With Leaps & Lights, Program Links Stem & Dance

PICTURED ABOVE: Josie Addai

Josie Addai likes both math and dancing. So when the Jamesville-DeWitt middle schooler heard about last summer’s STEM From Dance program, she was in. But she didn’t know what to expect. “At first I wasn’t completely sure how they would connect,” she recalled. “In the first couple classes we were coming up with lyrical and hip-hop dance movements to get used to it. Then we were going to program the dance and wear lighted shirts.”

She was among about 50 middle school girls, most from communities historically underrepresented in technology careers, who participated in last summer’s three-week STEM From Dance program. It integrates science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) with the performing arts through project-based, hands-on experiences.

“What we see in STEM is that women and women of color are significantly underrepresented,” said Yamilée Toussaint, founder and CEO of STEM From Dance, a national program she brought to Syracuse. “Part of the reason that is so is that from a young age, girls are led to believe that things like math and engineering and computer science are more for boys. We believe that it’s important to change that.”

Dance, Toussaint said, is “a powerful way to help girls experience joy and encouragement and empowerment. By combining STEM with dance, they start to open up to what’s possible.”

A grant from the Youth STEM Funder Collaborative supported STEM From Dance to run in Syracuse for two years. In addition to the Community Foundation, the collaborative is comprised of the Micron Foundation, United Way of Central New York, Gifford Foundation and Allyn Foundation, with additional provided by OneGroup and Community Bank and Dr. James Rolling and Me’Shae Rolling.

Micron’s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Clay is expected to create nearly 50,000 New York jobs, including 9,000 new high-paying Micron jobs and more than 40,000 community jobs. The collaborative is prioritizing funding STEM programming that will make these career opportunities available to communities that have been historically underrepresented in the technology sector such as women and people of color.

“We’re committed to collaborating with community members, philanthropy, industry partners and individual donors to actively broaden access and make it easier for students to explore their brilliance in STEM, which therefore impacts the establishing of a diverse workforce at companies like Micron and within the STEM teaching force,” said Robert Simmons, head of Social Impact and STEM Programs at the Micron Foundation.

“There’s going to be such a huge opportunity in Central New York with the Micron plant and the jobs it creates,” said Toussaint, who has a background in engineering and a passion for dance. “There is the potential for these girls to be empowered with the knowledge and strength so they have access to opportunities in STEM that are lucrative and fulfilling.”

“As a young girl, dance made me feel capable and confident and allowed me to feel like an individual and set myself apart from my peers, and that’s what I hope for them,” she said. “I also benefited from a STEM education so I hope they give it a shot.”

She added, “STEM From Dance allows girls to have a space where they can comfortably explore their potential and future in STEM. Dance is very cultural, so it’s reassuring to see their culture in a space that they have historically been excluded from.”

In creating dance performances, participants learned about coding and connecting devices, programing music and lighting up their costumes.

Josie Addai is sold on the connection between math and STEM. “I like math because it makes my brain think in ways other things do not,” she said. “Dance lets you show who you are without talking or writing anything down.”

Together, she said, the activities “help me express myself and make me think differently.”

Josie completed fifth grade this past spring, and participated in STEM From Dance again this past summer. She enjoyed meeting new people, hearing about potential careers and expanding her STEM knowledge. And, of course, the new dance moves she learned.

40 girls participated in the first year of the STEM From Dance program.