Step Ahead is Joy of Motion Dance Center’s free summer outreach program, which offers an engaging arts experience for 50 teens at our Atlas studios in Northeast D.C. Step Ahead teaches life and career skills, as well as dance, to better prepare D.C. teens to step ahead into a productive and creative future. In addition to attending interactive dance classes, workshops and field trips, 4 Step Ahead participants attended the Summer Jobs+ Professional Development Series at the White House on Monday, August 6. Attendees participated in hands-on skills building activities geared specifically toward young people and heard from key members of the Administration including the Director of Personnel, the Deputy Director of Communications and the Deputy Directors of Technology. Representing Joy of Motion Dance Center’s Step Ahead program were:

Rachel Bonham, 17 – Woodrow Wilson High School
Matthew Dixon, 15 – IDEA Public Charter School
Genelle James, 16 – Thurgood Marshall Academy
Lennox Seaforth, 14 – Duke Ellington School of the Arts

Joy of Motion Dance Center’s Outreach Director Quynn Johnson, who organizes the Step Ahead program, was also in attendance. According to Johnson, “This was a great opportunity for youth to learn some helpful interviewing skills and to create a resume. After leaving the event, Step Ahead participants felt they gained a lot from the White House staff’s expertise and are looking forward to using these skills in the future.” For more information about the Step Ahead program, please click here.