Testimonials

“Every single time I go to CityStep I feel more confident, not just in dance but overall. I can do many other things because of CityStep”

“CityStep makes dancing fun... we use our body and we get to show how we actually feel while we’re dancing.”

“I like that it’s not just that they make a dance for us and we just have to do it. They take our ideas and we get to make some choreography for ourselves, we get to work on the dance and make it our own”

“I usually get really really really mad, I like to dance it out and sing it out as well. CityStep just helps me control myself”

“Coming from a neighborhood full of obstacles, this program took me away from that environment and helped to steer my energy toward something creative and helped me think differently”

“Of special importance to me is the huge impact these mentors have had on our young students. The students that have participated have shown tremendous academic and social progress. We feel that this huge turnaround can be directly attributed to CityStep. I have been in the school district for twelve years, and I have never seen such a dramatic improvement in students in such a short period of time”

“There’s so much in our society that teaches us that we have to be afraid. And CityStep is about removing the fear, and that is as deep and as beautiful a task as I can imagine”

“Thinking about what CityStep means to me, three words come to mind: Commitment, Collaboration, and Challenge. It was an ethos that kids could be as great as adults. And we were not going to talk down to those kids, we were going to treat them as colleagues. We were going to ask for their commitment, ask for their collaboration and challenge them”

“It’s really impressive to see the impact that even one class has on a group of students, tapping into this creative, collaborative energy. Kids open up to each other and are much more collaborative and accepting of one another when they are dancing and being creative.”

“CityStep is the perfect medium and method of executing one of my personal goals: to make an impact. I get to go into classrooms and I get to mentor students and help them realize their limitless potential. It is my favorite part of the week! CityStep has made me realize that I cannot live a happy, virtuous life that I’m proud of without uplifting those around me.”

“CityStep has allowed me to take risks artistically—and take risks as a leader. I had never really viewed myself as someone who could take charge, control a group of 40 college students or 150 elementary school students. The growth CityStep provided me in terms of collaborative leadership skills and management skills is something I will take with me. I’ve learned a lot about myself as well.”

“My favorite memory of CityStep was a student telling us that she had lost a parent and was really distraught. But instead of staying home from school, which would have been allowed, she decided to come in because CityStep gave her a lot of comfort and a sense of community. She felt like she’d rather be with us than be home. It touched me so deeply. I would continue to do CityStep for the rest of my life if I could!”

“CityStep transformed my perspective on education. The experience inspired me to pursue combatting both education inequality and healthcare inequality as an aspiring physician-educator.”