Kravis Classroom Connection Hosts FIVE DAYS WITH STEP AFRIKA Presentation

Recently, The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts hosted the Five Days with Step Afrika! virtual presentation as part of the Kravis Classroom Connection. The five online performances highlight the history of stepping, two acts of the full performance, a stepping tutorial and a chance to learn more about the cast members of Step Afrika!

Step Afrika! is a dance company dedicated to the African-American tradition of stepping. It is a non-profit organization that tours nationally and internationally, presents residencies and workshops worldwide and uses stepping as an educational tool.

Students were asked to identify the unique qualities in the dances that Step Afrika! performs by looking and listening to their everyday surroundings. They were also encouraged to choreograph their own dance routine using repeating movements, patterns or steps to make music with their bodies similar to how the Step Afrika! performers create their routines. This curriculum introduced the students to communicating through art and without words.

"For over 25 years, the company has performed and taught stepping in over 40 countries across the globe and Step Afrika! is one of the largest African-American dance companies in the world today," said Tracy Butler, Director of Education for the Kravis Center. "In light of the pandemic, we designed our online offerings to provide adults and children with additional learning opportunities through virtual platforms."

Launched virtually during the pandemic, Kravis Classroom Connection helps students and teachers bring the arts into their classrooms in a fun and engaging way. The performances follow topics in math, science, technology, arts, history and social studies and range from grades K to 12. This innovative virtual series offers prerecorded presentations for teachers and students to view from a designated district-approved streaming platform.

"The Kravis Center is exploring new ways to keep the arts in our homes and employing virtual programs is an effective way to reach this goal," continued Butler. "Since 1992, the Kravis Center has welcomed nearly 3 million students served by a multitude of different arts education programs that take place at the Kravis Center and throughout our local schools."

Through the Kravis Classroom Connection program, the Kravis Center is taking the opportunity to celebrate Black History by featuring multiple presentations each month to help educate younger generations by offering diverse perspectives to spark meaningful conversations.

Performances for Kravis Classroom Connection will be available to view for one week with two live Q&A sessions with a member of the company at the end of each week, running through the school year. Additional performance dates and details can be found on the Kravis website at www.kravis.org/classroomconnection.

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