Synopsis:

Organised by non-profit initiative Elevate the Streets (ETS), the 2022 edition of The ETS Jam returns on 10 September 2022, 11.30am - 6pm, with hip hop dance battles, live performances by local DJs and rappers, and virtual reality (VR) graffiti showcases at Projector X: Riverside. The event is open to public, and also features a clothes donation drive for The Kapayapaan Project, a hip-hop organisation supporting and educating underprivileged children and youth in the Philippines.

Established since 2019, The ETS Jam is one of ETS' key events in their mission to enable social impact through street subcultures, such as breakdancing, DJ-ing, graffiti, parkour and more. The local initiative regularly collaborates with people from the street arts scene, schools, youth organisations and social service organisations to deliver a suite of events, workshops and mentorship programmes rooted in street subcultures. In organising this hip-hop festival, the ETS team hopes to raise awareness for their initiative, and attract more volunteers and partners that can enable them to magnify their impact.

- Dance | In the spirit of mentorship and collaboration, The ETS Jam 2022 will feature a dance competition that pairs top-performing participants with a selected list of new, up-and-coming dancers, allowing conversations to happen between different generations of the dance culture.

- Graffiti | From 12pm – 3pm, there will be a VR graffiti showcase by Alot One, a local artist who regularly features in live painting showcases in Singapore and regionally, including at Singapore Street Festival in 2012, 2014 and 2018, "Art from the Streets" exhibition at the ArtScience Museum in 2018, and Aliwal Urban Arts Festival in 2018 and 2019. He will be live drawing and completing a graffiti piece in the metaverse at The ETS Jam, and will also be guiding those who are keen to try their hand at virtual reality art-making at the interactive VR graffiti station.

- Music showcase | There will also be a showcase by homegrown rappers under the Leftmind International - a global entertainment collective with operations based in Singapore - including by San The Wordsmith, a two-time Vans Musician Wanted finalist, as well as TENGY and Kzy - all of whom have recently released singles and mixtapes that were very well-received in the scene.

- Clothing donation drive | Besides food and drinks by The Projector and merchandise and clothing sales by various local brands, there will be a clothing donation drive at The ETS Jam. Members of public are invited to donate new and pre-loved clothes in good condition, and these will be distributed to underprivileged children and youth in the Philippines.

- Panel discussions | There are also panel discussions by ETS and its collaborators and partners – including The Kapayapaan Project, Leftmind International collective and Bethesda Care Services – which will shed light on how these culture creators and changemakers are giving back to the communities that they are in.