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David Acosta: un artista, líder y generador de cambios que inspira a nuestra juventud

David “Smooth” Acosta es un talentoso bailarín, artista y activista colombiano. Miembro fundador del Crew de Breakdance "Black and White" de la Comuna 13 en Medellín, Colombia. David es uno de los jóvenes agentes de cambio que contribuyeron a la transformación de la Comuna 13, la cual paso de ser uno de los barrios más peligrosos de Medellín a ser un famoso centro turístico repleto de arte, murales, música y esperanza.

David es un socio y amigo importante de Lead-Up International, un ejemplo a seguir para nuestros jóvenes, quienes, inspirados por la transformación social a través del arte que presenciaron durante una visita educativa a la Comuna 13, iniciaron su colectivo juvenil Urban HeART Guate esperando llevar cambio y esperanza a su propio barrio en Vista Hermosa, Jocotenango.

Cuando tenía 8 años, David se mudó de su ciudad natal en La Guajira, Colombia a San Javier, Medellín, también conocida como Comuna 13. Se mudó allí con su madre y sus hermanos sin nada más que la ropa que podían cargar y la esperanza de nuevas oportunidades y una mejor vida. Llegaron a la Comuna 13 en medio de una guerra civil y violencia generalizada a causa de disputas territoriales por parte de diversos grupos que buscaban obtener control sobre el barrio. David y su familia llegaron a la comuna apenas unos meses antes de la infame campaña militar “Operación Orión” y pronto se encontró viviendo en un ambiente gobernado por el miedo y la violencia. El aun puede recordar vívidamente tener que ser escoltado por lugareños cada vez que salían a algún lado, así como asegurarse de que todos llegaran a casa antes del atardecer debido a los toques de queda no oficiales que regían en el vecindario. 

Sin embargo, hoy en día Comuna 13 es ampliamente conocida como una exitosa historia de transformación social y urbana: primero a través de proyectos de desarrollo urbano enfocados en abordar algunos de los problemas estructurales de la comunidad, incluidas unas innovadoras escaleras eléctricas al aire libre que abarcan más de 1260 pies (384 m) y que abordaron los desafíos de movilidad presentados por las empinadas laderas del área y en segundo lugar, debido a su inspiradora revitalización y transformación a través de proyectos liderados por la comunidad que utilizan el Arte Urbano para contar su historia de resiliencia y resurgimiento.

David y su crew, Black and White, son una de las principales atracciones de los famosos recorridos de la Comuna 13 que ahora atraen a miles de turistas por día. A menudo se los puede encontrar en lo más alto de las escaleras, un espacio propio por el que lucharon fervientemente, realizando sus intrincados trucos y coreografías para los curiosos espectadores. A pesar de su nueva fama, David reconoce que el corazón de su grupo todavía yace en su pasión compartida por mostrarle al mundo una cara diferente de su vecindario, para enseñarle a otros que “si hubo mucho conflicto armado, pero de ahí sacamos una luz para demostrar a la gente que ya no hay nada de eso a pesar de todo.”

El comenzó a bailar cuando tenía 13 años a través de clases organizadas por la alcaldía poco después de que las escaleras eléctricas comenzaran. A pesar de estar interesado en la danza desde muy temprana edad, en particular los estilos de danza urbana que había visto en películas como Step Up y por los cuales siempre se sintió inspirado, David nunca pensó que podría aprender a hacerlo ya que no conocía a nadie quien pudiera enseñarle. Por esto, a pesar de tener solo 3 meses de duración, las clases ofrecidas por el gobierno local fueron una introducción fundamental a este arte y a otros bailarines, algunos más grandes que el y con más experiencia y que fueron esenciales en su historia de baile pues eventualmente lo ayudaron a seguir aprendiendo y creciendo en la disciplina. Este fue también el espacio donde David conoció a los otros miembros de su crew y donde Black and White tuvo sus inicios.

Hoy, David no solo es un bailarín de break dance reconocido internacionalmente, sino también un ejemplo e inspiración para muchos otros jóvenes en todo el mundo. Los artistas urbanos como él continúan siendo el corazón de la transformación impulsada por la comunidad que Comuna 13 ha visto en los últimos años. Para ellos, su arte es un medio para contar sus historias y las de su comunidad, crear conciencia y traer luz, oportunidades y vida a un barrio que alguna vez estuvo en el olvido. 

A fines de 2021, David Smooth visitó Lead-Up Guatemala, donde Lead-Up Champions iniciaron una iniciativa inspirada en la comuna 13 (Urban HeART Guate) como parte de la tercera fase del programa de Lead-Up, ‘Siendo el Cambio’. Durante su visita, David apoyó y siguió inspirando a nuestra juventud y participó en un Join-Up a través del cual pudo experimentar personalmente una nueva forma de liderazgo pacífico. En 2022, David participará en talleres de preparación que se llevarán a cabo en Colombia con jóvenes de la Comuna 13 como actividad inaugural de nuevas y emocionantes actividades de preparación en Colombia.

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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.  

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First Blog Post! 1 May 2021

This is what’s going on with Lead-Up Guatemala:

You know that Lead-Up strives to break cycles of violence and poverty by creating young leaders who are emotionally stable, assertive and peaceful, through innovative workshops with horses.

Now, thanks to our Vocational program, the Champions Centre for Youth and the Lead-Up Champions Youth Movement, all models for social responsibility and entrepreneurship, Lead-Up Champions are planting seeds of hope and promoting social transformation in Jocotenango, an under served community here in Guatemala.

Through tourism and artistic initiatives, our Guatemala Lead-Up Champions aim to reduce and prevent violence, create social cohesion and opportunities that will benefit their families and their community as a whole, both financially and emotionally.

We will be posting more news soon!

This is what’s going on with Lead-Up Guatemala:

You know that Lead-Up strives to break cycles of violence and poverty by creating young leaders who are emotionally stable, assertive and peaceful, through innovative workshops with horses.

Now, thanks to our Vocational program, the Champions Centre for Youth and the Lead-Up Champions Youth Movement, all models for social responsibility and entrepreneurship, Lead-Up Champions are planting seeds of hope and promoting social transformation in Jocotenango, an under served community here in Guatemala.

Through tourism and artistic initiatives, our Guatemala Lead-Up Champions aim to reduce and prevent violence, create social cohesion and opportunities that will benefit their families and their community as a whole, both financially and emotionally. We will be posting more news soon!

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Blog Post Two 2 May 2021

It all begins with an idea.

On the Lead-Up Cultural Exchange to Comuna 13, Medellín in April, 2021:

We can’t get enough of this interview that Yorman Vega conducted with Joel Chaverra; a founder of Black and White and pivotal in the transformation of Comuna 13, Medellín

What is your artistic name?

- My name is Joel Andrés Chaverra

What is your job?

- I’m a dancer for ‘Black and White’ (Dance Crew Comuna 13, Medellín, Colombia), and I work in Tourism.

How has art changed you as a person?

And how do you see the world now?

- Nice question.

Well personally I feel that TRANSFORMATION THROUGH ART HELPS TO TRANSFORM US IN A GREAT WAY. As an individual; well before I did not think about the big things, now I think about them, I did not have the perspectives or ideologies that I have now.

As such I have obtained a lot of maturity not only for dance but for art in general. My life has had the transformation that I always wanted.

Did you ever think that art could transform your life?

- The truth is that I have always had that thought, that desire that it would happen. Thank God, little by little we are building and working to achieve it, yes, since I was little, art has been present.

What do you think Comuna 13 would be like now without your art or that of others in the community?

- Good question. Well we are people who provide a lot of art there in Comuna 13, Without my group, the art would still be there. Of course we are the focus of dance.

If you go to Comuna 13, from the moment you enter the tour you will find the four elements of hip hop: MCing, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. The only group that represents Hip Hop dance is breakdance; It is Black and White. Art would always be there, my group just gives it a much needed spark.

We come from a program called Lead-Up.

Lead-Up helps young people to DISCOVER AND MANAGE EMOTIONS, so the question is:

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK IT IS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO CHANNEL AND EXPRESS THOSE EMOTIONS IN ART?

- Personally, art is the most beautiful thing. Whether dancing, painting, singing, drawing. WE CHANNEL OUR ENERGIES, OUR EMOTIONS, OUR LIFE FORCE.

We express ourselves in a simpler way or a more empirical way because A CHANNEL IS BORN IN WHICH WE EXPRESS WHAT WE FEEL.

How do you think people have influenced you?

- On the journey it took, yes there are many people who have influenced me in a good way.

The good vibes that I transmit and the security that that transmits, when I am doing what I like the most, is something that fills my family with pride. It feels very good that I am growing in what I really like.

In the community many children walk in the street, neglecting the things of value such as studies; I teach them what I do and like and take the opportunity to mentor them.

WHY ARE THE ARTS SO IMPORTANT TO PREVENTING AND REDUCING VIOLENCE IN UNDER SERVED COMMUNITIES?

- I HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO HAVE LEFT BEING ON THE STREETS IN THIS BEAUTIFUL WAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SOME ART OF DANCE, RAP, PAINTING, ETC.

AND WHEN YOU FALL IN LOVE YOUR MIND DOES NOT STOP THINKING ABOUT THAT. Many have been drug addicts and I know art has helped them to CLEAR THEIR MINDS, TO THINK ABOUT PROGRESS.

To get to the point of the previous question they also express what many people feel they can’t. Before they chose to be in a bad life but THEY FELT THAT IT WAS THE ONLY OPTION OR IT WAS THE ONLY WAY OUT, BUT ART HAS SHOWN THEM OTHERWISE.

What is your most important contribution that you have given to your community?

- It is only one thing, it is the guidance I give so that each child wants to learn. I will always be available to teach.

LEAD-UP is a program that helps young people ... At risk of falling into drugs, gangs in their community etc ... IT HELPS YOUTH CHANNEL EMOTIONS THROUGH WORKSHOPS WITH HORSES AND THROUGH ART. What is your position on the problems in your community? What is the greatest virtue/tool that helped create change in Comuna 13?

- The greatest tool that Comuna 13 has had is ART AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSION. The community's BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS WHEN PEOPLE WERE SILENT, WHEN PEOPLE DID NOT EXPRESS THEMSELVES, when people did not have the strength to say "HEY IT IS THE HOUR OF THE REVOLUTION, IT’S TIME TO STOP AND SAY NO”

So how art has helped to express all the emotions in any of those 4 elements that we have has been very important. Art in Comuna 13; art is everything. There is no museum open here, the open, living museum is the heart of the people. You see the life of a person in Comuna 13 and how it has changed

If you were to come to Guatemala, what do you think your main contribution would be?

- More than a cultural contribution, I would give an emotional contribution because I know what it is to live a bad life, what it is to witness bad things.

So believe me, that one of my best contributions would be to share that we are simply people who like art. And to take that simplicity that we have and give it value to anyone, not just a youth who is on the wrong track, but anyone who wants to learn from our art, to be willing to teach, to promote.

What advice would you give someone who is at risk of falling into the wrong direction?

- The bad life; sometimes one believes that it is very ‘chimba’ (cool), that it is good, that nobody tells you what to do, you do what you want,

THERE IS SOMETHING GREATER THAN ALL THAT, IT IS THE POWER TO SO EVERYTHING YOU WANT BUT IN GOOD FAITH, EXPRESSING JOY, EXPRESSING HOW YOU FEEL, BEING ABLE TO TRANSFORM.

Because I believe that if one is blind at some point in life, one will always need a person to open their eyes. What can we tell them is that THERE IS SOMETHING BIGGER THAN US . THAT THE THING IS TO LOOK FOR IT AND FIGHT FOR IT. WE KNOW THAT NOTHING COMES EASILY, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT IS NOT THERE.

Thank you very much Joel

- It was a pleasure, thank you for being a person who transforms lives in the community!

On a road trip with Lead-Up Champions Yorman, Flekos, Denilson and with Joel and Smooth in Guatepé, Colombia

On a road trip with Lead-Up Champions Yorman, Flekos, Denilson and with Joel and Smooth in Guatepé, Colombia

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