KHOU & CultureMap

Swatting down Kanye West: It's hip hop for a good cause in Houston — break dancing lessons included

If the lyrics of the latest diatribe Kanye West calls a hip hop album has you running for cover, know that there's a different type of street art that abstains from dirty lyrics and violent messages to instead inspire kids to be better people.

That's the kind of activities that prevail at the Break Free Community Center, a volunteer-based hub located at 9191 Winkler Dr. that draws attention to hip hop culture's positive tenets: Peace, love and unity.

Among the leadership of the center is executive director Moises "Moy" Rivas, a Milby High School graduate who served as a caseworker for Youth Advocates; assistant director Rob Trevino, who attended Texas A&M University and is a fulltime professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at Houston Community College; and program director Jeremy Pena, the main break dancing instructor at Break Free.

" It's about spreading the message of an art form that, for many, is life changing."

Pena, 22, is also one of 16 entrants and one of two Houston b-boys that will compete in the North American Finals of the Red Bull BC One, a one-on-one break dancing competition set for 9 p.m. Saturday at Warehouse Live.

After four rounds, which will be streamed live online, the North American champion will be crowned, a title that includes an invitation to perform in the World Finals held in South Korea in the fall.

"Winning a competition like this will for sure increase my profile in the world of b-boy dancing," Pena says. "But being a part of the competition isn't about winning. It's about spreading the message of an art form that, for many, is life changing."

What Pena is really after is raising awareness about the work at Break Free, which has launched a $25,000 crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to underwrite the construction of more classrooms so the group can serve their growing number of pupils.

More specifically, the contributions will foot the bill for appropriate flooring, new mirrors, a new sound system, wall build-outs, electrical work, fitness training equipment and sound proofing that together will enable Break Free to offer more flagship dance classes, add multi-media and electronic arts to its curriculum and provide fitness opportunities so members can maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Watch the CultureMap's segment on KHOU Ch. 11 for more:

Jeremy Pena conducting a dance class at the Break Free Community Center.

CultureMap Moment with Joel Luks on Lessons from break dancing August 2013 KHOU

Photo courtesy of KHOU Houston Channel 11

Jeremy Pena conducting a dance class at the Break Free Community Center.

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Concert News

Singer Conan Gray coming to Houston on 2026 world tour

Photo by Dillon Matthew Campbell

Conan Gray will play at Dickies Arena on March 10, 2026.

Singer-songwriter Conan Gray will follow up his 2025 Wishbone Pajama Show Tour with the Wishbone World Tour in 2026, which will include a stop at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Tuesday, March 10.

The limited, 19-city 2025 tour will be more than doubled by the 42-city global run, which kicks off on February 19 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to Fort Worth, Gray will play in Houston on March 11.

The tour starts in North America before heading to Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, with dates scheduled over the course of eight months, ending October 8. He will be joined by special guest Esha Tewari on all dates.

Gray is touring in support of his fourth studio album, Wishbone, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Album Sales chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 when it came out on August 15, marking the highest chart debut and biggest sales week of his career.

The singer, who spent his teenage years in Georgetown, Texas, has maintained a steady popularity despite only one of his songs - "Heather" in 2020 — making onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Fans can participate in the artist presale by signing up at conangray.lnk.to/tour through October 21. The presale begins on October 23; no codes are needed and anyone who signs up can join the sale.

The general onsale will begin on Friday, October 24 at 9 am local time.

CONAN GRAY: WISHBONE WORLD TOUR DATES

Thu Feb 19 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
Sat Feb 21 – Fishers, IN – Fishers Event Center
Mon Feb 23 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Wed Feb 25 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Fri Feb 27 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Sat Feb 28 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
Mon Mar 02 – Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
Wed Mar 04 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
Fri Mar 06 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Sat Mar 07 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center
Tue Mar 10 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Wed Mar 11 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Fri Mar 13 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
Mon Mar 16 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Wed Mar 18 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
Fri Mar 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Tue May 5 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
Thu May 7 – Birmingham, UK – bp Pulse LIVE
Sat May 9 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sun May 10 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Tue May 12 – London, UK – O2 Arena
Thu May 14 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Ziggo Dome
Fri May 15 – Antwerp, BE – AFAS Dome
Sat May 16 – Dusseldorf, DE – Mitsubishi Electric Halle
Mon May 18 – Paris, FR – Adidas Arena
Thu May 21 – Hamburg, DE – Sporthalle
Sat May 23 – Oslo, NO – Unity Arena
Mon May 25 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
Tue May 26 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
Thu May 28 – Berlin, DE – Max-Schmeling-Halle
Fri May 29 – Krakow, PL – Tauron Arena
Sun May 31 – Prague, CZ – O2 Universum
Mon June 1 – Vienna, AT – Wiener Stadthalle
Wed June 3 – Bergamo, IT – ChorusLife Arena
Sat June 6 – Madrid, ES – Palacio Vistalegre
Sun June 7 – Lisbon, PT – MEO Arena
Sat Sept 26 – Auckland, NZ – Spark Arena
Tue Sept 29 – Brisbane, AU – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Thu Oct 1 – Sydney, AU – Qudos Bank Arena
Sat Oct 3 – Melbourne, AU – Rod Laver Arena
Mon Oct 5 – Adelaide, AU – Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Thu Oct 8 – Perth, AU – RAC Arena

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