.com

David Hardiman’s San Francisco All Star Big Band. David Hardiman’s San Francisco All Star Big Band professionals have performed, recorded, traveled, and associated with such notables as Tony Bennett, “Dizzy” Gillespie, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Ray Charles, Freddie Hubbard, and Sun Ra, among others. Collectively they have performed all over the world. David Hardiman is a trumpet player, educator, bandleader, composer, community activist, Local 6 Life Member, and leader/director of the San Francisco All Star Big Band. davidhardiman.webs.com

The TURFinc, with founder Johnny Anthony Lopez. TURFinc’s mission is to spread the original dance culture of TURF movement — an art form established in Oakland, CA — and to use it as a positive platform for dancers, youth, and community members in Oakland and across the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Johnny Anthony Lopez (better known as “Johnny5”), TURFinc serves as a platform for inner-city kids to learn the fundamentals of TURF dancing and offers them an engaging, exciting way to excel. The overall goal of TURFinc is to take this powerful dance style into positive environments where experienced and developing dancers have the opportunity to showcase their skills and share their stories with a broader audience. www.theturfinc.com

About The Collaborators
Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco. Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco (BGCSF) inspires and enables all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. BGCSF provides high-quality programs and support services that allow club members to leave the club at age 18 “ready for life,” focusing on four essential program areas: academic success, healthy lifestyles, good character and community engagement, and job readiness. www.kidsclub.org

Galileo High School Futurama Program. The Galileo Academy of Science and Technology provides students with career pathways in biotechnology, environmental science, health, hospitality and tourism, computer science, and creative media technology. The Futurama After-School Program at Galileo Academy provides a variety of free, on-campus academic and enrichment activities. All programs are free of cost and open to all Galileo students and all activities take place on-campus under adult supervision. Whoop Dee Doo works with Jamon Tyus, Cross Programs Art Specialist, alongside Galileo students. www.sfusd.edu/school/galileo-academy-science-technology/student-life/futurama

Sunset Youth Services. The mission of Sunset Youth Services is to foster long-term stability and growth for systems-impacted youth, young adults, and families through caring relationships and supportive services. This goal is based on the simple belief that youth are inherently worthy of dignity and respect and have the potential to positively contribute to their communities when their real needs are met. Sunset Youth Services healing-centered approach to youth development helps recognize that their young people are active agents in the creation of their own well-being and, given the opportunity and resources, have the power to address the roots of their own trauma. www.sunsetyouthservices.org

Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC). BAVC Media is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area and across the country, serving several thousand freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year. BAVC Media provides access to media making technology, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, services, and resources. BAVC Media advocates for those whose stories aren’t being told, and provides the resources for anyone to create and share and amplify their stories and those of their communities. BAVC Media’s diverse, innovative programs lead the field in media training for youth and educators, technology and multimedia focused workforce development, visually-driven new media storytelling, and audio-visual preservation. bavc.org

 All Fort Mason Art Programs are generously supported by San Francisco Grants for The Arts and the FMCAC Board of Directors.