TEAM LADIES

MEET THE TEAM

Michele Byrd-Mcphee, Executive Director

Michele Byrd-McPhee is the founder and Executive Director of Ladies of Hip-Hop. A street dance activist, Michele has been working for many years to re-contextualize spaces and conversation of Hip-Hop culture along gender, sex, cultural and socio-historical and racial lines for decades along with situating the arts and dance techniques in spaces that honor and acknowledge their roots and the many creative pioneers who have shaped them. This is especially important given the ways in which Black dance (and Hip-Hop especially) has been co-opted into studio appropriation given its community cultural origins.

Michele just wrapped 16-years self-producing Ladies of Hip-Hop's annual festival. It is now in (3) cities across the globe and growing. LOHH Los Angeles, LOHH Toronto and the week-long festival in New York City. LOHH LA and LOHH TO are both done in partnership with other female organizers.

Michele earned her BS from Temple University & an MS in Nonprofit Arts Management from Drexel University. Michele also worked many years in TV and arts production, working as a production coordinator at Brooklyn Academy of Music and then as a Senior Music Coordinator at Late Night with Seth Meyers. Michele currently serves as a Bessie Award Committee Member along with her ongoing commitment as Executive Director for Ladies of Hip-Hop.

Michele has been awarded an Integrated Arts Residency Fellowship grant through University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of the arts and is currently teaching her course, Hip-Hop, Women and the World.