Vision, Mission & Values

Vision: A pocket of Oakland where artists and community members find liberation, express their authentic selves, build genuine connections, and co-create a vibrant culture rooted in reciprocity and joy.

Mission: Home Bass is a co-created community space in Oakland dedicated to nurturing creative expression. We provide a home for artists and community members to collaborate across all forms of art, while recognizing the role of soulful house music and dance culture in bringing this community together. Through a practice of reciprocity and mutual aid, we offer a safe, accessible space for workshops, events, rehearsals, and authentic connection.

Values: authenticity, co-creation, connection, liberation, play, redirection of resources, resistance, safety

Things we’ve done

• Established a physical home and procured essential infrastructure. Securing and furnishing three lofts in Oakland, building a dance floor, outfitting a sound system.
• Hosted a wide range of cultural events – in collaboration with local organizations such Activation Arts Productions, BeMovement Collective, and Embodiment Project – including intimate concerts, film screenings, educational panel talks, and workshops led by visiting international artists.
• Created a consistent hub for local dance communities by establishing regular weekly sessions for House and Hustle dancers to practice and connect.
• Provided direct support to artists by serving as a no-cost temporary home for numerous visitors, offering a reliable rehearsal space for local dance companies, and partnering with other arts organizations to strengthen our creative ecosystem.

Things we hope to do

• Activate more community leaders to join the cause. While Home Bass founders / keepers are space-makers at our core, we are looking for more folks to get involved. We want to inspire and recruit more dancers, educators, community builders, and event organizers with similar values to use Home Bass for their activities.
• Expand our operations team with part-time help for planning and operations, allowing us to host higher-quality events consistently without volunteer burnout.
• Continue to co-create our physical space by engaging local artists to create art for the walls, improving our lighting, and exploring larger projects like ceiling-mounting.
• Pioneer new event / series that are aligned with keepers’ personal interests, like an “each one, teach one series”, and live house music sessions.
• Establish a more consistent and visible calendar of classes, workshops, and events, making it easier for the community to engage with our offerings.
• Re-establish a consistent rhythm for co-working to foster more casual, daytime connection, as if it’s a small community cafe.

Who do we serve?

We serve a vibrant and interconnected community of artists, dancers, musicians, and cultural workers primarily in the Oakland and greater Bay Area. Our core audience is deeply engaged in street and club dance cultures, like house, hustle, waacking, and krump. This includes everyone from internationally recognized teachers to passionate students and newcomers.

Beyond that, our community extends organically through a "friends of friends" model. We are a home for anyone who resonates with our values of co-creation, reciprocity, and authentic expression. While rooted in Black social dance and music, we are intentionally inclusive and welcome all who come with respect and a desire to contribute to a supportive creative ecosystem.

Appendix: a brief history