Support Our Kwanzaa Youth Dancers: A Journey Through Heritage

Since 2020, The Equity Council Corp in Winter Park, FL, has proudly implemented the Kwanzaa Youth Dancer program, offering our community’s youth and their families a unique opportunity to connect with and celebrate the rich traditions of Kwanzaa. Through this program, we educate children on the seven principles of Kwanzaa (Nguzo Saba), infusing their learning with the vibrant and powerful expression of African dance. Each year, our dancers, trained by some of the city’s most renowned African dance instructors, take to the stage to showcase their skills. These instructors, many of whom have honed their craft on the Mother Continent (Africa), guide our youth in embodying the beauty and depth of what it means to be African through dance.

But to make this annual performance a reality, we need your support.

For seven weeks, our dancers practice diligently, upholding the Kwanzaa principle of Kuumba (Creativity), which honors the crafting of unique routines that we embody. To reward this productive and collective labor, we ensure that each child is given Mazao (The Crops) in the form of healthy and nutritious snacks to fuel their efforts. At each practice, we provide nutritious snacks to up to 20 children, which is essential to ensuring that they can perform at their best.

Additionally, each dancer requires culturally appropriate and dance-specific attire, which must be handmade. In doing so, we embody the spirit of Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) by working with a local sewist who skillfully creates these garments. As a reward for their dedication and hard work, the dancers are gifted their costumes, a representation of Zawadi (The Gifts), so they can proudly wear them at future African cultural events.

But why is this so important?

Because Kwanzaa is more than a holiday—it’s an act of Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)! By investing in our youth and supporting this program, we are actively choosing to define ourselves, create for ourselves, and tell our own stories. In the spirit of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), it’s essential that we, as a community, keep Kwanzaa alive for the next generation. By funding this program, you ensure that our cultural traditions continue to thrive and flourish, giving our children a sense of identity, pride, and purpose.

This year, we invite you to support our Kwanzaa Youth Dancers by donating to help cover the costs of weekly snacks, handmade costumes, and performance expenses. Your contribution makes it possible for our children to experience the beauty of African culture and share it with the community through the art of dance.

Are you interested in signing up your child? The 2024 Kwanzaa Dance sign-ups will open on September 30th and close on October 21st. Our first practice will begin on October 28th, 2024. Use this link to express interest: [https://tinyurl.com/KwanzaaYDIF2024].

Let’s continue to uplift our youth and celebrate our heritage together! Thank you for your support!

If you would like to see more pictures from last year’s Kwanzaa Celebration, click on the link below. [Pictures: Kwanzaa celebration in Winter Park – Orlando Sentinel]

Dancing Through Heritage:

By The Equity Council Corp

Dancing Through Heritage:

Empower Our 2024 Kwanzaa Youth Dancers!