Ben Donner is a Santa Rosa native who has been pursuing street dance for 8 years. He has focused on styles such as Popping, Waving, Tutting, and Animation for 4 years, as well as dabbling in Locking and Turfing. Ben is a part of the Norcal and Bay Area Dance Community, participating in dance battles, competitions, and showcases. Ben started on a local dance team “Auxiliary Dance Team” as their youngest member of 17, eventually becoming an Assistant Director and Choreographer, performing for his first time on a big stage at “World of Dance – Bay Area” in 2019. With the help of his mentor, Kyle Mitchell, Ben has pushed to understand and dive deeper into street styles and build his technique. Ben’s battle career has taken him to semis and finals in several dance battles in the Bay Area, and being highlighted in top 16 and up in areas such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, Cleveland, and Atlanta. By engaging with dancers in other communities and actively participating in dance battles/events, he has become a member of his Santa Rosa native dance crew, “Karpool Gang”, and an International Popping Crew, “Funny Bones”, based in Los Angeles. Ben’s love for street styles and wanting to give back to the community, he has taught at various studios in the local area, and was given the opportunity to teach at “Millenium Dance Complex” in Salt Lake City. With the knowledge he has learned, Ben is pushing to help the youth to see Hip Hop in a new light and help students understand the importance of group and individual creativity, the techniques that shape the dance, and the hard work it takes to become an artist within movement