We were lucky to catch up with Jacquinta Nelson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jacquinta , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Music has played an instrumental part in my development from an early age. I have the honor of being born in a musically inclined family full of singers and musicians. While my siblings are gifted percussionists, I found my niche in stepping. Stepping is utilizing the body as an instrument to produce rhythms and sounds through hand claps, spoken word, and footsteps. At the age of 12, I was first introduced to stepping. I continue to build on my craft daily. What started as a fun way to keep the beat to popular songs, became the first step to the rest of my life. In 2010, my former band director and godfather served as a youth pastor at a local church. He was hosting a youth talent competition. He asked for my sister and I to develop a step team. We comprised a team of girls from our high school and church. The team was called SWAGG (Sisters Worshiping A Great God). I continued to perform with this team until college.
My freshman year at William Jewell College a fellow classmate and I created the Cardinal Steppers.The Cardinal Steppers was the first step team established on William Jewell’s campus. We were developed to create a safe space for students to express themselves through the performing arts. During my college career at William Jewell, our team collaborated with other campus organizations for performances and events. The team successfully contributed to the school culture for my four years of education. I pursued other avenues to continue my step career after graduation.
In 2016, I pursued a year of public service at City Year Kansas City through AmeriCorps. During this year of service, I established a step club initially with eight participants. They were deemed Magnificent 8 because of their willingness to trust the process and each other. As the school year continued, the club expanded to a team of thirty students, officially becoming the Kauffman Steppers. They were deemed Worthy 30 because they set the standard for the members after them. The following 2017-2018 school year I developed and taught a curriculum for the art of stepping at the Ewing Marion Kauffman School to 7th through 10th graders. While teaching the content the team expanded to forty members.They are deemed the Sporty Forty for being the first to sport or show off their talents to Kansas City. The team’s first performance was for Teacher for America’s Shark Tank “Teacher’s Edition” event. The initial success of the team ignited a desire to expand my reach into the local community.
The desire to reach more youth was the first step to creating STEP Movement, LLC. S.T.E.P. is an acronym that means Supporting Them Express their Passions. The mission is to cultivate youth in expressing their passions for community, collaboration, and creativity through the art of stepping. Our team logo is purposeful. The name is displayed in army font because it resembles discipline and precision. The boot print represents forward movement, no matter where we go we will always leave a footprint behind. I decided to make a community-based team to reach youth across Kansas City. Then and presently, we are the only community-based team in the metropolitan area. The first tryouts were held June 2, 2018 at the Southeast Community Center. From the first tryout five founding members were selected as the Fantastic Five. They were deemed the Fantastic Five because their bond, commitment, talent, and dedication were unmatched.
Over the next few years, we began to expand as an organization. My vision is to bring the world of step to the Greater Kansas City area through education via curriculum and entertainment via performances. To accomplish this, we focus on three programs: STEP Movement: the community-based step team, Step as a Movement: the curriculum, and Step with the Movement: the consulting initiative.
STEP Movement, the community-based step team, is internationally ranked and composed of members ages 4-19 years old from all over the Greater Kansas City area. We strive to raise awareness of stepping in collegiate and career ventures. We pride ourselves on providing opportunities for academic support, community service, and mentorship for our members.
Step as a Movement is the curriculum. The course navigates students through the evolution of step and its fundamentals. As a result of enrollment into this program students will leave with knowledge of the art of stepping. Students will also develop the ability to create, cultivate, collaborate with others to produce a step performance.This course is available virtually or in-person. It is adaptable to grade levels kindergarten through college.
Step with the Movement is the consulting initiative. We believe that bringing the world of step to the greater Kansas City area takes collaboration and community. Our coaches are outsourced by local school teams for consulting and coaching. We do not control the teams but provide coaches the skills for enhancement. By partnering with us their members have the opportunity to join our competition team to further pursue their stepping interest. We also provide an avenue in which coaches have access to the World of Step community.We believe if you can clap once and step twice, we can teach you how to step for the rest of your life.
During the pandemic we developed the STEP Movement Learning Labs. Within this program, we worked with ten students across various grade levels and from different schools to improve their academics. All of our students excelled in their coursework and all grades increased significantly. The success of the program affirmed my teaching ability. This moment signified my career trajectory as an educator. As the pandemic restrictions lighten towards the beginning of 2021, we returned, as a team stronger than ever. The returning team was deemed the Just Begun 21 because they were the first to enter a competition and raise our brand awareness outside of Kansas City. In the spring of 2021 the Just Begun 21 entered the World of Step International Virtual Competition. This competition was a four month long competition from February to May. The team submitted four new routines and competed against nine countries in three markets. The markets were the USA, Peru and West Africa. Over the course of the competition Step Movement won 11 adjudicated awards and two golden tickets to the finale. They also tied for Third Place Champions. I also tied for Coach of the Year and joined the World of Step Coaches Council.
In 2022, my five assistant coaches were featured in the World of Step’s Women in Step Series. Our five assistant coaches all hold various jobs to assist with the betterment of the team. Each coach brings something different with either experience in dance or expertise in business. They have all stepped up to the plate to assist me with creating the best possible outlet for our kids.
On April 28, 2023 we experienced something that was nothing short of amazing. STEP Movement and I were able to grace the same stage at the Battle of the Greeks Step Show. I’m the proud head coach and founder of STEP Movement and member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. I am a member of the Sassy Step Team of the Kansas City, Missouri Chapter. STEP Movement got a glimpse into their future as two of their coaches hit the stage, myself and Alicia McDougal, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. This was a monumental moment, to see my team support me as much as I support them. They were able to not only see me as their coach but a fellow stepper. STEP Movement is truly community over competition.
Reflecting over the last eighteen years of my life, I have discovered that my passion for step; is more than just a hobby but what I was placed on this earth to do. I have learned following your passion can lead to creating new doors for others. My passion for step has become my purpose. Now my step life has come full circle. The Kauffman Steppers first public performance was at Teacher for America Shark Tank “Teacher Edition.” STEP Movement’s last performance of the spring 2022 season was the Teach for America Alumni Induction Ceremony. I am now a 2023 corps member of Teach for America. My new teaching position is teaching my step curriculum to ninth graders.
In the next five years I envision other educators being trained in my curriculum and it being taught across the world. I see the team expanding and being the primary youth entertainment for the Greater Kansas City area. I envision the consulting initiative being implemented in various after school programs. My career has led to this point, no one can tell me my passion for step is not my purpose.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Pricing: Membership Monthly pricing:
$35 for a family of one
$55 for a family of two
$75 for a family of 3 or more
Step as a movement curriculum pricing:
$2,000 for a yearlong curriculum
Performance pricing:
$50 for 2 – 3 minutes
$75 for 4 minutes
$100 for 5 – 7 minutes
$150 for 7 – 10 minutes
$200 and up for 10+ minutes.
All performance requests are subject to team availability. Any performance requests received less than 2 weeks before the performance date are subject to a $50 fee.
STEP as a Movement Consulting and Coaching
Routine expense:
Travel $100
Routine and structure $100
Audio production $100
Technique and Training $100
Total:$400
Consulting:
Diagnostic $25
Curriculum exploration $100
Total:$125
Practice Schedule:
2:30-3:00 mini lesson
3:00- 3:30 conditioning and stretching
3:30-3:35 break
3:35-4:40 practice time
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The qualities that were most impactful in my journey was consistency, creativity, and collaboration. Consistency was manifested through the numerous experiences in step. Since I was first introduce to this art form, I have incorporated it in every aspect of my life. I have remain consistent to notion step is life. My creativity has been demonstrated as the organization has evolved into the three programs. My creativity is infused in each performance and participant. My members are equipped with the tools to develop their own productions. I am committed to collaboration. It is important to build community and support other programs. We are willing to collaborate with any organization that focuses on improving the life of youth.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My staff has been most helpful in helping me overcome challenges. My biggest challenge led to the acknowledgement of the strength of my leadership team. In April 2021 I was in a tragic car accident that stopped me from walking for a few months. I was uncertain about my future ability to step. However, my victory lap came to fruition on my birthday June 12th. We were able to participate in the Juneteenth Parade in Kansas City, and I was able to successfully walk the entire parade route. That experience as a whole helped me realize the role step has in my life. As a result, I realized I needed to stop working in the business realm and start focusing more on how and what I want STEP Movement to look like in the future. In that same thought, I understood that I couldn’t do this by myself. During that competition season while stifled by my ailment I had to be receptive to help. I started learning to trust in my appointed coaching staff. There were able to demonstrate their abilities through a collaborative effort to lead our team to success.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @stepmovement2018
- Facebook: STEP Movement, LLC
- Youtube: STEP Movement, LLC
