David Acosta: an artist, leader and change-maker that inspires our youth

David “Smooth” Acosta is a talented dancer, artist, and self-made activist from Colombia. A founding member of the Breakdance Crew “Black and White” from Comuna 13 in Medellin, David was one of the young change-makers involved in the transformation of Comuna 13 from one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in the city to a famous tourist hub teeming with art, murals, music, and hope.  

David is an important partner and supporter of Lead-Up International, an example to follow for our young people, who, inspired by the social transformation through art that they witnessed during an educational visit to Comuna 13, started their youth collective Urban HeART Guate hoping to bring to change and hope to their own neighbourhood Vista Hermosa, Jocotenango.

When he was 8 years old, David moved from his hometown in La Guajira, Colombia to San Javier, Medellín, also known as Comuna 13. He moved there with his mother and brothers with nothing but the clothes they could carry and the hope for new opportunities and a better life. They arrived in Comuna 13 in the midst of a civil war and widespread violence due to territorial disputes by various groups seeking to gain control over the neighbourhood. David and his family arrived in the Comuna just a few months before the infamous military campaign “Operación Orion” and he soon found himself living in an environment governed by fear and violence. He can still vividly remember having to be escorted by locals every time they went out somewhere, as well as making sure everyone got home before sunset due to unofficial curfews in the neighbourhood.

Yet today Comuna 13 is widely known as a successful story of social and urban transformation: first through urban development projects focused on addressing some of the community's structural problems, including innovative outdoor escalators that span over 1,260 feet (384 m) and address the mobility challenges presented by the area's steep slopes and secondly, due to its inspiring revitalisation and transformation through community-led projects using Urban Art to tell its story of resilience and resurgence.

David and his crew, Black and White, are one of the top attractions on the famous Comuna 13 tours that now draw thousands of tourists a day. They can often be found at the top of the stairs, a space of their own that they fervently fought for, performing their intricate tricks and choreography for curious onlookers. Despite his newfound fame, David recognises that the heart of his group still lies in their shared passion to show the world a different face of their neighbourhood, to teach others that “there was a lot of armed conflict, but from there we draw a light to show people that there is no longer any of that in spite of everything." 

He started dancing when he was 13 through dance lessons organised by city hall soon after the escalators began to be constructed. Despite being interested in dance from a very early age, particularly the urban dance styles he had seen and felt inspired by in movies like Step Up, he never thought he could learn it since he didn’t know anyone who could teach him. Thus, despite being only 3 months long, the classes offered by the local government were a fundamental introduction to the art and to fellow dancers, some of the older and more experienced and who eventually helped him continue to learn and grow in the discipline. This was also the place where he met his fellow crew members and where Black and White first began.

Today, David is not only an internationally recognised break-dancer but also an example and inspiration to many other young people across the world and urban artists like him continue to be the heart of the community-driven transformation that Comuna 13 has seen in recent years. For them, their art is a medium to tell their stories and that of their community, to raise awareness, and to bring light, opportunities, and life to a once-forgotten neighbourhood.

He began dancing when he was 13 years old through classes organised by the mayor's office shortly after the escalators’ construction began. Despite being interested in dance from an early age, in particular the styles of urban dance that he had seen in films like Step Up and was always inspired by, David never thought he could learn how to do it as he did not know anyone who could teach him. For this reason, despite being only 3 months long, the classes offered by the local government were a fundamental introduction to this art and to other dancers, some older than him and with more experience and that were essential in his dance history, eventually helping him continue to learn and grow in the discipline. This was also the space where David met the other members of his crew and where Black and White got its start.

At the end of 2021, David Smooth visited Lead-Up Guatemala where a comuna 13 inspired initiative (Urban HeART Guate) was started by Lead-Up Champions through the third phase of the program, ‘Being the Change’. During his visit, David supported and continued to inspire our youth and participated in a Join-Up through which he was able to personally experience a new form of peaceful leadership. In 2022, David will participate in Lead-Up workshops held in Colombia with youth from Comuna 13 as an inaugural activity to exciting new Lead-Up activities in Colombia.