The Push is looking for young battle MCs, poppers and lockers and 4 on 4 breakin¡¯ and jerkin¡¯ crews (aged up to 25 years) to compete in Our Backyard Qualifiers on Sunday September 18 at the Arts Centre (ANZ Pavilion).

Winners will go on to perform at Our Backyard, the ultimate annual free all ages hip hop event at the Arts Centre (Playhouse) on Sunday September 25.

Contestants will be judged on footwork, variety, technique, musicality, style, power, freshness, originality, performance, vocabulary and more. Eligible acts must fill in an application online via The Push website (www.thepush.com.au) before Friday August 26.

Not only is it an opportunity to showcase your talents, perform at one of Melbourne¡¯s premier hip hop events and get connected with the Melbourne hip hop community, you will be able to showcase your skills in front of over 1000 hip hop heads from around Melbourne, perform alongside a stack of talented artists and add one of the Melbourne¡¯s largest venues to your performance CV.

The Push¡¯s Push It Hip Hop Program Coordinator Arna Singleton says: ¡°Not only is Our Backyard one of the most fun community hip hop events on the Melbourne calendar, it¡¯s a wonderful opportunity for professional development for young emerging hip hop artists to perform in an inspiring and supportive setting. The event is not only fun on a recreational level, but an important outlet for cultural expression.¡±

All events are all ages, fully supervised, drug, alcohol and smoke-free.

To apply, for more information or full selection criteria, head to The Push website (www.thepush.com.au) or contact The Push on (03) 9380 1277.