Stepping Towards The Future

Step combines music, movement and culture into a group performance to express unity, solidarity, and resilience.
Last year, Highland’s first step club was born. Excited students joined the club eager to learn more about Black history and the art of step. The club’s performances throughout the year blew the audience away. Step gave students of color a unique feeling of belonging and community.
But the step team, after a year of great success, has seen its exposure diminish due to challenging circumstances since last year and it’s been difficult for students to adapt.
Teacher Tiffany Rasmussen and paraprofessional Deirdre Straight helped the Highland Steppers get started. As co-advisers they worked together to support the students in their exploration of stepping. They helped students find a stronger sense of belonging.
“The nice thing about step is that it’s new for everybody, so lots of people get to participate and it’s open to everybody, so other people from different backgrounds get to participate if they want to,” Straight said.
While the community was growing last year, it’s been more difficult this year because Rasmussen has since left Highland. Her absence has students searching for a new safe space at the school.
Rasmussen played a vital role in introducing students to choreographers and she helped the team build a strong connection. The team was always welcome to hang out in her classroom during lunch and after school, which allowed them to get closer. Adjustments to the Highland Steppers have impacted the bonds of the team. Students have been feeling divided as morale has changed.
“She was just there for us. If we needed anything or had problems with the other girls, we would go talk to her, and she would make us talk to each other to resolve the problem,” Bakai said.
Including the change in advisors, step club has also transitioned from a club structure to an official class. It is now known as the Highland Step Team. The class is structured like a performing arts team but it’s not competitive like a sports team as Highland is the only school in the state with a step team. The community volunteer choreographers from last year have become the official coaches of the class.
These changes have left the students feeling displaced. Step team members – Dayoni Hughes, James Thompson, and Latnai Bekai – love step and want to fix the social divide the team has been experiencing.
“The only time that all of us are together is in that room when we’re stepping together and now, outside of that, we all go our separate ways. But I feel like when Ms. Ras was here, we were all closer,” Hughes said. “We would always be in her room during lunch, always having fun and listening to music.”
Students need mentors, staff and administrators who share their culture and backgrounds but many struggle to find that at Highland. Principal Jeremy Chatterton attributes it to struggles during the hiring process.
“It’s not easy to do just based off the applications that we get but we do take that into consideration when we are hiring,” Chatterton said. “I think that’s an area where we can improve district-wide, Highland’s not alone in that but it is something that we do have conversations about, and we are aware of when we are in the hiring process.”
Students also need more support from the community if Highland wants to achieve the welcoming community desired by the students and administrators.
“There hasn’t been much support,” Bakai said.
“There are some people that are like ‘oh if you ever need anything you can always come here’ but I feel like it’s not as open or as known that other people care about us,” Hughes said.
Highland Steppers want to feel valued and welcome, and more opportunities could help. The students are hoping to perform at West High School’s culture day, the Highland Multicultural Assembly, other Highland assemblies and basketball halftimes. So far, they’ve only had one performance, a last-minute opportunity at a University of Utah event. Strengthening community is difficult when communication could use improvement.
“I think we do need to do a better job and obviously, I think those groups could do a better job of advocating for themselves too,” Chatterton said. “To come and say, ‘hey we want to perform, what’s an opportunity?’ but we also need to do a better job of making sure that we provide all that information, so people know who to reach out to.”
The Highland Step Team is resilient and their passion for step is strong. The team has a unique performing energy, and the movement is different from other arts. Bakai, Hughes, and Thompson all consider the team to be a family, and they will continue to make that family stronger.
“It’s different than a regular dance team or the teams you would see out around the world,” Bakai said. “When we’re together, it’s just a different type of vibe. We’re always laughing. Everybody’s joking and stuff is crazy.”
For a program that was gaining exposure a year ago, to watch it decline has been difficult for the steppers. The team plans to put posters around the school to increase team awareness and support. With this, the steppers believe the future of the team is bright.