Program / Event Details

Focus: College and Career Readiness, Health and Wellness, Performing Arts

Step Up to College is a weekly in-school or after-school residency designed to engage students in grades 3–12 through a dynamic blend of step instruction, college and career readiness, and personal wellness. Students explore the historical and cultural roots of stepping while developing self-confidence, leadership, and collaboration skills as active members of a step team.

The program supports academic growth through age-appropriate reflective journals that reinforce goal-setting, self-assessment, and writing skills. As students work together to create and rehearse original choreography, they build key competencies aligned with the performing arts, health education, and future planning.

As part of the full program experience, the residency begins with a high-energy recruitment assembly—Stepping with Step Afrika!—which introduces the history, technique, and cultural relevance of stepping in an engaging, interactive performance.

The residency concludes with a culminating showcase, where participating students perform their choreographed work and share the knowledge and skills they’ve gained throughout the 10-week program. This final performance is presented to peers, families, and the broader school community—celebrating student growth, cultural understanding, and the power of teamwork.