From Invitation to Inspiration: How Community Opened the Door to Step Afrika! and guiDANCE

Sometimes, the most life-changing opportunities begin with a simple invitation.

What started as an ATO Academy parent, K. Hugins, inviting Coach Nay to attend a dance class with Taureake Dorill Ramos quickly unfolded into a once-in-a-lifetime experience—one that reflects the power of community, mentorship, and saying “yes” when doors open.

That initial invitation sparked a connection that led to Coach Nay being nominated and ultimately selected to participate in the guiDANCE Mentorship Program, an inspiring initiative created and directed by Mary Anne Fernandez-Herding through Movement Source Dance.

guiDANCE is designed to connect emerging and serious dance artists with working professionals, offering mentorship, master classes, performances, and relationship-building within the dance community.

Through guiDANCE, Coach Nay was matched with the touring cast of Step Afrika!, the world-renowned step dance company known for using rhythm, movement, and percussive storytelling to explore culture, history, and identity.

As part of this experience, Coach Nay was invited to:

• Attend a Q&A meet-and-greet with the cast

• Take a class with the Step Afrika! performers

• Watch their electrifying performance at ASU Gammage

  
  

She was also awarded two tickets and intentionally chose to bring along Anthony, our ASU Dance Intern and guest teaching artist, ensuring the opportunity would extend beyond one individual and strengthen our learning community as a whole.

Following the performance, both Coach Nay and Anthony were invited to continue the experience at the after-party, where members of the Step Afrika! cast once again took time to connect, encourage, and pour into them. In that space—beyond the stage and spotlight—both were able to engage in meaningful conversation, ask questions, and witness firsthand the generosity, professionalism, and community spirit that defines Step Afrika! as artists and mentors.

When they returned, Coach Nay and Anthony shared how deeply inspiring and invigorating the entire experience was—from class, to performance, to after-party. Together, they reflected on how clearly Step Afrika! demonstrated that powerful stories can be told through all types of mediums, including step. Rhythm became language. Movement became narrative. Art became advocacy.

This experience reinforced why mentorship matters and why exposure to professional artistry is transformational—not just for dancers, but for educators and emerging artists alike.

We are incredibly grateful to:

• K. Hugins, for the original invitation and continued support

• Mary Anne Fernandez-Herding, for creating and leading the guiDANCE Mentorship Program

• Movement Source Dance, for investing in the next generation of artists

• Taureake Dorill Ramos, founder and CEO of the Dorill Initiative, for cultivating spaces where art and civic power meet

• Coach Lay, for the recommendation letter that helped make this opportunity possible

• Anthony, for engaging fully, reflecting deeply, and bringing the inspiration back to our community

• And the gracious, empowering cast of Step Afrika!, who took time to pour into both Coach Nay and Anthony—before class, after the show, and again at the after-party—modeling what it truly means to lead with excellence, humility, and heart

  
  

This was more than a performance. It was mentorship in motion. It was community in action. It was a reminder that when we uplift one another, opportunities don’t stop at one person—they multiply.