(Above) Step Into Culture members gather before a performace. (Left) Founder Wilma Clouden.

A grandmother and granddaughter dance duo has been helping youth express themselves through dance for the past five years. Run by Wilma Clouden and her granddaughter, Iysis, Step Into Culture is a dance group that primarily works with young girls. Some of the dance styles the group has learned include African, soca, hip-hop and more.

The group meets Monday and Wednesday of every week. They learn dance as well as other art forms and social skills.

While the Step Into Culture dance group is primarily for the youth, Clouden also is willing to teach adults who may want to learn dances for workout purposes and is considering creating a separate group for them.

Clouden said the group was formed after her granddaughter went to other dance companies and was unhappy attending them.

“I had a group before [called] The Table Dancers. I had that for 35 years. Then I stopped, and then my granddaughter Iysis, she went to a couple of the dance companies, and she wasn’t happy, so I decided to open back the group and name it Step Into Culture, and had her teach some of the dances,” she said.

The hard work of teaching the youth the dances has paid off with opportunities to perform at events including the Dorchester Day Parade, the Juneteenth Parade, West Indian Day Carnival and the Cambridge Carnival, along with additional performances and parades throughout the state.

The group currently takes children five years of age and older.

Since most of the older youth in the group have headed off to college, Step Into Culture is recruiting new members. Clouden makes it clear that they are not just focused on dancing, but she also teaches them social skills and takes the youngsters on trips, along with bringing in additional enrichment opportunities.

“Some of these kids, they go through a lot. We don’t know what they’re going through, and then, these kids are not being recognized. …They need help.”

Clouden said she hopes to grow the Step Into Culture group in the future, which includes hiring another dance teacher to prepare them for more dance competitions, as Iysis is attending college and is not as available to teach.

Clouden encourages parents to register their children for Step Into Culture for the new year.

“Each child is different,” she said. “Some kids, they don’t have to be a dancer. It’s something to have the kids do something more than just going to school and coming back home.”

ON THE WEB

Learn more at eventbrite.com/e/step-into-culture-dance-group-tickets-1295725031449?aff=ebdssbdestsearch