About Jackie

Jackie “Miss Funk” Lopez is a first-generation Latina Los Angeles native. Jackie  graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA’s Dept. of World Arts and Cultures, with a  concentration in Dance in 2004. Miss Funk found her love for Hip Hop/Street Dance since  the late 90’s and her movement and historical content that she teaches is reflective of her  personal experience as a teacher, professional dancer, choreographer, and  participant/practitioner in Hip Hop and Street Dance culture, in which she has trained  extensively and has served for over 25 yrs. 

Some of her accomplishments are:  

• First Latina Woman to teach and build the Hip Hop/Street Dance curriculum at the  University of Los Angeles (UCLA) 2009 – present 
• Recipient of the Dance Teacher Magazine Honorary Award 2024 
• Recipient of the Hip Hop Impact Achievement Award presented by Ladies of Hip  Hop 2023.  
• Lester Horton Artist Appreciation Award presented by the Dance Resource Center  Los Angeles  

Most recently, Miss Funk served as Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. through the Arts  Envoy Cultural Exchange Program to teach and choreograph at the Suzanne Dellal Centre  in Tel Aviv, Israel. As part of the 3-week residency, Miss Funk was the first woman of color  to choreograph a full Hip Hop/Street Dance piece, while also teaching the history of Hip  Hop/Street Dance culture. Furthermore, Miss Funk has gained respect by entering and  judging several popular battle events, such as; All Styles Judge for Freestyle Session Los  Angeles (2014, 2017 & 2019), Popping Judge for Ladies of Hip-hop NYC and the first woman  judge for Cypher Connection in Tel Aviv, Israel. 

Most notably, Miss Funk is the Co-Founder & Artistic Director of the Organizational Wellness of Versa-Style Street Dance Company (VSDC), a certified 501 (c) (3) non-profit  Hip Hop/Street Dance organization founded in 2005. VSDC’s mission is two-fold; they are  a professional touring Hip Hop & Street Dance company providing dancers from the inner  city the tools to thrive as full dance professionals, while also providing arts programing to  the youth in underserved communities in Los Angeles. Versa-Style Street Dance Company  are recipients of the New England Foundation for the Arts (National Dance Project) and  have performed at prestigious theaters such as the Joyce Theater in NYC, The Ford  Amphitheater in LA and Jacob’s Pillow in MA.  

In addition, Miss Funk appeared in Access Hollywood hosted by Mario Lopez to talk about  Versa-Style’s work in the Los Angeles community and the impact Hip Hop and Street Dance have in the youth of Los Angeles and beyond and The Red Bulletin (Red Bull  Magazine) featured Versa-Style Street Dance Company as “Heroes of the Year” in 2019,  highlighting their commitment to elevating and celebrating Hip Hop/Street Dance Culture  in Los Angeles, nationally and internationally. 

Miss Funk is fascinated by the diverse and rich African-American and Latinx traditions of  the past, while simultaneously presenting the voice of a new generation through its ever evolving interpretations of dance. Most importantly, she is committed to providing our  world with a sincere view of the essence and spirit of Hip Hop/Street Dance rather than the  commercially exploited stereotypes portrayed by the media. Miss Funk is happy to be  invited back to teach at the Bates Dance Festival.